The Bride Collector

The mind of "The Bride Collector" is a fascinating one. From the beginning we get to see his carefully thought out reasoning, his genius, and at the same time his incredible insanity. Thus far, he has killed four beautiful young women leaving behind a bride's veil at each crime scene.

As this serial killer is on the loose in Denver, Colorado FBI Special Agent Brad Raines is challenged by his most intricate case yet. When he is faced with predicaments that are new and too complex to understand he turns to a group of mentally ill people, in a private psychiatric institution, who are exceptionally talented. It is at the Center for Well-Being and Intelligence that Raines meets a young woman who he believes can help him capture the predator at large. Paradise was witness to her father's murder and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She is also believed to posses a mystical gift. She has the uncanny ability to sense the last moments of a person's life when she lays her hands upon their dead body. The case escalates and becomes personal for Raines when he learns that his colleague and friend, forensic psychologist, Nikki Holden, has become the Bride Collector's next target.

This is a story that is filled with conflict between the forces of righteousness and malevolence. Dekker does have a talent for inventing characters that are likeable and not so easily forgettable. Although this book is filled with tales of murder I didn't find it to be so gruesome that I wanted to put it down. The story line leaves the reader filled with just enough suspense so as to make you want to continue turning the pages. And just when you think you have the story figured out, Dekker's unique talent for creating dangerous twists in plot will leave you shocked at who survives and who doesn't!