Corruption - (Debt Collector 17)

Corruption by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Debt collector 17, "Corruption" is our next to last "episode". Our crew of co-protagonists, Zach, Wyatt, and Alex/Wraith have a trilogy of options to stop the criminal slaughter of thousands of people via a computer hack that makes these folks appear to be subject to legal debt collection. Five stars for the idea, two stars for the episode meaning it was OK.

This episode is predictable to some degree. I do admit I missed my guess about Zach's number one option and hadn't thought that the third option would fail as quickly as my initial guess at what was next. You'll have to read the episode which isn't really a bad thing.

Since it is episode 17 of 18, I must leave you knowing that this is where all stories peak in excitement and the next episode must reach the conclusion of the story, for us to see if good or evil prevails. Click on read more or the spoiler link for the entire Cliff Notes spoiler extension to this review.

Judegment - (Debt Collector 16)

Judgment by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This episode was OK. 2 stars. I still struggle with Ms. Quinn's erratic quality of writing this 'season' but she long ago earned me as a fan (with her Mindjack series). This is episode number 16 of 18 that I'm aware of, so not recommending it would be like ordering a meal and leaving before it was served.

We start off exciting enough. Telling you too much would spoil episode 15, so let's say the episode opens with Wraith and Zach trying to escape Gehanna thugs in a taxi that is stuck in traffic, with their sanctuary within sight and not knowing if the thugs are 2 hours or 2 minutes behind them. To complicate matters Zach is lethally injured and Wraith is doing all possible to keep him alive. This is sincerely a suspenseful scene. The next scene is entirely unbelievable, in a noxious kind of way.

Penance (Debt Collector 15)

Penance by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked "Penance" Debt Collector 15. At least as much as Shattered's 3.2 stars. The first chapter is something akin to the hopes of a honeymoon couple staying in bed for a couple days. So it is voyeurism into what it might be like if you could increase the pleasure of sex with soul sucker abilities.

For the record I do recommend every episode I've read and not read of the two seasons of Debt Collector. The two seasons might be vaguely analogous to the Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput AND Brobdingnag. The difference being Season one and two have different protagonist rather than different cultural environments that Lemuel encounters. Despite how bad one episode might be or how good another might be, the season is something similar to a full plot arc. I completely despise the idea of "seasons" in the writing of fiction. I hope this experimental form of writing dies a horrible death, while wishing it well on Television scripts.

Chapter two is less exciting that the voyeurism chapter. In this chapter Moloch carries on and on with how villainous and brilliant he is and how dangerous and harmful that is going to be to Alexandra who isn't convincing at being terrified, despite being killed a day or so earlier.

Temptation (Debt Collector 13)

Temptation by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I will recommend Temptation, Debt Collector episode 13, as a significant part of the entire season while giving 1.5 stars. One star being "I didn't like it". It didn't go that low, but it was barely OK. Two stars.

This would barely rate as a story, which is why zero or one star might serve. Stories have beginnings, middles, and ends. This was more like a transition sentence to the next paragraph. The 6 chapters that make up this episode did supply some plot moving information so while I felt little significant happened, it seemed to have a point.

Ms. Quinn may have called it Temptation for a couple things that take place. One being some kind of life energy seduction where Ishtar and Moloch keep pumping life energy into Wraith. It is written to make it appear as if this "life energy hit" was causing some extreme addictive euphoria. It appears to work. Then they pass Wraith off to Zachariel for the purpose of being sexually and emotionally seduced.

Zachariel announces this seduction is his "job". Then he doesn't try to do it. By not doing it he appears to accomplish the job, just the same. Yeah, you'll have to read it. It'll make sense.

Menace (Debt Collector 12)

Menace by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel like I'm in literary review hell. Earlier I gave Emma by Jane Austen 3 stars and was about to give this "episode" three stars. That seemed ridiculous to me.

I went in search of my old "rating charts" to verify I really wanted to give this 3 stars. Having located them I see that 2 stars is "OK". This episode is "OK". Subjective ratings in my analytical mind isn't a good thing, I suspect.

First two chapters of this episode had me frustrated. Chapter One I became excessively aware that Wraith was wearing black stiletto heels. Here are my entire notes for Chapter Two:

Ch2: 1-almost go down with my stiletto heels. // 2-help me climb from the cab in my tight skirt and heels. // 3 -The crumbled pavement is tricky in my heels, but I manage it //4 -up, even with my five-inch heels. // 5- from my black stilettos up to my red tailored jacket. // 6 - stepping out of my heels, shucking off my jacket…

Specter (Debt Collector #11)

Specter by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start with a dismal 3 stars and a "take it or leave it" recommendation. I read Season Two, Debt Collector 10 "Wraith" last December. For me that's a long time between "episodes" so I had to review notes to remind myself of the Season up to this second episode.

To promptly flesh this out, "debt collecting" is when a specially skilled person drains all the life from someone who has been deemed unable to financially contribute to society equal to or above the amount they owe society. Usually in medical bills.

"Debt collectors" are soul suckers, or if you prefer quasi-vampire substitutes, who suck life force instead of blood. (Think Lifeforce) I believe it is a genetic mutation in which the government has become heavily invested. This naturally means it is corrupt, being used ineffectively, immorally; ruining every life it touches from debt collectors, debt collectees, managers, administrators, lobbyist, and syndicated crime, ad nausea. With government involved, typically, there is approved soul sucking that is legal and other soul sucking that is illegal. Of course this makes debt collecting very profitable for nefarious slackers and ne'er do-gooders.

Wraith - Debt Collector 10

Wraith by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story, as short as it is, remains exciting. This book is very much about establishing Wraith, who she is. I give it three stars for some "internal-editor" reason I may remember to mention, but I do recommend the season and all the books in it as I've grown to respect Susan Kay Quinn as a person trying to do some remarkable things with her writing. I do pray I will write something about this at length at some future time.

This second season likely will be about Wraith's "growth", if my editor-critique-gut is working. This "Season" will be about Wraith going from being a mainly naive debt collector to accepting the reality of actual "good guy" debt collectors (as far as such a thing can be imagined). While Wraith will have some exceptional qualities, the events will shape her from one barely surviving situation until the next until she finally "gets it"- and my great hope is that Susan Kaye Quinn allows her to survive the entire season. I do know for a fact that Mr. Quinn does have the writer's courage to make remarkable literary decisions, even as monumental as killing off primary characters.

I would like to mention differences from Debt Collector Season One and Season Two. Season one was about Lirium, a "government" worker "life debt collector" doing legitimate "government" -- work that must have been a foresight written into Obama-care or the UK health system. BTW, he makes a cameo appearance in this story.

Ruthless - Debt Collection 8

Ruthless by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susan Kaye Quinn's Ruthless, Debt Collector 8 seems to be the set up for the conclusion of Debt Collector Season One. On Goodreads the blurb is:

"With Elena's help, Lirium attempts to slash into Candy's files to get evidence about the conspiracy to transfer our kids."

This is probably more information than I would normally want to divulge while trying to keep the review interesting and encouraging you or discouraging you to read it according to my recommendation.

I do recommend it. It would be meaningless not to recommend it if you have read this far into the season. You're very likely to finish the season as Lirium and those who have interacted with him remain interesting characters and Ms. Quinn has the plot on this season set to 78 RPM, for those who may recall what a vinyl record is.

Promise - Debt Collector 7

Promise by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Following "Fallen's" five star performance, this book, or episode is mild. It is still interesting and Susan Kaye Quinn doesn't let Lirium change out of his still bloody clothes before he's on to the next adventure in this "season".

May not belong in a review but I'm growing less disapproving of this new literature nomenclature of a "season" filled with books. Still better that I don't get chatty about it though. I remain a fan of Susan, her story ideas, and how she presents them. I don't think about authors as much as I used to, but Susan is interesting on multiple levels.

Sadly, Lirium, our protagonist isn't terribly complex. I believe that this Debt Collector season is far more plot driven than character driven, not that characters are all cardboard cut-outs.

Lirium makes it to a safe house so exhausted he has passed out on the floor short of the bed. He is awakened by one of Madam Anastazja's girls. There's no time to breathe in this season, there's at least a few things Madam Anastazja wants from Lirium, and Lirium has at least two things at the top of his exhausting agenda, including finding his mother before those who want Lirium dead locate her.

Fallen - Debt Collector 6

Fallen by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Spoilers for previous Debt Collector books are unavoidable. I give this book 5 stars. Susan Kaye Quinn earned every one of them in this book, showing writer's courage that I only see in A list writers. I recommend this book. If you haven't read this book or any of the previous books in the "season" but plan to, please stop to avoid spoilers. Events are interesting, exciting, and there is plenty of tension and suspense. Pick up the whole "season" and enjoy all the books.

This book is Debt Collector 6 - Fallen. It is book 6 of 9 in this "season". It covers two days of Lirium's life as a debt collector in an extremely complicated situation.

Lirium is still driven to save himself and Ophelia from their unpleasant situation. In the course of this book Ophelia, the shark, shows some change in her attitude towards her "guppy", Lirium.

