The Debt Collector

Sonora Blair #4

by Lynn Hightower

“No survivors,” Sonora Blair said to herself as she passed through the front door of a neat suburban home ... and entered a scene of horror: a family caught in the middle of an ordinary day, caught by a killer’s rage. Then Sonora found the dying mother huddled under her bed, and heard her last words: “Two men. And the Angel.”

Within forty-eight hours, Sonora’s fellow detectives have two killers in jail and the case neatly wrapped. But Sonora — a good cop, a single mother, and a woman who has been a little too lonely a little too long — believes there is something more to this case. A third man in that house — maybe a killer, maybe a savior. And as she moves further down a trail full of shocking surprises, bitter revelations and unpaid debts, Sonora knows one thing for sure: if “The Angel” is out there she will find him — and give him his due...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Lynn Hightower grew up in Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Kentucky, where she studied creative writing with Wendell Berry and earned a degree in Journalism. She also teaches novel writing in the Writer’s Program at UCLA. Survival jobs include writing television commercials, catering waitress, and bartender for one day.

Her books have been included in the New York Times List of Notable Books, the London Times Bestseller List, and the W.H. Smith Fresh Talent Awards. She has received the Shamus Award, and been nominated for the Kentucky Literary Award, the Kentucky Librarians First Choice Award, and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Hightower’s books have been published in numerous foreign countries, including Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Israel and The Netherlands.

Hightower spends ridiculous amounts of time curled up reading, but also enjoys small sports cars and tame horses. She is married to The Frenchman, writes full time, shares an office with her Belgian Shepherd, Leo the Lion, plays bad but fierce tennis, loves to dance and is learning to Tango.

Hightower enjoys canoeing and is witty after two glasses of wine. She has studied French and Italian, but is only fluent in Southern.

Hightower is a Kentucky native, and lives in a small Victorian cottage with a writing parlor.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written but too dark to be entirely enjoyable.

[Bruno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s smart the way you get to know her without noticing it and, by the end of the book, you just want to be there and tell everybody how good and simple she is...

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I just couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t connect with the main character and the style of writing.

[Nels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 out 5 stars

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 3 1/2 stars if I could. I did enjoy it, especially the beginning. From the moment Detective Sonora Blair steps through the door of a home invasion she and her partner are called to investigate, she begins to change inside from an overworked single parent to a sleepless, driven creature who cannot let what she will see and hear go.

Almost all of the characters are well-developed. The author summons them up through their faces, their manner of walking, their snubs, and sometimes just their clothes. It's masterful.

The book was published in 2000 and only feels dated when you realize there's no iPods, no Google-ing in the investigation and the fact that the evil she is describing has been somewhat--somewhat--controlled by laws.

The problem is I figured out who was behind the murders as soon as he came onto the scene. It was odd--I couldn't have told anyone the motive--but I felt it. Perhaps the author intended for readers to beg for the motive. And in the end, the mystery still remains, a cipher that can never be solved because the last page has been written.

There are other books featuring Sonora Blair and her Cincinnati Homicide Department, and I look forward to reading them (some of them have unfairly gone out of print) simply for Hightower's flair for character. She has also written suspense novels, where I think her writing may shine, simply because suspense novels can go in so many directions. And leaving a big question mark at the end doesn't betray the reader because the format doesn't require a logical answer to every question raised..

I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Hightower and hear her speak recently. She is a charismatic figure, humorous, self-deprecating, and filled with a feminine energy that informs my view of her protagonist.

[Gregoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sonora Blair et son coéquipier Sam sur les traces des auteurs de meurtres atroces (famille entière) et quelques réminiscences du passé Plaisant à lire certes mais avec un petit goût de déjà vu dans les ficelles de l'enquête et quelques bémols de lecture dans le descriptif systématique des habits ...certes il en faut pour visualiser l'action mais trop c'est trop

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 featuring Cincinnati detective Sonora Blair, who is called in to investigate when an average family is discovered murdered in their home. This was a great read in a series I've really enjoyed & it's a real disappointment to me that this was the last one.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a friend to read. It is an excellent book. I did not know when I was reading it however that it is the 4th book in a series. It stands alone very well. Well written and compelling characters.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read that keeps you interested, the main character is quite likable.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gruesome killer, lots of blood. Clear difficulty separating work from home -- no fear at policing for public safety but can't keep it outside the front door at home.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

cop story of murders in Cin. but criminals go to Versailles. Very engaging, fun read but not as good as Panic. B+, April, 2007; written 2000; 308 pgs.

