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Theodore Tate #2
Collecting Cooper
From the international bestselling author of Blood Men comes a gripping new thriller that paints a brutally vivid picture of a killer's mind.
People are disappearing in Christchurch. Cooper Riley, a psychology professor, doesn’t make it to work one day. Emma Green, one of his students, doesn’t make it home. When ex-cop Theodore Tate is released from a four-month prison stint, he’s asked by Green’s father to help find Emma. After all, Tate was in jail for nearly killing her in a DUI accident the year before, so he owes him. Big time. What neither of them knows is that a former mental patient is holding people prisoner as part of his growing collection of serial killer souvenirs. Now he has acquired the ultimate collector’s item—an actual killer.
Meanwhile, clues keep pulling Tate back to Grover Hills, the mental institution that closed down three years ago. Very bad things happened there. Those who managed to survive would prefer keeping their memories buried. Tate has no choice but to unearth Grover Hills’ dark past if there is any chance of finding Emma Green and Cooper Riley alive.
For fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs, and Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, Collecting Cooper is another “relentlessly gripping, deliciously twisted, and shot through with a vein of humor that’s as dark as hell” (Mark Billingham) novel by this glimmering new talent in the crime thriller genre.
People are disappearing in Christchurch. Cooper Riley, a psychology professor, doesn’t make it to work one day. Emma Green, one of his students, doesn’t make it home. When ex-cop Theodore Tate is released from a four-month prison stint, he’s asked by Green’s father to help find Emma. After all, Tate was in jail for nearly killing her in a DUI accident the year before, so he owes him. Big time. What neither of them knows is that a former mental patient is holding people prisoner as part of his growing collection of serial killer souvenirs. Now he has acquired the ultimate collector’s item—an actual killer.
Meanwhile, clues keep pulling Tate back to Grover Hills, the mental institution that closed down three years ago. Very bad things happened there. Those who managed to survive would prefer keeping their memories buried. Tate has no choice but to unearth Grover Hills’ dark past if there is any chance of finding Emma Green and Cooper Riley alive.
For fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs, and Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, Collecting Cooper is another “relentlessly gripping, deliciously twisted, and shot through with a vein of humor that’s as dark as hell” (Mark Billingham) novel by this glimmering new talent in the crime thriller genre.
389 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2011
72 people are currently reading
1230 people want to read
About the author
Paul Cleave
44 books865 followersPaul Cleave is an internationally bestselling author who is currently dividing his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where all of his novels are set, and Europe, where none of his novels are set. His work has been translated into fifteen languages. He has won the Ngaio Marsh award for best crime novel in New Zealand, he won the Saint-Maur book festival's crime novel of the year in France, has been shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Barry Award in the US, and shortlisted for the Ned Kelly award in Australia. When he's not writing, he spends his time swearing on a golf course, swearing on a tennis court, or trying to add to his list of 25 countries where he's thrown his Frisbee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
November 26, 2022
Pues ha estado entretenido, es cierto que ha tenido fases más lentas, pero en líneas generales ha estado bastante bien.
Nuestro protagonista, como no, tiene un trauma, por la muerte de su hija, y recién salido de la carcel, el hombre que intentó matarle le quiere contratar para encontrar a su hija desaparecida y con estos mimbres comienza el libro...
Seguramente lea algo más del autor.
Valoración: 7/10
Sinopsis: Lleva tiempo atesorándolos. Souvenirs de asesinos en serie. Ahora ha logrado el sueño de cualquier coleccionista: la «pieza» definitiva. Empieza el juego. Cooper Riley está encerrado en una celda a oscuras cuando recobra el conocimiento. Al otro lado de la puerta metálica Adrian lo saluda: «Bienvenido, profesor. Bienvenido a mi colección».A Adrian siempre le han fascinado los asesinos en serie. Colecciona todo lo relacionado con ellos: historias, fotos, recuerdos? Y ahora a Cooper, profesor de psicología criminal y asesor de la policía. La «pieza» definitiva. Es experto en su tema preferido. Él podrá enseñarle lo que aún no sabe: cómo matar. Y para eso le tiene una sorpresa preparada. O Cooper espera que la ayuda venga de fuera, o le sigue el juego a Adrian, siempre impredecible, para que le abra la puerta.
# 15. Un libro de un autor(a) de las islas del Pacífico. Reto Popsugar 2022.
Nuestro protagonista, como no, tiene un trauma, por la muerte de su hija, y recién salido de la carcel, el hombre que intentó matarle le quiere contratar para encontrar a su hija desaparecida y con estos mimbres comienza el libro...
Seguramente lea algo más del autor.
