The Collective – Book Review

The USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of Never Look Back and If I Die Tonight plumbs the dark side of justice and the depths of diabolical revenge in this propulsive novel of psychological suspense that melds the driving narrative of Then She Was Gone with the breathtaking twists of The Chain and the violent fury of Kill Bill.

Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?

Camille Gardner is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.

When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of women—the collective—Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.

As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive.

Camille is still going through grief at the death of her daughter. She knows that Blanchard’s son is responsible for her daughter’s murder and rape and she is trying to cope with the death of her daughter. Then one day, a woman give her an information to join a group of grieving mothers, whose children were murdered but the perpetrators got away with the crime. At first, it was a chat room, where the women talked about their grief. However, it becomes clear to Camillie that this was more than just a chat room but an assignment to take justice into their hands…

This story and plot line in my opinion was unique. You could actually feel Camille’s grief as she is still dealing with her daughter’s death and the fact that most of Camille’s friends think that Camille needed help. I also like how the women do not know the main leader of the group as she is known as 0001. Each of these women are known as their username. There were some twists and turns, and the book was actually fast paced and a page turner. What got me later into the story was the unexpected ending–I actually did not really expect that kind of ending at all!

I do understand the grief that all these mothers are going through–while their killers are roaming freely around, the mothers are the ones who are still suffering. So it is realistic in some way. It was riveting and truly terrifying as these women take matters into their hands, probably breaking many laws in order to bring justice and give closure. I actually couldn’t put the book down and have to say, this is a page turner.

Overall this book worth four stars!