The Collector by Fiona Cummins - VERY EARLY REVIEW

I don't usually do such early reviews. So apologies. This isn't out until 2018 but I couldn't wait to read it. Now I've read it, I couldn't wait to review it. If you haven't read Rattle, Fiona Cummins' first book, I suggest you buy it now (out in paperback on 24th August). Then the wait for The Collector won't seem quite so long.

The Collector
By Fiona Cummins
Published by Pan Macmillan

Publisher's description

Jakey escaped with his life and moved to a new town.
His rescue was a miracle but his parents know that the Collector is still out there, watching, waiting...

Clara, the girl he left behind, is clinging to the hope that someone will come and save her.

Life has fallen apart for Clara’s mother as she starts to lose hope.

The Bone Collector has a new apprentice to take over his family’s legacy. But he can’t forget the boy who got away and the detective who had destroyed his dreams

Detective Etta Fitzroy’s life collapsed when the Collector escaped. With Clara still missing, and a new wave of uncannily similar murders beginning, will she be able to find him again?

The Collector is back and this time he has nothing to lose . . .

My verdict
Fiona Cummins is one of the most talented crime writers I've stumbled upon in recent years. Not only is she a plotting genius, but her writing is sublime. I loved Rattle - an outstanding crime thriller - and couldn't wait to read The Collector. Well, not only has Fiona done it again but she's totally surpassed herself.

The Collector is harrowing, gruesome, chilling, terrifying, horrific, gripping, compelling... I could go on. This is a very dark plot, and descriptions may turn your stomach, get right under your skin and (dare I write this) rattle your bones. BUT the horror is dabbled with moments of tenderness and hope, with characters to believe in and invest in. This is a return to old characters and an introduction to new ones. Could this be read as a standalone? Probably. Yet why do so, when you can read Rattle too?

The plot moves at a cracking pace, with short concise chapters - I barely took a breath all the way through. This is a book that's hard to put down once you've started reading. It tackles all of your senses in one go, with such powerful writing in every word, every sentence, every paragraph, every page...

Fiona Cummins' books are perfect for fans of top authors Mo Hader and Thomas Harris. I suspect in years to come, though, that Rattle, The Collector and many more of Fiona's books themselves will be on the lists of crime fiction masterclasses to study pace, tension and creepiness.

The Collector is, without doubt, going to be a top recommendation of mine for 2018, just as Rattle has been this year. I can't wait to see what Fiona Cummins writes next - unfortunately, I suspect I'll have to wait a while, considering this book isn't out for several months.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Here's the link to my review of Rattle: http://off-the-shelfbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/rattle-by-fiona-cummins.html