Valoración: 7/10
Sinopsis: Lleva tiempo atesorándolos. Souvenirs de asesinos en serie. Ahora ha logrado el sueño de cualquier coleccionista: la «pieza» definitiva. Empieza el juego. Cooper Riley está encerrado en una celda a oscuras cuando recobra el conocimiento. Al otro lado de la puerta metálica Adrian lo saluda: «Bienvenido, profesor. Bienvenido a mi colección».A Adrian siempre le han fascinado los asesinos en serie. Colecciona todo lo relacionado con ellos: historias, fotos, recuerdos? Y ahora a Cooper, profesor de psicología criminal y asesor de la policía. La «pieza» definitiva. Es experto en su tema preferido. Él podrá enseñarle lo que aún no sabe: cómo matar. Y para eso le tiene una sorpresa preparada. O Cooper espera que la ayuda venga de fuera, o le sigue el juego a Adrian, siempre impredecible, para que le abra la puerta.
# 15. Un libro de un autor(a) de las islas del Pacífico. Reto Popsugar 2022.
July 23, 2016
I have a request. If any resident of Christchurch, New Zealand, ever reads this review, please send me a private message. I'd like to know what residents of that city think of Paul Cleave and his books.
Christchurch is a serial killer's Peyton Place. There are so many killers in Cleave's books and they all mingle here and there. Joe the janitor had a cameo appearance in Cemetery Lake. Melissa from The Cleaner doesn't appear in this book, but we learn a lot more about her. Eddie Hunter, from Blood Men, plays a very small role in this book. And then there's more killers in this book. Because of this, I strongly recommend these books be read in order.
I'm still loving Theodore Tate. He's now ex-cop, ex-PI, and ex-con. He's a fantastic investigator. He does what he thinks is right and he's determined to solve any case. His relationship with Detective Carl Schroder is improving in this book, and I like that.
Cleave has two talents. His characters are very well developed and he makes you like them in spite of their actions. In this book, we have Adrian. He's been damaged through no fault of his own. He's a child in a man's body at times, but he also seems kind of smart. I just wanted to hug him, and then I wanted to shake him. We also have Cooper, a professor of psychology and criminology, who is sort of slimy and conniving. After reading books about serial killers, Adrian thinks Cooper is one. And we have Emma Green. She was the driver who Theo hit while he was driving drunk in Cemetery Lake. She's in the background for most of this book, but she's very important. I expect a huge role for her in a future book, but that remains to be seen.
Cleave's other talent is story development. His stories grab me and pull me right in. His books are not unputdownable, but when you pick one back up, it still grabs and pulls you in. At about 80% in with this book, the story becomes a bit preposterous and borders on ridiculous, but you know what? I don't care! I'm loving how the story unfolds and all the action and the resolution, all the way to the epilogue. There's always some sadness mixed in with the happiness.
I can't wait to see what Cleave has up his sleeve for the next book, so it's on to The Laughterhouse, a place I first met in Blood Men.
Christchurch is a serial killer's Peyton Place. There are so many killers in Cleave's books and they all mingle here and there. Joe the janitor had a cameo appearance in Cemetery Lake. Melissa from The Cleaner doesn't appear in this book, but we learn a lot more about her. Eddie Hunter, from Blood Men, plays a very small role in this book. And then there's more killers in this book. Because of this, I strongly recommend these books be read in order.
I'm still loving Theodore Tate. He's now ex-cop, ex-PI, and ex-con. He's a fantastic investigator. He does what he thinks is right and he's determined to solve any case. His relationship with Detective Carl Schroder is improving in this book, and I like that.
Cleave has two talents. His characters are very well developed and he makes you like them in spite of their actions. In this book, we have Adrian. He's been damaged through no fault of his own. He's a child in a man's body at times, but he also seems kind of smart. I just wanted to hug him, and then I wanted to shake him. We also have Cooper, a professor of psychology and criminology, who is sort of slimy and conniving. After reading books about serial killers, Adrian thinks Cooper is one. And we have Emma Green. She was the driver who Theo hit while he was driving drunk in Cemetery Lake. She's in the background for most of this book, but she's very important. I expect a huge role for her in a future book, but that remains to be seen.
Cleave's other talent is story development. His stories grab me and pull me right in. His books are not unputdownable, but when you pick one back up, it still grabs and pulls you in. At about 80% in with this book, the story becomes a bit preposterous and borders on ridiculous, but you know what? I don't care! I'm loving how the story unfolds and all the action and the resolution, all the way to the epilogue. There's always some sadness mixed in with the happiness.
I can't wait to see what Cleave has up his sleeve for the next book, so it's on to The Laughterhouse, a place I first met in Blood Men.
July 13, 2018
This book gets 5 stars for entertainment value!
I'm very impressed with Paul Cleave. There must have been a decent amount of planning that went into this story to make all the threads come together (without losing the reader) and those who think the scenario unlikely must remember one thing: All things are unlikely until they happen. I don't think the author pushed it too far in this case.
Here's what you can look forward to:
There are three main roads you have to follow...
It begins with Emma Green, a student/waitress, who gets abducted after her shift.
And we're off:
1. Cooper Riley is a professor in psychology and criminology. On his way to work, he gets abducted.
2. Adrian has been released from Grover Hill mental institution when they closed down. He'd been living there for about twenty years. He wants to start a collection and Cooper plays a large part in it.
3. Theo Tate used to be a policeman. He lost his daughter in an accident, his wife is still unresponsive, he'd turned to alcohol and caused a car accident, which nearly killed a girl. That girl is Emma Green. After serving four months in prison, upon release, Emma's father demands that Tate help find his missing daughter, because he owed it to them.
And when these three roads start to intersect, it becomes interesting.
Right, if you haven't read my reviews before, you should know that I hate to give away any surprises of the stories - they should be discovered and enjoyed by the readers. When it seems a bit vague, it's usually because of a pleasant surprise coming. What I've told you about this story will all be within the first quarter of the novel.
I can recommend this one to fans of crime, I found it very entertaining.
I'm very impressed with Paul Cleave. There must have been a decent amount of planning that went into this story to make all the threads come together (without losing the reader) and those who think the scenario unlikely must remember one thing: All things are unlikely until they happen. I don't think the author pushed it too far in this case.
Here's what you can look forward to:
There are three main roads you have to follow...
It begins with Emma Green, a student/waitress, who gets abducted after her shift.
And we're off:
1. Cooper Riley is a professor in psychology and criminology. On his way to work, he gets abducted.
2. Adrian has been released from Grover Hill mental institution when they closed down. He'd been living there for about twenty years. He wants to start a collection and Cooper plays a large part in it.
3. Theo Tate used to be a policeman. He lost his daughter in an accident, his wife is still unresponsive, he'd turned to alcohol and caused a car accident, which nearly killed a girl. That girl is Emma Green. After serving four months in prison, upon release, Emma's father demands that Tate help find his missing daughter, because he owed it to them.
And when these three roads start to intersect, it becomes interesting.
Right, if you haven't read my reviews before, you should know that I hate to give away any surprises of the stories - they should be discovered and enjoyed by the readers. When it seems a bit vague, it's usually because of a pleasant surprise coming. What I've told you about this story will all be within the first quarter of the novel.
I can recommend this one to fans of crime, I found it very entertaining.
January 16, 2021
No sorprende, pero entretiene.
November 25, 2015
This was my first read of Paul Cleave & definitely read more Collecting Cooper is a fast paced thriller which keeps you turning the pages i thought the concept of the story was well done & the ending was really good dont know why its taken me so long to read this Author.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
May 14, 2016
Once I start one of Paul Cleave's books, you can just write me off for however long it takes me to finish it. This was no exception.
There is something intrinsically creepy about abandoned psychiatric hospitals, where a good part of the action in this book takes place.
Ex-policeman Theodore Tate has just been released from prison after serving a short sentence for drink driving causing injury. On his release he is contacted by Schroder, still a cop, and the father of the girl he injured, both requesting his help with different matters.
Schroder is seeking Tate's insight into a case he is working and Green wants him to find his daughter. Emma, after recovering from her injuries, has gone missing - seemingly abducted from the parking lot of the café where she is employed. And Green figures that Tate still owes him, for if Tate had not injured her, Emma's life may have taken a whole different direction and she never would have been where she was to be abducted. So, in a nutshell, it is Tate's fault that she is missing. Unable to fault that logic, Tate reluctantly agrees.
Following up Emma's disappearance, Tate discovers that one of Emma's professors is also missing. Has he been abducted by the same person? Or has he abducted Emma and disappeared with her? Or is it just random coincidence.......?
Another couldn't put it down read from Paul Cleave.
Warning: this is #2 in the Theodore Tate series. I strongly recommend you read Cemetery Lake before Collecting Cooper.
I'm off now to get The Laughterhouse, #3 in the series. I am hooked.
There is something intrinsically creepy about abandoned psychiatric hospitals, where a good part of the action in this book takes place.
Ex-policeman Theodore Tate has just been released from prison after serving a short sentence for drink driving causing injury. On his release he is contacted by Schroder, still a cop, and the father of the girl he injured, both requesting his help with different matters.
Schroder is seeking Tate's insight into a case he is working and Green wants him to find his daughter. Emma, after recovering from her injuries, has gone missing - seemingly abducted from the parking lot of the café where she is employed. And Green figures that Tate still owes him, for if Tate had not injured her, Emma's life may have taken a whole different direction and she never would have been where she was to be abducted. So, in a nutshell, it is Tate's fault that she is missing. Unable to fault that logic, Tate reluctantly agrees.
