The Collector

Danish author Hancock’s tense sequel to 2021’s The Corpse Flower finds journalist Heloise Kaldan, who’s five weeks pregnant and conflicted about her current relationship, visiting a Copenhagen abortion clinic. Just as her attentive physician, Jens Bjerre, is about to test her for hyperthyroidism, he’s interrupted by an urgent call—his 10-year-old son, Lukas, has gone missing after school—and in a panic he leaves the clinic. Heloise and her compassionate police detective friend, Erik Schäfer, investigate the disappearance of the boy, who was keenly interested in pareidolia, “a psychological phenomenon in which random patterns are interpreted as faces.” A recent photo on Lukas’s phone shows a barn door that looks like a face. The quest for answers presents Heloise and Erik with a host of social concerns that at times overwhelm the main plot line, including Denmark’s refugee problem, alcoholism, domestic violence, child abuse, and even the American-led involvement in Afghanistan. Hancock, though, does a good job portraying her leads’ complex motivations. Scandi noir fans will want to stay tuned. Agent: Anna Frankl, Nordin Agency (Sweden). (Nov.)