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Eden Cross #1
The Collector
Ten years ago, her best friend vanished. Now, she’s back to uncover the truth—and a killer is watching.
For FBI Special Agent Eden Cross, returning to Adamstown isn’t a homecoming—it’s a reckoning. Still haunted by the night Morgan disappeared without a trace, Eden has spent too many days chasing ghosts.
But now, human remains have surfaced in the abandoned Raven’s Lake Mine, and Eden is done waiting for answers.
Lurking in the shadows is a predator known as The Collector—meticulous, patient, and always watching. For years, he has hunted in silence, choosing his victims carefully. And now, Eden’s search has put her in his sights.
As she follows the trail of a killer who has remained hidden for too long, the past begins to unravel in ways she never expected. But in a town where everyone has secrets, the truth is more terrifying than she ever imagined—and someone will do anything to keep it buried.
For FBI Special Agent Eden Cross, returning to Adamstown isn’t a homecoming—it’s a reckoning. Still haunted by the night Morgan disappeared without a trace, Eden has spent too many days chasing ghosts.
But now, human remains have surfaced in the abandoned Raven’s Lake Mine, and Eden is done waiting for answers.
Lurking in the shadows is a predator known as The Collector—meticulous, patient, and always watching. For years, he has hunted in silence, choosing his victims carefully. And now, Eden’s search has put her in his sights.
As she follows the trail of a killer who has remained hidden for too long, the past begins to unravel in ways she never expected. But in a town where everyone has secrets, the truth is more terrifying than she ever imagined—and someone will do anything to keep it buried.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2025
15 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Bill Duncan
11 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 26, 2025
4.5★s
FBI Agent Eden Cross returned to her home town of Adamstown, not only to catch up with her family, but to continue her quest to discover her best friend, Morgan Anderson's whereabouts. Morgan went missing ten years prior, and Eden's whole life from then on had been spent wondering what had happened. She continued to hold her suspicions about Morgan's then boyfriend, to the point of being blinded to anything else. But when human remains were found in the Raven's Lake Mine site, the FBI were brought in. Was it Morgan?
The Collector was devastated his collection had been discovered. All the years of work he'd put in - gone. Would he have to start his hunt again? He couldn't stop now...
The Collector is the 1st in the Eden Cross series by husband & wife team, Aussie authors Bill Duncan and Catherine Lee and although it was a little rough at the beginning, it soon settled into an intense and gripping rhythm. Eden is a feisty character, a little too hot headed, but hopefully she'll soon relax into her role. A read I enjoyed, The Collector is one I can easily recommend.
With thanks to the authors for my digital ARC to read and review.
FBI Agent Eden Cross returned to her home town of Adamstown, not only to catch up with her family, but to continue her quest to discover her best friend, Morgan Anderson's whereabouts. Morgan went missing ten years prior, and Eden's whole life from then on had been spent wondering what had happened. She continued to hold her suspicions about Morgan's then boyfriend, to the point of being blinded to anything else. But when human remains were found in the Raven's Lake Mine site, the FBI were brought in. Was it Morgan?
The Collector was devastated his collection had been discovered. All the years of work he'd put in - gone. Would he have to start his hunt again? He couldn't stop now...
The Collector is the 1st in the Eden Cross series by husband & wife team, Aussie authors Bill Duncan and Catherine Lee and although it was a little rough at the beginning, it soon settled into an intense and gripping rhythm. Eden is a feisty character, a little too hot headed, but hopefully she'll soon relax into her role. A read I enjoyed, The Collector is one I can easily recommend.
With thanks to the authors for my digital ARC to read and review.
April 8, 2025
I really liked this book. The characters were relatable and I didn’t guess who did it until very close to the reveal. I’m looking forward to the second book !
April 4, 2025
Okay let me say this i nearly DNF’d this one. Just because I felt the FMC was insufferable in the beginning.
She just melt whining and whining and hanging in things it felt like she didn’t see the entire picture.
Also the change of POV’s was confusing I didn’t see them coming which left me confused as to who’s POV I was reading.
I kept going because I really wanted to know if my gut feeling about who the killer was was true or not.
Beside the fact that I felt Eden was a petulant child at most point I think from like 45-50% into the book jt got better. Mostly because a grudge and a murder gut she felt for the one she thought killed her best friend wasn’t there anymore. It did feel like in one blink of an eye that was all gone and she was sort of happy working with him instead of really apologising for her behaviour.