Following up Emma's disappearance, Tate discovers that one of Emma's professors is also missing. Has he been abducted by the same person? Or has he abducted Emma and disappeared with her? Or is it just random coincidence.......?
Another couldn't put it down read from Paul Cleave.
Warning: this is #2 in the Theodore Tate series. I strongly recommend you read Cemetery Lake before Collecting Cooper.
I'm off now to get The Laughterhouse, #3 in the series. I am hooked.
October 18, 2021
3,5 / 5
February 4, 2022
La historia me ha vuelto a enganchar y me ha pasado de nuevo como en los otros dos libros del autor: que siempre me parece que se va a terminar porque se ha descubierto ya lo más importante pero no xD y me llevo así desde el 30%-40% del libro.
Me ha gustado la historia y los personajes tan diversos, aunque un poco menos que la anterior. En este está todo como muy enbrollado, muchas cosas distintas. Pero entretenido es un rato y te deja siempre con ganas de continuar.
Eso sí, el traductor, corrector o el que sea que hizo la última revisión tiene un problema de laísmo y loísmo... ¡Qué dolor!
Me ha gustado la historia y los personajes tan diversos, aunque un poco menos que la anterior. En este está todo como muy enbrollado, muchas cosas distintas. Pero entretenido es un rato y te deja siempre con ganas de continuar.
Eso sí, el traductor, corrector o el que sea que hizo la última revisión tiene un problema de laísmo y loísmo... ¡Qué dolor!
May 15, 2022
Me gustó. Varios asesinos, crímenes bien gráficos, buen ritmo (a partir de la mitad me enganché) y buena ambientación. Un buen thriller psicológico. 3,5 🌟
Forma parte de una serie pero se puede leer independiente (es el único publicado en español).
Forma parte de una serie pero se puede leer independiente (es el único publicado en español).
August 23, 2016
There is no way that I can express my feelings for this author and this series except this : IT IS FANTASTIC! Paul Cleave is just creepy in a humors way - Collecting Cooper is the 2nd book in the Theodore Tate series - but also the bigger picture it is part of the "Christchurch Noir Crime Series"
It is BEST to read these books by the date it was published, for this author tends to bring in characters from another book into his current book... ( The only book so far that Cleave has written which was NOT good was " The Killing Hour" that was one of his first books he wrote- but not the first that was published... The only way that I can explain that book was "Melissa" held Paul Cleave hostage- with a pair of pliers and made him finish the book- his thoughts were all over the place- and hey- if you know "Melissa" like 'we' know "Melissa" - (one of Paul Cleaves most 'interesting' recurring characters ) well, that would explain his 'all over the place' book like the Killing Hour.
Anyway- As his books go- you just cannot help yourself liking - if it is just a little bit- these off the wall , insane, psycho nut jobs! ...... he truly is an amazing writer !
It is BEST to read these books by the date it was published, for this author tends to bring in characters from another book into his current book... ( The only book so far that Cleave has written which was NOT good was " The Killing Hour" that was one of his first books he wrote- but not the first that was published... The only way that I can explain that book was "Melissa" held Paul Cleave hostage- with a pair of pliers and made him finish the book- his thoughts were all over the place- and hey- if you know "Melissa" like 'we' know "Melissa" - (one of Paul Cleaves most 'interesting' recurring characters ) well, that would explain his 'all over the place' book like the Killing Hour.
Anyway- As his books go- you just cannot help yourself liking - if it is just a little bit- these off the wall , insane, psycho nut jobs! ...... he truly is an amazing writer !
August 18, 2011
What a terrific book, even better than Blood Men. This is what a thriller is supposed to be. Cleave creates full-blooded characters, both good and evil, and a fast-moving plot that keeps you reading until the last page. I wished it went on longer. Edgy and violent, this is great fiction. Highly recommended.
March 20, 2022
Era un libro al que le tenía bastantes ganas, pero me ha resultado largo - demasiadas letras juntas. Quiero decir, que la narrativa se me ha hecho pesada y que lo mismo se podía contar con menos letras. No he llegado a empatizar con Tate, es el personaje principal pero no se profundiza en su personaje. Sólo se dan pinceladas e imagino que el primer libro es el que es fundamental para conocerle, pero no está traducido.
Si vamos a la historia, bueno, está bien, desde el principio sabes qué va pasando aunque hay algún giro sorprendente. Sólo esperas el final para ver cómo va a ser el desenlace. En el libro se tratan 3 historias: la del protagonista, la del Coleccionista y otra más. Esta última queda inconclusa ya que, desde mi punto de vista se va a tratar en otro libro, imagino que en el siguiente.
Si vamos a la historia, bueno, está bien, desde el principio sabes qué va pasando aunque hay algún giro sorprendente. Sólo esperas el final para ver cómo va a ser el desenlace. En el libro se tratan 3 historias: la del protagonista, la del Coleccionista y otra más. Esta última queda inconclusa ya que, desde mi punto de vista se va a tratar en otro libro, imagino que en el siguiente.
