Victor Methos – nigeladamsbookworm

One of my finds of last year was The Silent Watcher by Victor Methos. Now book two in what is now called the Vegas Shadows Series has just landed on Amazon and it’s a cracker.

The Night Collector brings back together the two main protagonists of the first book.

Detective Lazarus Holloway and Piper Danes, a former attorney now acting as a guardian ad litem, a legal representative that looks after the interests of minors during investigations and court cases.

Unlike a lot of stories there is no will they, won’t they relationship between the pair, just hard grafting investigations.

In this book the pair are investigating the kidnap of two 15 year olds who were getting married when they were snatched in spectacular style.

The kicker is that the girl, Keri, is the daughter Lazarus wasn’t aware that he had.

The kidnappers are nasty characters that have been brilliantly written, and the tension that Methos creates in the scenes where they, and the young couple, are together is tangible.

Piper is representing Keri, whilst the investigation into the kidnapping, and hunt for her and her boyfriend, are going on.

But there’s more to play out in this than just this investigation.

Why was Keri and her boyfriend targeted.

Was it purely by chance. No ransom is sent, nobody knows what’s happened to them.

The favourite theory is that they have been taken to be trafficked into the sex or slavery trade, but they don’t fit the usual profile for that.

Now that Lazarus knows she’s his daughter, and that a terrible fate is awaiting her he ups his game.

As with the previous book the criminal investigation is over just over halfway through the book, the story then switching to the court room.

And that’s when things start to take a real twist.

And the twist keep coming right up to the last page.

I said that The Silent Watcher was one of my favourite reads last year.

Well. The Night Collector is definitely one of my favourites this year

I’ve included a link to my review of Silent Watcher below just in case you want to look at that book first

https://nigeladamsbookworm.com/2024/12/01/the-silent-watcher-victor-methos/

Pages: 363. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

The crimes, two horrendously bloody murder scenes several years apart, the latest in Las Vegas close to the city.

The detective, Lazarus Holloway. He was part of the first investigation and he never got over the scene, or the fact that he couldn’t catch the killer.

The survivor. Sophie Grace, 15 escaped the latest murder scene, but why was she allowed to survive.

Piper Danes, the Gaurdian, a legal representative who looks after the interest of Sophie during the investigation and any court proceedings. Young and inexperienced but with a moralistic compass that makes her a fearsome advocate and protector.

The investigation into the crimes is a gritty story, but to my surprise an arrest is made just over halfway into the story.

Enter a defence attorney that is one of the most aggravating characters I have come across in a book, but I loved her. Russo Blanchi only cares for one thing, winning. She doesn’t care who she defends, who the victims are, or weather her client is guilty or innocent, she just wants to win.

The first half of the book was really good, but the second half goes up another gear.

Victor Methos is another new author to me, and I’m not sure how widely known he is here in the U.K.

I found this book as an Amazon recommendation after I read a US Courtroom thriller, otherwise I think I’d still be in the dark about Methos’ work.

His writing style is fast paced and easy to read, but to keep me as enthralled, as this book did, it has to have a great story.

What I liked was the realism and the fact that at no time could I predict what was coming next. That meant that none of the characters were, in my mind, safe. This added a real suspense to the story.

For me, this is one of my finds of the year.

Pages: 306. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer.