The night Collector by Victor Methos is the second book of a new series starring Detective Lazarus Halloway and Piper Danes who is a court guardian. There is a lot of violence, mystery excitement and pathos.
Tow underage kids are didnapped out of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.The minister was brutally killed and no. one knows why these tow kids were chosen to be taken. A bracelet was left behind by one of the kidnappers and that was a big clue.
The book was very exciting. I could not put it down. It leaves you wondering about corruption in high places....just saying. You do not have to have read the first book in the series to fall in love with the author's writing.

Damn, I wish I didn't read the silent watcher previous to reading the night collector. The Silent Watcher was 5 stars hands down….TNC fell flat for me? Like the downfall if the sequel…. I missed Pipers intellect & most of her presence. she felt like a side character, the story also felt like it was lost half way through, then we came back to our main kidnapping plot near the end. Which honestly was written well, but lacked originality.

It’s a welcome return for Piper and Lazarus as they team up to solve a perplexing abduction and kidnapping of two young people on their wedding day.

The plot is dark and the villains are evil, deadly , psychopathic and without mercy but there is more to this multilayered plot, as what lies behind the crime and who is pulling the strings.

Lazarus is plagued by his past and inner demons and Piper Danes too has yet to recover from the traumas out.ined in the first book.

This all makes for an intoxicating and thought provoking read written by an author at the top of his game.

Bloody and violent though it most certainly is, the characters are well developed and explored and as always Las Vegas is perfectly depicted.

This is the second book in the Vegas Shadows series and I couldn’t wait to dive right in. It definitely did not disappoint! We return to the lives of Detective Holloway and Piper, an attorney with the guardian ad litem’s office. Piper is still recovering from the trauma of their last case together and Lazarus is getting used to working in the Criminal Intelligence Unit. Lazarus is asked by another detective to weigh in on a kidnapping case of a teenage couple due to a connection from his past. He can’t help but throw everything he’s got at the case and requests Piper’s assistance to represent the girl when she is found. The more they dig to find answers, the more questions there are. This story is captivating, thrilling, and a book you won’t want to put down. The legal expertise and knowledge of the criminal justice system is on point. It’s jam packed with action and excitement. The author is a genius at weaving a story so intricately and building characters with a depth that questions how many layers a person can have. While I don’t believe reading the first book is completely necessary, you will understand more of the details and connections to the first book having done so.

Complex and intense, twists at every turn, secrets and lies, and a couple psychopaths that could audition for Natural Born Killers make this fast moving crime drama fly. Lazarus Holloway is one of the best investigative characters out there, complex and enigmatic and in the middle of a web of lies and corruption that stick to everything. This is the second, oh there better be more coming!

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of Victor Methos's latest #legalthriller, The Night Collector, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheNightCollector is the second installment in the Vegas Shadows series. When the leads on an abduction case involving a pair of Vegas teenagers being snatched by masked gunmen during their own wedding ceremony grow stale, Detective Lazarus Holloway contacts GAL Piper Danes to advocate for the victims' families. Similar to the first installment, the unlikely duo soon find themselves mired in a criminal matter linked to a corrupt overarching force; one who is single-handedly proving the moniker 'Sin City' was well-earned and still relevant in present day.

Fast-paced and entertaining, the short chapters will have readers flipping pages long after midnight, as well as eagerly awaiting the next installment. While not entirely necessary since the case itself is secondary to character development, it is recommended that the series be consumed in consecutive order or else readers risk missing some crucial background details. Plus, the plot of the first novel is better crafted and much more exciting, which is part of the reasoning behind the assigned rating.

Another reason is that the writing in the first half of the novel felt clunky, not up to the author's usual standard. Even in instances where I'm indifferent to the main case, I tend to grant high ratings for his novels due to the strength of the writing. For whatever reason, this installment felt off; particularly, the redundant points made in short passages, and more importantly, the characters lost some of their traits and depth. In other words, unlike the first book, the already introduced characters read as two-dimensional here.

Finally, when compared to the first, the horror and suspense was nowhere near as captivating in this sophomore installment. Although I stand by the statement that it is a page-turner, it read akin to a filler episode before the big finale. Given the underlying subplot was barely touched upon this time, I am holding out hope that all the suspense pays off in the third release.

I am a huge fan of Victor Methos' writing -- he is an auto-read for me. But two books into this series and I just don't know if this is the one for me. These characters are messy and unique but I still don't feel like I have a good enough grasp on them to be invested (although this ended on a pretty big cliffhanger so will probably have to keep going!)

A year after the case that brought them together ended tragically, Lazarus and Piper are working together again on a case of two kidnapped teenagers. 15 year olds Keri and Brad were abducted at their own wedding, and all signs point to human trafficking as a motivation. But unless Lazarus can figure out why these two specific teenagers were taken, he will never be able to find them in time. And when a deeper connection to one of the victims is revealed, it only makes his involvement more complicated.

This had all the makings of a good legal thriller/drama but something about the way the plot unfolded just never hooked me -- uncharacteristic for this author! It was good but not my favorite from his catalog -- I've come to have high expectations for his writing!

The final twist in this book is what makes it 4 stars for me.
This was a good book. It was a thriller with twists and turns throughout.
I did not realize that this was book 2 in a series. I thought it read perfectly as a standalone. I didn't feel that I was missing any information or connection that was essential to the plot of the book by not reading book 1.
I enjoyed the MCs - Detective Lazarus and Piper.
So much corruption happens - politicians, lawyers, insane criminals, and judges.
I do think that the author leaves the book open for another book at the end... what a cliffhanger!
This has short chapters and is a page-turner.
The structure is done fairly well. I did feel the first half of the book felt a bit choppy, but it was much better from midway through the book to the end. The pace was fast, which was ideal for this genre.
The character development was a little bit lacking for me, but I still felt that you could connect with the characters.
This is one that deserves a spot on your TBR. Give it a try!
Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: The Night Collector by Victor Methos

Posted on A Novel Nene

Victor Methos is a name I usually trust when I’m in the mood for a fast-paced legal thriller with a dark twist. The Night Collector definitely delivers on the premise: a chilling killer, a driven prosecutor, and a case that blurs the lines between justice and vengeance.

The opening pulled me in right away — the tension, the crime scenes, and the moral questions at play had me intrigued. Methos shines when he’s writing courtroom drama; you can tell he knows the legal world inside and out.

But somewhere past the halfway mark, the story lost some of its spark. The pacing became uneven, and I found myself wanting more depth from the characters, especially the villain. The ending came a bit too quickly for my taste, and while it wrapped things up, it didn’t quite hit the emotional or psychological note I was hoping for.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad read — it had solid moments and Methos’s signature grit — but it didn’t leave a lasting impression like some of his other works have.

Final thoughts: If you’re a fan of legal thrillers and like your crime stories with a darker edge, this one might still be worth a look. Just go in with tempered expectations

The Night Collector is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that had me hooked from the first page. Victor Methos delivers a masterclass in suspense, with razor-sharp pacing, rich psychological depth, and a haunting sense of dread that builds with every chapter.

What sets this book apart is how smart and layered it is; it’s not just a thrilling mystery, but a meditation on justice, obsession, and the darkest corners of the human mind. The writing is crisp and immersive, the characters are complex and compelling, and the twists are genuinely unexpected without ever feeling forced.

Methos proves once again why he’s one of the best in the genre. The Night Collector is chilling, elegant, and utterly unputdownable. If you love intelligent thrillers with real emotional stakes, this one is a must-read.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this arc.

I’m convinced at this point that victor method could rewrite the telephone book and it would be amazing. I have yet to be disappointed by one of his book and this one is no different!!!

“The Night Collector” by Victor Methos is book 2 in the Vegas Shadows series. The main characters in this series are a detective and a young woman who is a youth Guardian at Litem. In this thriller a teenage couple is abducted from their wedding ceremony at a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Although fast paced and interesting court scenes, the story is about sex slavery and human trafficking. The topic was hard for me so although I enjoy this author a lot, this book just didn’t work for me. For those who are not sensitive to this topic, the book ends with a big cliff hanger and will have you eagerly awaiting book 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gritty thriller with some very interesting characters,most of whom were not very likeable. Fast paced with what's and turns.

Victor Methos does it again! Each legal thriller he writes keeps getting better and better! He has this beautiful way of keeping his readers’ attention with his storytelling.

THE NIGHT COLLECTOR hooked me immediately. What I liked most were the crazy twists and turns Mr. Methos created for his readers. The final twist was WILD, and I am still in shock!

I was satisfied with the book’s ending. There’s an opening for another book to be added to the series, and I am thrilled about that. I want to learn more about Detective Holloway and how he will battle those demons.

I highly recommend this book to readers! This book will pull you away from a reading slump! Excellent storytelling!

My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Second book in the series, love this author and enjoyed this book thoroughly!!

Detective Lazarus Holloway and Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Piper Danes team up again in this high stakes case. A kidnapping in Vegas where a teenage bride and groom are abducted from their ceremony isn’t what it seems at first.

A lone bracelet the only clue left behind and the stakes are raised at every turn. The kids are in danger, the criminals who have them are insanely dangerous, a trail of bodies is being left in their wake and time is running out.

The further they dig, the more personal this becomes and the more dangerous …. Can Lazarus and Piper find the kids before something worse happens then never seeing them alive again!!

This is the second novel in the Vegas Shadows Series and I will say that I love this author and I love this series. It was an immediate download for me on the read now category (thank you Thomas and Mercer) from NetGalley. I abandoned the book I was reading at the time and immediately began this one.

I wasn’t disappointed, however if memory serves me correctly I did like the first book better. That does not mean this was no good… it was excellent I just happened to prefer the first case. I really like that this is different, the GAL and Detective team up is a good one and they make a great team, even though they are both kind of loners with their own baggage. There appears to be no romantic or sexual tension they are literally just here to work a case together. They seem kind of friends but haven’t spoken since the events of the last book which haunt Piper.

You do not need to have read book 1 to enjoy this but I am a sucker for doing things in order and there is only one other… so I reckon do it. Its a good book and lays the foundation of these characters better than just diving in to book two but… you do you!!

I always love a Victor Methos book, they are written with a lot of action packed, and in a way that is easy to read and keeps you wanting to read long after your bedtime. Overall, I highly recommend this book and this series to just about anyone, with the exception of people who don’t like violence or read this genre, in that case… maybe not for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read Book 1 in this series (and loved it) and recommend starting there first.
*Possible spoiler ahead*
However, I didn’t realize The Night Collector would finish with such a cliffhanger, which I normally don’t mind, but I feel like it abruptly stopped. I went on a long slow burn journey and then the story ended with many loose ends. So many things were going on in this book, and I don’t feel as if got closure to any storyline.

The Night Collector continues to follow Piper, Detective Lazarus Holloway, and Judge Hope Dawson. The book starts action packed, with Lazarus working undercover, then jumps to a young couple getting kidnapped at their wedding. I had so many questions, from how the police were handling the case to Pipers civilian involvement. With about thirty percent left, some of those questions get asked, but again, the story ends in a cliffhanger, so I’ll have to wait and see if a third book ties everything up.

I wasn't aware when I started this book that it is book 2 in a series. If I were to go back and read book 1, I'm sure it would fill in some gaps that had me confused.

A young boy and his girlfriend are abducted from their wedding ceremony in Las Vegas. There are many parties involved that have their own agendas, leaving you wondering what will happen.

There was a cliffhanger at the end, so now I need to find out when the next book comes out so I can get some resolution.

The Night Collector is another hard hitting crime thriller with Detective Lazarus Holloway and Guardian at litem Piper Danes.
A young girl and her boyfriend are violently abducted from their wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, taken to be used as slaves sexual or otherwise. Lazarus asks for Pipers help both are still affected by their last case together.
Here we have corruption at the highest levels of the justice system and other wealthy prominent people. The action is heart pounding and hard hitting as Lazarus desperately tries to chase these abductors down.
As usual the court scenes are engrossing with brilliant cross examinations. This is a fast paced thriller with some shocking moments and some particularly evil characters.
The story ends on a cliff hanger(for me) so await the next book eagerly.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This is my first book by Victor Methos & although it is book 2 in the Vegas Shadows series, you can read this as a stand alone novel. Detective Lazarus Holloway and Piper Danes work together to find 2 teenagers, Keri & Brad, who were literally abducted from their wedding ceremony and the clergyman had his throat slit. Against the backdrop of Las Vegas they get caught up in the world of modern slavery in the race against time to find the missing teenagers. Very gritty read and the characters, violent & corrupt, are great. Now to read the first novel in the series!!

I received The Night Collector from @netgalley and I loved it. It’s the second book to the Vegas Shadows series coming and it comes out September 16th. I dare say I liked it better than the first one. There are twists and new developments with the characters it kept me on my toes. So if you read The Silent Watcher then you definitely need to read The Night Collector. #netgalley #series #arc #TheNightCollector