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. ( )

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. Comienza el juego...

Part of the Christchurch Murder Series, Collecting Cooper by Paul Cleave is the second book in the series to feature Theodore Tate. Tate is an ex-cop who has just finished serving 4 months in prison from his actions in the last book. He did track down a serial killer previously so Carl Schroder of the Christchurch police, has come and asked him to assist in another case. While he is considering this proposal, he is approached by the father of a missing girl who feels, with some justification that Tate owes him his help in finding his daughter. Suddenly Tate finds himself working on two cases, and then a third case occurs which actually links all the other cases and Tate knows he is searching for yet another serial killer.

I have enjoyed all of these books, set in Christchurch, New Zealand, even though there does seem to be an abundance of serial killers working in the area. Collecting Cooper is over the top, messily violent and full of twists as the determined Theodore Tate works to solve the case and, while not for everyone, I really enjoy the humor and action that the author delivers.

Although Collecting Cooper is the second book featuring Theodore Tate, it is the fifth in the Christchurch Murder series, and I recommend that the books be read in order as many characters overlap from one book to another. I am looking forward to continuing on with this series and finding out what the vivid imagination of author Paul Cleave will come up with next. ( )

A simple thriller-whodunnit that would be ok if consumed in a couple of days. Unfortunately I read it translated into a foreign language that I am learning ... so I had to ponder over it for TWO MONTHS. AAaaaarrgggh.

A throw-away, ok if you've got nothing else to read. ( )

From Amazon:

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.

My Thoughts:

I found that Collecting Cooper has all the things that make a crime novel not just good, but great. It's gutsy, bold, pacey, intense, twisty, disturbing and satisfying. The author has a vivid and sometimes dark, imagination and the reader is taken on a wild ride of ups and downs. This book was more than just satisfying...Paul Cleave produced an entirely different perspective on the serial killer and his pathology. 5 stars.
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