AT THE LIBRARY
Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope (Minotaur Books, 2016; $29.67 hardcover; $13.99 Kindle)
It’s refreshing to find a detective author who has found a new way to lure us in. Such is the case with hero Magnus “Steps” Craig, in Spencer Kope’s first novel, “Collecting the Dead.”
Steps works for the elite Special Tracking Unit of the FBI and helps hunt down the worst of serial killers. He’s young, he’s single, he’s funny, and he has a special ability that only a handful of people know about. Steps can see people when they’re not there; he can see their “shine.”
Steps is also overworked. He and his team are on the trail of The Sad Face Killer, who has abducted and viciously killed several young women across several counties and states. At the same time Steps is surprised by the reappearance of Leonardo, a terrible killer he has been unsuccessful in locating.
Kope is also a crime analyst for a sheriff ’s office in Washington state and he’s put together a winning thriller. Let’s hope this is the launch of a new series.