December 29, 2017
Interesante libro, sobre todo por la forma de narración, aternando capítulos en primera persona por parte del protagonista, Tate, un ex-policía que ha estado en prisión; con capítulos en tercera persona, que nos narra lo que va pasando y como se relaciona con Tate.
La trama es compleja, con muchos detalles que hacen que tengas que estar muy pendiente de lo que va sucediendo para poder seguir el hilo de los acontecimientos.
Me ha sorprendido muy agradablemente!!!
La trama es compleja, con muchos detalles que hacen que tengas que estar muy pendiente de lo que va sucediendo para poder seguir el hilo de los acontecimientos.
Me ha sorprendido muy agradablemente!!!
May 29, 2024
A little bit disappointed with the second novel in the Theodore Tate series just because I loved the first novel (Cemetery Lake) a lot more. It’s best to read the books in order, just because Tate talks a lot about what happens in the first novel.
I got very confused at the beginning of the novel, with all the jumping back and forth between characters. It also didn’t help that I confused Tate and Cooper, which lead to a lot of flipping back to the beginning and scratching my head! They are two totally different people!
I always enjoy reading novels about ex police officers or ex detectives and their methods of solving the crime without the police force behind them. Tate was a previous detective, which he took to his advantage, and I enjoyed the way he went around the law in some cases.
Not as amazing as the first novel in the series, but I will be reading more!
2024 review - rereading the series since I forgot what happened in each novel. It’s important to read the books close together since the events of the previous novel are tied together.
Really enjoyed how the novel came together and what role Tate, Cooper and Adrian had.
I got very confused at the beginning of the novel, with all the jumping back and forth between characters. It also didn’t help that I confused Tate and Cooper, which lead to a lot of flipping back to the beginning and scratching my head! They are two totally different people!
I always enjoy reading novels about ex police officers or ex detectives and their methods of solving the crime without the police force behind them. Tate was a previous detective, which he took to his advantage, and I enjoyed the way he went around the law in some cases.
Not as amazing as the first novel in the series, but I will be reading more!
2024 review - rereading the series since I forgot what happened in each novel. It’s important to read the books close together since the events of the previous novel are tied together.
Really enjoyed how the novel came together and what role Tate, Cooper and Adrian had.
April 7, 2016
My original Collecting Cooper audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
So I rated Cemetery Lake, the first Theodore Tate book, 5-stars. Collecting Cooper was even better; I need a 6-star rating!
Paul Cleave’s black humor is back in the second installment of the Theodore Tate series and I love it. This one starts with Tate’s release from prison several months after the events of Cemetery Lake. Tate’s lawyer Donovan Green is asking him for help to find his daughter Emma who has disappeared. Yeah, this is the girl Tate nearly killed in Cemetery Lake, so her father thinks Tate owes him a favor. At the same time, Detective Schroder asks Tate to take a look at the Melissa X file. That’s the rather sadistic girl who featured in The Cleaner.
So while all of Cleave’s books can be read as standalones, the same characters keep turning up in different books. The more of his books I read, the more I appreciate how clever the entire Christchurch Noir Crime series is. But you are definitely left with the feeling that Christchurch is the world’s serial killer city and pretty bleak.
There are several story lines to follow that are skillfully connected and lead to a very satisfying end. There was one major continuity issue though where Tate actually mentioned the name of the person they were after before he could have possibly known it.
Written from multiple perspectives, the listener/reader spends a lot of time inside the mind of a young man with mental health issues. Cleave never preaches but very cleverly raises awareness of a mental health system with serious faults that leaves former patients with a lack of suitable support. Cleave is brilliant at creating characters that are impossible to typify as purely evil, totally innocent or 100% good. They all have little layers of everything in them and you end up feeling sorry for them one minute and then hating them the next.
Collecting Cooper is a fantastic, fast-paced psychological thriller that is dark and in parts shocking. Cat lovers beware, there’s some unpleasant stuff I wish I could have avoided listening to.
The narration by Paul Ansdell was very good again. He was excellent at portraying Adrian, a young man of simple mind, and his normal narration voice is very pleasant to listen to as well. A great fit for Tate’s first person perspective. There were no issues with the quality of the production.
I’m looking forward to the next in the series when it becomes available on audio and hope we’ll see more of Emma as she could turn into quite a kickass heroine.
Highly recommended for fans of witty and dark psychological thrillers!
Audiobook provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com
So I rated Cemetery Lake, the first Theodore Tate book, 5-stars. Collecting Cooper was even better; I need a 6-star rating!