[Madison Tompkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story elements but choppy writing style. Feels like things happen slowly and then all at once in the last 50 overs.

[Carol Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and suspenseful

[Susan Waterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stand alone. Well written. I didn’t know it was a series

[Sarca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad wrap up to the Sonora Blair series. Not her strongest, but a decent suspenseful story.

[Dawn Leitheuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow! What a great read! Super fast paced and totally keeps you on the edge of your seat!

[Engel's Buchsammlung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Какво четох за бога?? Отвратителна американска помия от едно време...

Блудкаво и евтино! Не мога да повярвам, че са се издавали подобни боклуци.

[Vittorio Ambrosetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un thriller che comincia inutilmente cruento ma poi procede fin troppo spedito e lineare. Troppe situazioni e personaggi sanno di già visto.
Va bene come lettura di evasione ma non si avvicina neppure ai maestri del genere.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, my introduction to Lynn Hightower's Sonora Blair series, albeit about the third or fourth in the list. Very slick story, likeable main characters and the pace kept up throughout the book. I didn't see the ending coming either. I only wish I hadn't picked it up to read at this precise time though, it was far too soon after reading Linwood Barclay's Too Close to Home. Another family slaughtered, very similar vein. But it didn't put me off, and I'll be looking for the others in the series now.

[Lulu Astor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Ms. Hightower and it's right up my literary alley. Love smartass detectives, love murder mysteries, and I love humor injected into dark subject matter. Small spoiler alert: when the crazy lady the police are interviewing says she's laying down her karmic burden and then later another cop comes up to Sonora and asks where the woman put the karmic burden so he doesn't trip over it… couldn't stop giggling. I liked Sonora enough to read another one. Nice writing especially at the end.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much I loved Lynn Hightower, her lyrical, magically descriptive prose, and characters so real you would swear you knew them, or someone just like them. Sonora's inner struggle and emotional vulnerability make her a breath of fresh air, a relief from the stereotypical woman super sleuth. It's time to hunt down some more, to continue to renew my affection for this masterful writer.

[Angie crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay Book. Didn't really Hold My Attention. I read It To Finish It, Not Out Of A Need To Know What Happened. Was A Bit Of Twist With The Son Angelo, But It Wasn't Hard To Figure Out Jack The Ex Cop Was Involved Some How. Did like that it was a woman, but she didn't really seem to me to be a very strong woman.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times where it would have helped to read the books prior to this one. Eventually it would be revealed as to what those pieces were referring to...like Keaton. I did enjoy this one as it had quite a few mysterious pieces and gripping action. I'd like to read more to see how the characters develop further.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent novel which I read in about a 24-hour period, it was so engrossing. Fast read. Murder mystery. What I liked best is the author’s descriptions of mothering, which mirror mine. I found myself thinking, “I could’ve written that.” Very honest. The murder scene was gruesome, of course, but not so much that I couldn’t stand it.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good...read like an episode of a cop show.
I wasn't super familiar with some of the characters since this is book four of the Sonora Blair series and I hadn't read the others.
This is one of those "I need something to read so I'll try this" books. Entertaining enough, and I might read others in the series, but I wouldn't rush to put them on hold.

[Falina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy mysteries/thrillers, but I never have much to say about them. They are a reliable form of entertainment that generally follow a pattern and I don't take much away from most of them. The Debt Collector was pretty good. I enjoyed the dynamic between Sonora and her partner, and appreciated the realism of her being a homocide detective stressed to the edge of sanity.

[Maurean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty good...a well-written mystery, with engaging characters, a fast moving plot, and very vivid descriptions (even if she does believe shotguns have 'bullet casings' instead of shells) that drew me into the story.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got better as I got into it. And I did enjoy some of the philosophy that was part of it, a good insight into characters and their motivations and the impact of their experiences on their behavior.

[Tamiya Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book alot. i liked how fast pace it was and how detailed it was. i really like the way the writer made it hard for u to know for sure who was behind what was going on. i also enjoyed the twists and turns. good read.

[Nguyet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love detective stories and the book is interesting from the beginning. The middle part is a bit long and distracting, but the last part leaves a surprising end. It was quite a good read and you just want to rush to the end of it.