This is the first book of a trilogy called The Collector, narrated by the titular protagonist Sam Thornton. As a Collector, Sam's job is to collect the souls of bad folk for their eternal damnation in Hell. It's a miserable job, but it's not like he chose it. Sam was given the job as a result of bad choices made in life, culminating in a shoddy deal with a demon. So now he's stuck in this job for the foreseeable future, which could be a long, long time: Sam doesn't do this work in his own body, he possesses the bodies of others so as to blend in with the local populace as he hunts down the souls he is sent to collect. In summary, Sam Thornton is Hell's repo man.
Of course, just hunting down bad guys isn't much of a setting for conflict, so the story must take an unexpected turn. Sam is sent to collect the soul of a young woman who brutally murdered her entire family, but when he tries to do so, he discovers that she is innocent of the crime, no matter how convincing the evidence is. So now Sam has to figure out who set up this woman, apparently well enough that both Heaven and Hell were duped. And of course, he must do it while being chased down by demons and angels intent on enforcing the collection order.
This was a fun thriller of a book, with frantic chases, surprise reveals, and a fair amount of divine and arcane intervention. I love the dynamic character that is Sam Thornton: not superhuman, always making the right choices, but not fatally flawed, always bumbling through and somehow succeeding. Sam makes mistakes, but he also hatches clever plans, both on and off screen, that slowly but surely guide us to the thrilling conclusion and final reveal, one that was hinted at but was still a surprise twist.
I would like to especially note the engaging tone of the narration. Sam Thornton recounts the story as if to a close friend, long after the events have transpired. The conversational tone gives the story a natural flow and rhythm, just from little lines like "Don't look at me like that; you weren't there." or "If I had known then what I do now, I would have..." If you're the type that talks to characters, warning them of impending dangers, etc., you'll like this book; the character talks back.
If you're a fan of mysteries that are solvable by the reader from the evidence given in the story (read: not Sherlock Holmes), sometimes even before the characters, but not always, this is a book worth investigating. At times, I felt confident of how the story would play out, only to be proven completely wrong; other times, I correctly guessed at least the next step. Sam Thornton is a witty, engaging character, and he kept me interested. I highly recommend this book, and hope you'll take the time to discover it for yourself.
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