Paul Cleave’s black humor is back in the second installment of the Theodore Tate series and I love it. This one starts with Tate’s release from prison several months after the events of Cemetery Lake. Tate’s lawyer Donovan Green is asking him for help to find his daughter Emma who has disappeared. Yeah, this is the girl Tate nearly killed in Cemetery Lake, so her father thinks Tate owes him a favor. At the same time, Detective Schroder asks Tate to take a look at the Melissa X file. That’s the rather sadistic girl who featured in The Cleaner.
So while all of Cleave’s books can be read as standalones, the same characters keep turning up in different books. The more of his books I read, the more I appreciate how clever the entire Christchurch Noir Crime series is. But you are definitely left with the feeling that Christchurch is the world’s serial killer city and pretty bleak.
There are several story lines to follow that are skillfully connected and lead to a very satisfying end. There was one major continuity issue though where Tate actually mentioned the name of the person they were after before he could have possibly known it.
Written from multiple perspectives, the listener/reader spends a lot of time inside the mind of a young man with mental health issues. Cleave never preaches but very cleverly raises awareness of a mental health system with serious faults that leaves former patients with a lack of suitable support. Cleave is brilliant at creating characters that are impossible to typify as purely evil, totally innocent or 100% good. They all have little layers of everything in them and you end up feeling sorry for them one minute and then hating them the next.
Collecting Cooper is a fantastic, fast-paced psychological thriller that is dark and in parts shocking. Cat lovers beware, there’s some unpleasant stuff I wish I could have avoided listening to.
The narration by Paul Ansdell was very good again. He was excellent at portraying Adrian, a young man of simple mind, and his normal narration voice is very pleasant to listen to as well. A great fit for Tate’s first person perspective. There were no issues with the quality of the production.
I’m looking forward to the next in the series when it becomes available on audio and hope we’ll see more of Emma as she could turn into quite a kickass heroine.
Highly recommended for fans of witty and dark psychological thrillers!
Audiobook provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com
February 11, 2013
I am now cancelling all of my vacation plans for Christchurch New Zealand. Author Paul Cleave paints a very bleak and scary as hell portrait of a city plagued by killers, crazies and some really crappy weather. This book is so full of serial killers it surely has to be something in the water. Now I am usually a 3 to four star rater reserving those five stars for special books. Folks this is one heck of a special one. Very fast paced with lots of action and some real great characters this one comes highly recommended to fans of the mystery or thriller genre that like to read about some really bent individuals.
May 30, 2021
Entretenido.
Da un giro interesante a mitad del libro, pero por lo demás, bastante previsible.
Da un giro interesante a mitad del libro, pero por lo demás, bastante previsible.
March 25, 2023
Entretenido. Lioso también. Y encima es el segundo. La traducción un poco meh (había grafitos en las paredes). Un expoli que es más listo que un conejo y un poco cabrón, resulta que al salir de la cárcel va a cazar asesinos múltiples en su pueblo, están guapos en su pueblo. Entretenido pero sin más.
February 22, 2023
Paul Cleave is a bestselling kiwi author from New Zealand and Collecting Cooper is my first time reading any of his books. In 2012, Paul Cleave hit my radar and at the time, the blurb for Collecting Cooper was the most enticing of his books so I added it to my TBR. I then purchased a copy in July 2018 and I don't know why I waited 4 more years to read it, but if you're a book lover you can probably relate.
Published in 2011, I was told by a fellow reader that Collecting Cooper can be read as a standalone, but on reflection, I think it would have been better to begin at the start of the Theodore Tate series, which at the time of writing, is now at 4 books.
Collecting Cooper is a crime novel set in Christchurch New Zealand with the lot: a mental institution, Psychology Professor, disgraced cop and overlapping plot lines that eventually come together in a clever piece of writing. Cleave has a direct and cutting writing style and here's a taste from early on in the novel.
In this scene, a character is reflecting on the fact that he doesn't have a driver's licence and if he attempted to sit the test he'd totally freak out.
"He knows he'd only manage a few hundred meters before throwing up all over himself. No, he doesn't need a license as long as nobody ever pulls him over, and there's no reason anybody should. He's a careful driver, and the body in the trunk isn't making any noise." Page 27
Collecting Cooper is a dark read, and there were quite a few references to the first book which I really should have read before reaching for this one. This no doubt detracted from my overall enjoyment level, but was entirely my own doing.
Collecting Cooper by Paul Cleave will appeal to readers of Stuart MacBride and Jack Heath and those who enjoy crime novels set across the ditch in New Zealand.
Published in 2011, I was told by a fellow reader that Collecting Cooper can be read as a standalone, but on reflection, I think it would have been better to begin at the start of the Theodore Tate series, which at the time of writing, is now at 4 books.
