The Bride Collector By Ted Dekker
Publication Date: 2010
Number of Pages: 432
Geographical Setting: Denver, Colorado
Time Period: Present
Genre: Thriller
Plot Summary:
The bride collector has struck again. FBI Special Agent Brad Raines and his partner Nikki Holden are investigating the 4th victim of the bride collector. The bride collector chooses beautiful women and glues them to the wall and drain their blood from their heels. This victim is different because the killer leaves a note. The note leads Raines and Holden to the Center for Wellness and Intelligence (CWI) which is a mental facility that only takes mentally ill patients with high IQ. CWI has a cast of character that set out to try and help Brad Raines. Roudy who is sometimes called Sherlock, Andrea who is referred to as Brains, Enrique who is called Casanova because he is a ladies man, and Paradise who is good with dead people. With the help of CWI, Brad Raines tries to track down the bride collector (who you learn early on is Quinton Gauld) before he collects his last 3 brides.
Subject Headings:
· Institutionalized persons
· Extrasensory perception
· Serial murder investigation – Denver, Colorado
· FBI agents
· Serial murderers – Denver, Colorado
· Crimes against women
· Serial murders – Denver, Colorado
· Crucifixion
· Brides
Appeal:
· Fast-paced
· Creepy
· Plot-driven
Elements of Thriller:
· Thrillers tend to be fast paced which this book falls into. It is driving by the need to find the killer before he took more lives.
· When talking about tone this book is dark and creepy with the killer going back and forth on who he is killing in the name of.
· Thrillers tend to be focused on a theme and for this book, the theme is mental illness. The CWI play a big role in this book which is a facility for mentally ill people with high IQ. The protagonists Brad Raines has to get over his preconceptions of people with mental illness to be able to work with some of the people at the CWI who help solve the case.
Similar Authors and Works (why are they similar?):
Non-Fiction Works and Authors:
Ann Rule: She is a nonfiction true crime writer that writes about serial murders investigation and other crimes.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: This book is about a serial killer in Chicago that was killing at the same time as the world’s fair.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: This book subject is dealing with serial murders.
Fiction Works and Authors:
9th Girl by Tami Hoag: This book is a thriller and suspense and has the subject of serial murders investigation.
Blood Dreams by Kay Hooper: This book is a thriller and suspense and has the subject of serial murders investigation.
Count to Ten by James Patterson: This book is a thriller and suspense and has the subject of serial murders investigation.
Novelist was used for read alikes.
Saricks, Joyce G. The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 2nd ed., American Library Association, 2009.
Picture from Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7139292-the-bride-collector
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThis definitely seems like a creepy book, just from looking at your summary! I like that you point out, however, that the protagonist (Brad Raines) has to confront some of his own prejudices in order to solve the case. I've never been a huge fan of scary for the sake of scary...I prefer to see people (especially the 'good' people) become better, even though the story itself might be dark and thematic. And that could be something that patrons might or enjoy (or might not!). I also like that you chose 'Devil in the White City' as a non-fiction read alike. While the book itself is not thematically creepy, it does draw you in and make you want to know more about the horrific circumstances within which H.H. Holmes operated.
Great job on your annotation!
Sarah
I think you did a good job on your plot summary. I think that I'll start reading this book right now on my Overdrive account and not just add it to my 'to read' list of books.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI like that you specifically included nonfiction works as well in your read-alikes! I feel like readers of this book may also be interested in the creepiness of true crime novels with real events, or, even if they've never read one, they could be intrigued based on the suggestions and try something new outside of fiction. Great work!
Laura,
ReplyDeleteWell done on the plot summary, you have really sparked my interest. This book is actually one that seems to never be on the shelf at my library. It has really captivated our patrons. However, I'll be sure to try and snag it next time it is in!
Excellent annotation! Full points! You did an excellent job with your summary, read alikes, citations, and elements. This book sounds terrifying! Bleeds them through their feet.....ugh definitely creepy. Great job and keep it up!
ReplyDelete