Broken - Debt Collector 4

Broken by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spoilers for previous Debt Collector books are unavoidable. I give this book 3.5 stars, and round up to 4 stars. I recommend this book. If you haven't read this book or any of the previous books please stop to avoid spoilers. Events are interesting, exciting, and there is plenty of tension and suspense. Pick up the whole "season" and enjoy all the books.

Broken is about Lirium's introduction to "debt collecting" for the Holek mob. Naturally Lirium doesn't like it and is determined to escape and take Ophelia with him. By the end of the book he is ripe full of anger at the betrayals he has endured in his recent past.

Ecstasy - Debt Collector 3

Ecstasy by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: Minor spoilers:
Debt Collection is the draining of life force or energy from someone. Normally government bean counters balance a client's debt to life value ratios and if a person has become ill or too old to ever balance their debt sheet, they get a visit from a debt collector.

In the last 3 "books" we've followed the debt collector "Lirium", and I expect since this series of books is called a "season", each book might be analogous to an episode of a TV series. I expect Lirium is going to be our protagonist throughout this "season". I mention this as I wasn't sure. What is a "season" of books? I should figure that out some day.

This "episode" is called Ecstasy (Debt Collector, #3). Having read it, I'm not sure why it is called Ecstasy. If it's important I suspect I'll eventually figure that out.

It opens with Lirium in the bad part of East Los Angeles carrying the life force he collected from Mrs. Riley. He can't believe a high potential payoff like Mr. Brodsky, the CEO of Brodsky Electronics will be found in an area where the stink of recently expelled vomit from a junkie passed out in the alley fills the air. The address Candy gave him points to an industrial warehouse buried deep in the sticky smog that coats everything at ground level. The building’s not even four stories tall. High potential payoffs like Mr. Brodsky, usually live well above the cancer-inducing air that pools at the impoverished gutter of the city.

Free Souls

Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Free Souls and thought it an excellent conclusion to the Mindjack trilogy that includes only Open Minds, Closed Hearts, and Free Souls. I recommend the series. I think it is entertaining and thought provoking. The trilogy explores real life concepts with some imaginary parallels in this science fiction world where mind reading is normal and "not mind reading" is abnormal.

I found some minor things about the book where I struggled to suspend disbelief. These were related to Kira, the protagonist, primarily. To me, there were times she behaved inconsistent with what I believed about her character and the reason I did not rate it five stars. I doubt many readers would notice.

Agony (Debt Collector 2)

Agony by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: Minor Spoilers
I had decided to read the Debt Collector series some days ago. I'm familiar with Susan Kaye Quinn having read some of her Mindjack series, which I highly recommend. For some reason I thought the Debt Collector series would feature rather independent stories in the "Debt Collector" world, or may be about different "debt collectors", but like most series, this is a continuation of Lirium's adventures.

The trouble with a series that follows one character through many short books is that nearly anything shared here possibly spoils a previous or future book in the series. So I'll try to go with brief, vague, and ratings.

For the record, Susan Kaye Quinn is a very good writer. Her 30 page stories pack around 30 things to cringe about, hold your breath, or go for your own snack to let your body's adrenaline simmer down a little.

Delirium (Debt Collector 1)

Delirium by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susan Kaye Quinn has come up with a unique idea for her Debt Collection books. Lirium is a "debt collector". We never learn how a character learns how to collect this kind of debt.

We start out in the hospital with Lirium coming to "collect" Mr. Henry's debt. His debt is the remainder of his life force.

I would assume this takes place in the future with single payer health care firmly in place and some bean counter has calculated that the amount of life force remaining in Mr. Henry exceeds the cost of his medical bills, and any other debt he may owe. He's reached a negative balance that the bean counters presume Mr. Henry could never repay. In this health care plan, someone better able to contribute to society gets Mr. Henry's life force debt.

Open Minds

by Susan Kaye Quinn
Then three things happened in rapid succession: I fell forward, I grabbed the edge of a desk to catch myself, and I pivoted down into Simon Zagan’s lap.

Falling and catching myself: fine. Landing on Simon Zagan: a tragic catastrophe.

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read and listened to the audio book (whipsersync from Amazon) in 2016 on 9/30 to page 133, on 10/13 to the end. I liked it, 4 of 5 Stars. I recommend it for young adults, science fiction fans, evolutional altered future fans.

It is a young adult book set in the future where evolution has caused people to change around their time of puberty. Around that time, along with sprouting pubic hair, comes the ability to easily read other people's minds. You might imagine the multitude of ways an author can go wild with that "what if".

After reading some reviews by Goodreads acquaintances I hesitated to recommend the book so enthusiastically due to the number of horrible reviews. After seeing some of the really bad reviews I had to ask myself if I cared about the characters. Was it plot driven? Did I struggle to suspend disbelief?