Collecting Cooper is a crime novel set in Christchurch New Zealand with the lot: a mental institution, Psychology Professor, disgraced cop and overlapping plot lines that eventually come together in a clever piece of writing. Cleave has a direct and cutting writing style and here's a taste from early on in the novel.
In this scene, a character is reflecting on the fact that he doesn't have a driver's licence and if he attempted to sit the test he'd totally freak out.
"He knows he'd only manage a few hundred meters before throwing up all over himself. No, he doesn't need a license as long as nobody ever pulls him over, and there's no reason anybody should. He's a careful driver, and the body in the trunk isn't making any noise." Page 27
Collecting Cooper is a dark read, and there were quite a few references to the first book which I really should have read before reaching for this one. This no doubt detracted from my overall enjoyment level, but was entirely my own doing.
Collecting Cooper by Paul Cleave will appeal to readers of Stuart MacBride and Jack Heath and those who enjoy crime novels set across the ditch in New Zealand.
September 29, 2017
Segundo libro protagonizado por Theodore Tate, aunque no he leído el primero. La verdad, cuando lo cogí no sabía que era parte de una serie. Pero no he tenido ningún problema en su lectura, ya que es completamente independiente en su trama detectivesca.
En este libro nada es lo que parece y es que no hay personajes blancos, todos tienen un lado oscuro; que les domine o no es otra cuestión.
Tate, un expolicía, sale de la cárcel tras cumplir su condena. Fuera le espera su antiguo compañero, que le pide ayuda en la investigación del caso de una psicópata muy especial.
Un criminalista, profesor de universidad, es secuestrado por un hombre obsesionado con los psicópatas, para formar parte de su colección.
Una de sus alumnas también ha desaparecido. Y su padre contrata a Tate para que la busque.
El libro está bastante bien. El estilo es una mezcla de suspense y novela negra: junta psicópatas con detectives atormentados, una mezcla explosiva.
Aunque te imaginas por donde va a salir, te mantiene atento a la trama y sobre todo te lleva a pensar que el alcalde de Christchurch, el pueblo donde se sitúa la acción, debería medir el nivel de radiación o contaminación del agua o el aire, porque el nivel de psicopatía en ese pueblecito es muy, pero que muy alto.
En este libro nada es lo que parece y es que no hay personajes blancos, todos tienen un lado oscuro; que les domine o no es otra cuestión.
Tate, un expolicía, sale de la cárcel tras cumplir su condena. Fuera le espera su antiguo compañero, que le pide ayuda en la investigación del caso de una psicópata muy especial.
Un criminalista, profesor de universidad, es secuestrado por un hombre obsesionado con los psicópatas, para formar parte de su colección.
Una de sus alumnas también ha desaparecido. Y su padre contrata a Tate para que la busque.
El libro está bastante bien. El estilo es una mezcla de suspense y novela negra: junta psicópatas con detectives atormentados, una mezcla explosiva.
Aunque te imaginas por donde va a salir, te mantiene atento a la trama y sobre todo te lleva a pensar que el alcalde de Christchurch, el pueblo donde se sitúa la acción, debería medir el nivel de radiación o contaminación del agua o el aire, porque el nivel de psicopatía en ese pueblecito es muy, pero que muy alto.
May 28, 2012
Are you allowed to do one word reviews?
In which case it's ... wow.
If we're not allowed could I just add terrific, twisty, tricky, tantalising, taut and maybe tremendous.
It's really embarrassing that sometimes it can take an age to get to read a book that you knew you wanted to read the day before it came out. COLLECTING COOPER was always going to be an interesting book because Theodore Tate is a tremendous character, and Cleave doesn't always do follow-up books. But if he'd like to do a third, or really any book whatsoever, I've given myself a stern talking to and will make sure I get to it ... the day after it comes out!
In which case it's ... wow.
If we're not allowed could I just add terrific, twisty, tricky, tantalising, taut and maybe tremendous.
It's really embarrassing that sometimes it can take an age to get to read a book that you knew you wanted to read the day before it came out. COLLECTING COOPER was always going to be an interesting book because Theodore Tate is a tremendous character, and Cleave doesn't always do follow-up books. But if he'd like to do a third, or really any book whatsoever, I've given myself a stern talking to and will make sure I get to it ... the day after it comes out!
August 20, 2011
Gritty but I really like his style of writing, and the only author I read whose setting is in New Zealand, Christchurch in particular.
May 29, 2021
Empezó muy bien,manteniéndome alerta. Pero poco más de la mitad, va perdiendo fuerza, descubriendonos toda la verdad, como si ya fuera el final...
