The Death Collector [Paperback]

Justin Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007

What starts as an ordinary picket-pocketing incident in Victorian London unites three teens against a madman. Eddie is the pickpocket; George is an assistant at the British Museum; Elizabeth has a nose for trouble--and all of them are being hunted by Augustus Lorimore. Lorimore is a sinister factory owner, a villain bent on reanimating the dead, both humans and dinosaurs--and one of each is already terrorizing the streets of London. It's up to Eddie, George, and Elizabeth to stop Lorimore's monsters . . . or die trying.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–Horror fans will delight in this British import by Justin Richards (Bloomsbury, 2006) set in foggy London in the 1800s. George Archer toils in the back offices of the British Museum as the youngest member of the Department of Unclassified Artifacts. When thieves burst in and kill his co-worker, George attempts to uncover why a scrap of paper from an obscure scientist's diary would be worth a man's life. Circumstances lead George to team up with a minister's daughter and a homeless pickpocket. The trio discovers the diary is sought by Augustus Lorimore, an industrialist with delusions of grandeur. The chase is on and narrator Steven Pacey picks up the pace and leads listeners on a breathless romp through Victorian London complete with a séance, walking zombies, and a fire-breathing monster. Suggest this title to students who enjoyed Eleanor Updale's Montmorency series. With a pinch of Poe and a dash of Mary Shelley, listeners will be deliciously entertained.–Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. "Four days after his own funeral, Albert Wilkes came home for tea." It's hard to resist an opening line like that one, which sweeps readers right into this highly atmospheric story that invites at least nascent comparison to Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes. However, kids who have read Richards' Ghost Soldiers (2006), part of his Invisible Detective series, can't help but recognize a lot of similarities: three young protagonists (in this case, 19-year-old clockmaker, George; Liz, 18, daughter of an elderly clergyman; and intrepid street urchin Eddie); a foggy British backdrop that provides convenient cover for the activities of both heroes and villains; and a powerful megalomaniac, well on the road to creating monstrous beings that will topple world order. Readers will certainly need to suspend disbelief here, but the creepy combination of horror and mystery picks up speed deliciously with every turn of the page. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1st edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159990148X
• ISBN-13: 978-1599901480
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Justin Richards has written dozens of novels as well as non-fiction books. He has also written audio scripts, a television and stage play, edited anthologies of short stories, been a technical writer, and founded and edited a media journal.

Justin is the author of The Death Collector, The Chaos Code, The Parliament of Blood and The Invisible Detective series. He is also Creative Consultant to the BBC's best-selling range of Doctor Who books.

His novel 'The Skeleton Clock' is available as a Kindle eBook.

He lives in Warwick with his wife and two children, and a lovely view of the castle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am a sixth grader, March 19, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Death Collector (Hardcover)

I am a sixth grader. The book I read is The Death Collector. It is about a man named George, a lady named Liz, and a boy named Eddie. They battle a mad scientist who experiments with dead things and tries to create life.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes lots of action, and adventure. I really liked this book because it really got my imagination going. It was also fun to predict what might happen next, and in the beginning, who's bad and who's not (this is really fun). For example, in my favorite part (described in part below), there is lots of action and suspense, and you never know what to expect. This really helps to grab my interest.

My favorite part is when George and Eddie save Liz and Sir William (a person who works at the British Museum and helps him). Eddie, a former pickpocket, dresses up as a delivery boy and delivers a special clock to the mad scientist, Lorimore. At exactly six o'clock, the clock does something very unexpected, but I will not spoil it for you.

I really like all the surprises in this book. For example, in the beginning, George and his friend Percy are attacked, and Percy is killed. But in his last breath, Percy says "help" and "Lorimore". This makes George think that Lorimore can help, but when he goes to Lorimore's mansion, he is in for a big surprise.

This is a really good book that I think anyone who likes action, adventure, suspense, and mechanical monkeys in army uniforms should read this book. Think this was an extremely great book and I also think everybody should read it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victorian Scare with High-tech Flair, June 23, 2006

By 

Jeannie Mancini "vernefan" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death Collector (Hardcover)

This is a fabulous blend of mystery and horror for young adults who would like a Victorian scare with high-tech flair. The story was fast paced, and I was riveted to my seat from start to finish in one sitting. I am a big fan of the author's Invisible Detective series and found this another great title to enjoy. Like in the Invisible Detective series, the plot mixes a nice blend of endearing characters with some very nasty villains and lots of action and mystery to keep one turning the pages without stopping. . Two thumbs up for this creepy suspense novel!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imagination and Surprise, March 12, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Death Collector (Hardcover)

I am a sixth grader. The book I read is The Death Collector. It is about a man named George, a lady named Liz, and a boy named Eddie. They battle a mad scientist who experiments with dead things and tries to create life.

I really liked this book because it really got my imagination going. It was also fun to predict what might happen next, and in the beginning, who's bad and who's not (this is really fun). For example, in my favorite part (described in part below), there is lots of action and suspense, and you never know what to expect. This really helps to grab my interest.

My favorite part is when George and Eddie save Liz and Sir William (someone who works at the British Museum and helps him). Eddie, a former pickpocket, dresses up as a delivery boy and delivers a special clock to Lorimore, the mad scientist. At exactly six o'clock, the clock does something very unexpected, and if I explain any more I'll spoil it for you.

I really like all the surprise in this book. For example, in the beginning, George and his friend Percy are attacked,and Percy is killed. But in his last breath, Percy says "help" and "Lorimore". This convinces George that Lorimore can help, but when he gos to Lorimore's mansion, he is in for a big surprise.

This is a really good book that I think anyone who likes action, adventure, suspense, and mechanical monkeys in army uniforms should read.
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