I went into this book with a really high expectation due to the promotional line – A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter, so I felt a little let down with this book. But Hannibal Lecter aside it is certainly a creepy disturbing read. And the subject matter is fascinating, I learned more about some medical conditions that I knew existed but was ignorant of the workings of the human body.

The serial killer (The Bone Collector) is a well fleshed out character and the workings of his mind makes him really interesting, he is a man who has spent his lifetime fascinated by bones and their diseases. Leading two lives, one as carer for his wife who suffers from MS and as a night time cleaner in a hospital and the other as the keeper of his family’s macabre museum. But it is his victims and his collection that are the stars of the show!

Two abducted children and the race to find them was a real page turner. It comes to light that they both have bone deformities. Stone Man Syndrome was a condition I hadn’t been aware of prior to reading this book and it has been fantastically written and incredibly researched. It not only encompassed fear through the mind of a child but also the fear that parents have about losing their child.You could almost feel the tensions developing within the families of the missing children and how all the individual family members were dealing with their emotions, the writing was so good that their emotions had a way of escaping the pages and seeping into your own emotions!

You also get an insight into the strain that having Jakey and the demands his condition has wrought on Lilith and Erdman’s marriage as well as the impact his disappearance has on them. Erdman is trying to survive the pressures of his job and failing and his love for Jakey leads him to try to find the serial killer single-handedly! – Maybe not the best decision of his life but as a parent i know i would do the same!

The ending is a cliff hanger, and this thought provoking finale stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page! Luckily the second book in the series The Collector is out now 🙂
( )

I went into this book with a really high expectation due to the promotional line – A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter, so I felt a little let down with this book. But Hannibal Lecter aside it is certainly a creepy disturbing read. And the subject matter is fascinating, I learned more about some medical conditions that I knew existed but was ignorant of the workings of the human body.

The serial killer (The Bone Collector) is a well fleshed out character and the workings of his mind makes him really interesting, he is a man who has spent his lifetime fascinated by bones and their diseases. Leading two lives, one as carer for his wife who suffers from MS and as a night time cleaner in a hospital and the other as the keeper of his family’s macabre museum. But it is his victims and his collection that are the stars of the show!

Two abducted children and the race to find them was a real page turner. It comes to light that they both have bone deformities. Stone Man Syndrome was a condition I hadn’t been aware of prior to reading this book and it has been fantastically written and incredibly researched. It not only encompassed fear through the mind of a child but also the fear that parents have about losing their child.You could almost feel the tensions developing within the families of the missing children and how all the individual family members were dealing with their emotions, the writing was so good that their emotions had a way of escaping the pages and seeping into your own emotions!

You also get an insight into the strain that having Jakey and the demands his condition has wrought on Lilith and Erdman’s marriage as well as the impact his disappearance has on them. Erdman is trying to survive the pressures of his job and failing and his love for Jakey leads him to try to find the serial killer single-handedly! – Maybe not the best decision of his life but as a parent i know i would do the same!

The ending is a cliff hanger, and this thought provoking finale stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page! Luckily the second book in the series The Collector is out now 🙂 ( )

3.5 Stars

That was deeply unsettling and a lot to process. Like A LOT. There were 'skeletons in the closet' aplenty in this thriller that sees two young kids being the object of a deranged mans obsession. I liked our fierce yet fragile Etta Fitzroy and enjoyed seeing a vulnerable character cast in the role of hero detective. Will definitely want to see how this all plays out after that ending so will read book 2 in the near future. ( )

A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter.



My list of problems with this book:

1. Boring killer. Seriously the worst ever I think! More frightening than Hannibal Lecter????

2. An incompetent police with emotional problems (she constantly thought about her own problems all through the book)...

3. Parents that you didn't care about, hell I didn't' care much about the fate of the children either since I couldn't connect to a single character in the book.

4. One of the parents had a BIG MYSTERY that was revealed towards the later part of the book. Totally unrealistic and laughable.

5. Inner monologues. I wanted to scream at them that I don't care! Get on with the plot.

6. The narrator (I listened to the audiobook) was not bad, but the voices of the children just didn't work for me.


Reading the sequel? No, I don't think so... ( )

A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter.



My list of problems with this book:

1. Boring killer. Seriously the worst ever I think! More frightening than Hannibal Lecter????

2. An incompetent police with emotional problems (she constantly thought about her own problems all through the book)...

3. Parents that you didn't care about, hell I didn't' care much about the fate of the children either since I couldn't connect to a single character in the book.

4. One of the parents had a BIG MYSTERY that was revealed towards the later part of the book. Totally unrealistic and laughable.

5. Inner monologues. I wanted to scream at them that I don't care! Get on with the plot.

6. The narrator (I listened to the audiobook) was not bad, but the voices of the children just didn't work for me.


Reading the sequel? No, I don't think so... ( )