The Butterfly Collector

The Butterfly Collector by Adam Dickson

I know Adam from novelists' conferences, and attended a talk he gave at Poole library about this book. I'd already bought it for Kindle but decided to buy the paperback from him and get it signed (another one for my buddies bookshelf!)

It has a beautiful cover - self-published but Adam's son is a graphic designer and created such a gorgeous cover I believe it won an award somewhere. Well deserved.

The book is about property developed Peter Calliet who has it all, but wants more. He's strangely dissatisfied with his life, and frightened by the thought of settling down with his girlfriend who's assumed she'll move in, they'll marry and have kids etc. Peter's a womaniser - a collector of pretty women - hence the title of the novel. He has a dark secret which haunts him. He meets enigmatic Natalie and becomes obsessed by her - chasing her no matter what the cost to his comfortable life.

This is an unusual book in that it primarily explores relationships and emotions, which is more normal for a book about a woman written by a woman. Adam's managed to do a man's version. It's deep and introspective, and while there's not much action there is a lot of development of characters and relationships throughout. It's beautifully written and an intriguing read.