Than the story itself it was good it has you hooked in and from like 75% of the book you won’t want to put it down.
At first I thought no I will not continue with this series. But colour me intrigued and I really wanted to see more of her character growth.
She just melt whining and whining and hanging in things it felt like she didn’t see the entire picture.
Also the change of POV’s was confusing I didn’t see them coming which left me confused as to who’s POV I was reading.
I kept going because I really wanted to know if my gut feeling about who the killer was was true or not.
Beside the fact that I felt Eden was a petulant child at most point I think from like 45-50% into the book jt got better. Mostly because a grudge and a murder gut she felt for the one she thought killed her best friend wasn’t there anymore. It did feel like in one blink of an eye that was all gone and she was sort of happy working with him instead of really apologising for her behaviour.
Than the story itself it was good it has you hooked in and from like 75% of the book you won’t want to put it down.
At first I thought no I will not continue with this series. But colour me intrigued and I really wanted to see more of her character growth.
April 4, 2025
I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a story about a town that is full of secrets and they are about to be revealed. I enjoyed this author's writing style as well as her attention to details that made the twist and turns edge sitting. I also enjoyed the characters and how they made me feel as if I was in the story with them. They are strong, connectable and made the story easy to read. Their growth throughout the story made the story fast paced and hard to put down. I found this story to be engaging and well written. I look forward to seeing what is next for this author. I highly recommend this book.
May 5, 2025
Good book. I rate it 4.8 stars.
March 23, 2025
Thank you to hidden gem books and the publisherfor the eARC. All opinions are my own. I really wanted to have this one be a slam dunk for me but it just didn't quite get there. The MC who the book and series were based on had an annoying knack for jumping to conclusions and making things harder then they had to be. My dislike of her and desire to throttle her at times took away from the overall story.
May 11, 2025
‘The girl sure looked dead. Like a robin he’d once found as a young boy.’
The novel opens with a prologue, set in 2013, and then shifts to 2023 where a team are checking Raven’s Lake Mine, an old abandoned mine near Adamstown where heavy rain has reopened an entrance. Their focus is on safety, but when a cavern of bones is found, the focus quickly shifts. While carefully positioned animal skeletons are part of the display, there is also a human skeleton.
FBI Special Agent Eden Cross returns to Adamstown. She is certain that the human remains belong to her best friend Morgan Anderson, who vanished in 2013. Eden’s obsession with Morgan’s disappearance and her firm belief that she knows who is responsible create tensions with the police and others.
‘When are you going to stop chasing ghosts?’
There is plenty of tension in this story, the first cowritten by Mr Duncan and Ms Lee. Yes, I did occasionally want to shake Eden Cross as she jumped to conclusions, potentially complicating the investigation but I was keen to find answers as well.
Who was The Collector? How had they remained hidden for so long? And, as the blurb says:
‘For years, he has hunted in silence, choosing his victims carefully. And now, Eden’s search has put her in his sights.’
I finished this novel, noting that this is the first in a series, I am keen to find out where the next book will take Eden Cross. I have previously read and enjoyed quite a few of Ms Lee’s novels and I’ve added Mr Duncan’s novels to my reading list.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The novel opens with a prologue, set in 2013, and then shifts to 2023 where a team are checking Raven’s Lake Mine, an old abandoned mine near Adamstown where heavy rain has reopened an entrance. Their focus is on safety, but when a cavern of bones is found, the focus quickly shifts. While carefully positioned animal skeletons are part of the display, there is also a human skeleton.
FBI Special Agent Eden Cross returns to Adamstown. She is certain that the human remains belong to her best friend Morgan Anderson, who vanished in 2013. Eden’s obsession with Morgan’s disappearance and her firm belief that she knows who is responsible create tensions with the police and others.
‘When are you going to stop chasing ghosts?’
There is plenty of tension in this story, the first cowritten by Mr Duncan and Ms Lee. Yes, I did occasionally want to shake Eden Cross as she jumped to conclusions, potentially complicating the investigation but I was keen to find answers as well.
Who was The Collector? How had they remained hidden for so long? And, as the blurb says:
‘For years, he has hunted in silence, choosing his victims carefully. And now, Eden’s search has put her in his sights.’
I finished this novel, noting that this is the first in a series, I am keen to find out where the next book will take Eden Cross. I have previously read and enjoyed quite a few of Ms Lee’s novels and I’ve added Mr Duncan’s novels to my reading list.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews