The Bride Collector

February 1, 2010
Readers who relish being trapped in a character's mind, in particular the mind of an insane serial killer, should enjoy this overlong thriller by bestseller Dekker (Boneman's Daughters
). Those not so keen on such musings, even within the mind of a good guy like FBI special agent Brad Raines, who spends pages contemplating the nature of love and grief, will be less enthralled. The Denver killer, Quinton Gauld, driven by some mumbo jumbo about beautiful women being the brides of Christ and his giving them to God, likes to super-glue his victims to the wall, then drain their blood into buckets. The most interesting characters are the institutionalized crazy people whose aid Raines enlists, a diverse and funny group. Few surprises and a stock serial killer, not to mention too much internal dialogue, add up to a routine read. 5-city author tour.

Celebrated stage and film actor John Glover plants his molars in Ted Dekker's thriller and hangs on like an English bulldog. In this white-knuckle ride, FBI Special Agent Brad Raines faces off with psychopath Quentin Gauld. Here's a character so intelligent yet so twisted and evil that there are times the listener forgets to breathe. You want it to stop, but you don't want to miss a word. Glover relishes each twisted, bloodcurdling phrase as he climbs into the skin of the killer, allowing listeners a glimpse into the psyche of a monstrous creation. Kudos to Dekker and Glover. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine