Collecting the Dead: A Novel

Spencer Kope

Jun 2016 · Special Tracking Unit Book 1 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

Magnus "Steps" Craig is part of the elite three-man Special Tracking Unit of the FBI. Called in on special cases where his skills are particularly needed, he works as a tracker. The media dubs him "The Human Bloodhound," since Steps is renowned for his incredible ability to find and follow trails over any surface better than anyone else. But there's a secret to his success. Steps has a special ability---a kind of synesthesia---where he can see the 'essence' of a person, something he calls 'shine,' on everything they've touched. His ability is known to only a few people---his father, the director of the FBI, and his partner, Special Agent Jimmy Donovan.

When the remains of a murdered woman are found, Steps recognizes the shine left by the murderer from another crime scene with a physically similar victim. And he uncovers the signature at both scenes---the mark of a sad face. At the same time, another killer, one Steps has dubbed Leonardo and has been trying to track for over ten years, appears again, taunting Steps. But while Steps tries to find a clue that will lead him to Leonardo, the case of the Sad Face Killer heats up. The team uncovers eleven possible victims: missing women who fit the same pattern. Using his skill and the resources of the Bureau, it is a race against time to find the killer before it's too late.

Ratings and reviews

Agent Magnus Craig has been with the FBI Special Tracking Unit for 5 years. They call him the Human Bloodhound, although it’s not smells that he follows. Only three people know his secret … he has a gift (or curse depending on how you look at it). He sees steps, footsteps, like bunches of light that only he can see. He has to pretend whenever he’s on a case in order to preserve his secret. He is better known as Steps. But he’s getting weary of finding usually murdered bodies. He keeps two scrapbooks. One is black, pictures of those victims he couldn’t save. The other is white, pictures of the very few he has managed to find alive .. lost joggers, mountain climbers, children who have wandered away. Steps and his partner, FBI Special Agent Jimmy Donovan, are called to hunt down a serial killer they call The Sad Face Killer. Somewhere in the vicinity or on the body of the victim is a drawing of a sad face. This killer is smart, and he’s determined. All his victims are similar … young women with brown hair. They find what they think are his first 5 victims … and then his MO changes. Something has happened and Steps and Jimmy are hoping this may be the thread they’ve been looking for. It gets a little more suspenseful as they close in on their suspect. Much more suspenseful when they find his burial field. There are still women missing, one of whom is still alive. But will they reach her in time? I love the relationship between Steps and Jimmy. They are so different, yet they are closer than brothers. I love the humor that’s interwoven throughout this book, such as ……. *Jimmy and I like to spin around in the chairs as fast as we can to see who gets sick first. We’re professionals. *I went through training so I could carry a Taser, thinking it would be cool to have one if I ever needed it. No one told me that to complete the course I had to get shot by a Taser. When they asked me if I wanted firearms training I said, “Hell, no” *He’s like all the PE teachers I’ve ever had rolled up into one and sprinkled with Nazi dust Steps is a new kind of FBI Agent. Besides his gift, he feels so deeply about the victims. He loses sleep over it, has nightmares that don’t quit. Both he and Jimmy are quite likable. The ending is full of tension … and there’s just a little room left for another book to follow … if the author chooses. I’m hoping he will. I think this would be an exciting new series. Many thanks to the author / St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

About the author

SPENCER KOPE is the Crime Analyst for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. Currently assigned to Detectives Division, he provides case support to detectives and deputies, and is particularly good at identifying possible suspects. In his spare time he developed a database-driven analytical process called Forensic Vehicle Analysis (FVA) used to identify the make, model and year range of vehicles from surveillance photos. It's a tool he's used repeatedly to solve crimes. Collecting the Dead is his first novel. One of his favorite pastimes is getting lost in a bookstore, and he lives in Washington State.