The Soul Collectors (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

I had never read Chris Mooney before but followed my Amazon recommendation and took a chance. I was not disappointed. This exciting thriller holds the reader from start to finish - I really must stop beginning to read at midnight.....it was so hard to put down but I managed to finish it the next day. This book is certainly thriling and complex - all the elements for a really good detective novel. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good Deaver thriller! The Soul Collectors

I was unaware of Chris Mooney until I took a chance on Soul Collectors based on the cover and blurb whilst browsing the book section of the local supermarket. Although not of the usual genre that I read (being mostly horror, something which Mooney may be a fan of too since he name-drops Stephen King at least twice in this book) it appeared gruesome enough for it to sit within my comfort zone - in this regard I was not disappointed. Sticking with the positives; I believe Mooney to be a capable author and the book hurtles along at a fast pace with plenty of action along the way. Although I understand this book to be Darby's fourth outing, to Mooney's credit, the story does stand alone; I never felt bemused by the numerous mentions to her past. Certainly, it was entertaining enough to keep me reading it from beginning to end.

On to the negatives and the reasons for only 3 stars. I appreciate a certain amount of poetic license in order to create a gripping and entertaining story but, just as other reviewers have mentioned, everything about this book is simply unbelievable. From the indestructible female lead who may as well have been a cyborg; to the evil, kidnapping and murderous cult that have operated undetected for decades. Also I fear for the safety of the USA if its Secret Service and FBI are anything like their depiction in the book, apparently not one member is a match to Darby either intellectually or in combat. As for Mooney likening characters to actual movie stars, at best its lazy writing otherwise it could be considered a blatant attempt to solicit a movie option and even going so far as to cast the characters.

Like me, Mooney appears to have had no idea how the story would end so we are left with the final 50-100 pages hurriedly written with no conclusion. Perhaps this is to lead into another book - I'm not sure I'll bother looking out for it.

In summary, The Soul Collectors would probably appeal more to the hardcore Mooney fans. Anyone else should probably borrow one of his earlier works before reading this.

Very talented writer but this is so overblown that it just loses all credibility and I just flipped through the second half. I loved Mr Mooneys first books but I wish he had never seen CSI.