Review: The Collector by Fiona Cummins

Brian Howley escaped police custody. While he has vanished, so too has the knowledge of where Clara, a kidnapped 5-year old, has been hidden. DS Fitzroy is more desperate than ever before to catch The Collector, and finally bring him to justice.

Unperturbed by his narrow escape from the police, Howley seeks to begin a new collection, and yet the signature piece remains the skeleton of Jakey, a six-year old with Stone Man Syndrome, and the twisted bones which result from it. After following Jakey’s family across the country to shadow their fresh start, Howley appears to have fate smiling on him, for not only is Jakey within reach, but The Collector has discovered an heir to his dastardly enterprise.

The Collector picks up immediately after the conclusion of Cummins’ first novel, Rattle, but remains a good stand-alone story if you’ve not read the prequel (though I urge you to read both). The continuation of the narrative cements this fictional world of dark deeds into the reader’s mind, which together with moving characters and a bold plot, make the story addictive and easy to read. Usually, one finds that continuations of a series can mean that the integrity of characters and stories erode over time, with each sequel slightly less impressive than its predecessor, but not so in Fiona Cummins’ world. Here, The Collector surpasses Rattle, and yet both are undoubtedly fun and excellent reads. That, in itself, is quite an achievement (and I don’t think I’ve experienced that before). In addition, Cummins’ shows her ability to display characters who have enough weight to be interesting a second time around. Read the books together, or read them apart, but you’ll definitely love every page.

Is escapism is what you’re after, you’ll enjoy this trip down the rabbit hole.

The Collector by Fiona Cummins is published by Pan Macmillan