7.5/10
7.5/10
February 8, 2025
Чета си аз разни книжки за серийни убийци, ама наум си викам: „Не можа ли да се съсредоточиш върху главното, по дяволите? Пиши за серийния убиец! Нали затова уж беше твоят�� книга? Какво си ми ги набутал тези паралелни сюжетни линии, които само разводняват историята?“ И ето – попадам на Пол Клийв, който сякаш е прочел предварително мислите ми: „Интересувате се от серийни убийци, така ли, уважаеми читателю? Добре – веднага Ви давам двама. Не са достатъчни? Няма проблем – ето Ви още един. Не, всъщност нека са трима! За по-кърваво. Бих могъл да добавя колкото убийци пожелаете - Вие само кажете бройката!“ Като се замисля, в този роман на Клийв като че ли няма други персонажи – или са серийни убийци, или са просто убийци, а ако досега все пак не са убивали, някъде към края на книгата определено ще го направят. Момент … може би все пак имаше един нормален? А, да – ченгето, с което работи главният герой. И може би все пак адвокатът? Не, той на два пъти беше на прага на убийството и със сигурност би убил – просто не му стигна времето. Остана си само прост поръчител. Сега се сетих – дядото от първата сцена. Той така и никого не успя да убие, горкичкият. О, щях да забравя – освен убийци, в тази книга имаше и доста убити. Закъде сме без тях? Някои от убитите в крайна сметка се оказаха самите те убийци. Гениално! Серийни убийци избиват серийни убийци. И животинките не бяха пожалени тук. С други думи, ако ви се чете напрегнат трилър, в който откачалките са на всяка страница, това е вашата книга.
March 1, 2023
Pues igual que el anterior que he leído de este autor "Limpieza mortal" me ha entretenido y lo he leído encantado de la vida.
Acabo de ver por ahí otro libro de este mismo autor "Cueste lo que cueste", que no me va a costar nada pillarlo cuanto antes.
No hay como estos libros para olvidarte un rato de IPC, inflación, putas y varios de nuestros diputados...
Acabo de ver por ahí otro libro de este mismo autor "Cueste lo que cueste", que no me va a costar nada pillarlo cuanto antes.
No hay como estos libros para olvidarte un rato de IPC, inflación, putas y varios de nuestros diputados...
September 3, 2022
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
April 20, 2015
Fast paced and entertaining. A few nice gory details but not enough for my taste, which may be considered excessive at times.
Book lacks a bit of depth that you otherwise would get from a psychological thriller such as Hannibal.
Overall good fun read. Would recommend to someone into psychological thrillers but doesn't want to think to hard about what they are reading.
Book lacks a bit of depth that you otherwise would get from a psychological thriller such as Hannibal.
Overall good fun read. Would recommend to someone into psychological thrillers but doesn't want to think to hard about what they are reading.
August 18, 2025
8,5/10 El col·leccionista d’ossos és un thriller psicològic brutal que et submergeix en un món de violència obsessiva i jocs mentals macabres. La trama està plena de girs inesperats que li donen un ritme frenètic. Cleave escriu amb una prosa àgil, directa i sense concessions, en què cada frase acumula tensió.
El llibre destaca pels seus diàlegs afilats, descripcions crues i un to gèlid, amb una atmosfera opressiva i sense filtre. Els personatges són complexos i moralment ambigus, cosa que afegeix profunditat a la història.
En resum, Un thriller dur però addictiu.
El llibre destaca pels seus diàlegs afilats, descripcions crues i un to gèlid, amb una atmosfera opressiva i sense filtre. Els personatges són complexos i moralment ambigus, cosa que afegeix profunditat a la història.
En resum, Un thriller dur però addictiu.
January 19, 2023
Audiolibro.
Recomiendo leer antes Limpieza mortal, ya que se hace mención a algunos personajes y situaciones.
Por otra parte, esta es una historia independiente de la otra y con un personaje principal muy bien perfilado.
Me ha gustado mucho. Aunque reconozco que en papel le pueden sobrar páginas.
Recomiendo leer antes Limpieza mortal, ya que se hace mención a algunos personajes y situaciones.
Por otra parte, esta es una historia independiente de la otra y con un personaje principal muy bien perfilado.
Me ha gustado mucho. Aunque reconozco que en papel le pueden sobrar páginas.
August 25, 2012
El libro me entretuvo, pero tiene escaso valor literario. La trama se enreda innecesariamente de una manera que no crea tensión y hay detalles que son poco creíbles. Hay como 5 asesinos en serie, demasiada concentración de población demente para un pequeño pueblo de Nueva Zelanda. El otro error que comete el autor es que cuenta la historia desde dos puntos de vista el del asesino y el del detective y lo hace de manera redundante. No nos sorprenden ninguno de los descubrimientos del policía porque ya conocemos la información por otra fuente. Supongo que el error no está en la estrategia sino en la ejecución. Seguro que un escritor hábil habría sabido sacarle más jugo a la doble perspectiva, pero en este caso el resultado es redundante. La novela da para pasar en rato en la piscina pero no sorprende.
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