I feel like this book should be playing up to the hype of its release and in my opinion, it just fell flat. I like the story idea behind it but it's a generic storyline that's been done before. If I'm honest I'm a tad disappointed.

I have such mixed feelings about The Vanishing Season. It was a solid story. I easily read it in under twenty-four hours. And I’m satisfied with the way things ended… But I’m only satisfied, not mind-blown. Although Hutchison’s writing has become more polished throughout this series, none of the subsequent books elicited anywhere near as visceral a reaction as did the first book, The Butterfly Garden.

The Vanishing Season reads more like a straightforward, mainstream thriller. The story is told almost entirely in first person, present tense from the POV of Agent Eliza Sterling. There are a few flashback scenes that don’t add much to the overall story, but everything else is told by Sterling. And unfortunately, Sterling is the weakest link in this book and probably the whole series.

I never connected with Sterling. Maybe I just got tired of hearing how young and gorgeous she was. Maybe I never entirely bought into her purported level of intelligence. But it boils down to the fact that I simply did not find her a compelling lead character. I was pretty ambivalent about her as a side character, but I was hoping she would bring more to the table as a lead. But her narration and her personality were so inconsistent. Sometimes she was cold and clinical. Other times she was frilly and almost ditsy. I felt so disconnected from her. It was engaging when she was analyzing the case, because following along with the logic of criminal profiling and narrowing the suspect pool was right up my alley. But the second the story switched to Sterling having a personal moment, my interest would lag.

I also never got used to Eliza referring to Eddison as “Bran.” Don’t change how a character is referred to four books into a series!

One aspect that I loved about the previous books was the exploration of various effects of violent trauma. From Stockholm Syndrome to survivor’s guilt, the previous books expertly presented the far-reaching ripples of these crimes. But that was barely present in The Vanishing Season. There was a small look at treatment of families of the perpetrators and some repetition of lessons from previous books, but all of that took a backseat to the rest of the story. And I greatly missed both the emotion and intellectual intrigue of exploring those difficult subjects.

This story still made me cry, but it was overall the least emotionally impactful to me of the four books. I enjoyed the parts pertaining to the case more than the interpersonal relations. Sterling was so stiff that I wasn’t invested in her romantic relationship at all. And my connection with the other characters was more due to the events of the first three books than anything specific in this installment. If anyone read this as a standalone, they wouldn’t be nearly as invested. But it bears repeating that this book literally made me cry, because I rarely cry at books. So keep that in mind despite the amount of critiques in this review. This was still an intriguing story with a strong emotional component. I enjoyed it thoroughly; it just was not as amazing as its predecessors.

According to the author’s note, this is the end of the series, and I’m very glad of that. I said after The Summer Children that as much as I enjoyed this series, I want it to end before it drags on and the quality tanks. I’m satisfied with the way things wrapped up, and I hope this truly is the end. I’m excited to see what Hutchison does next with a new concept!

“ The Vanishing Season “ by Dot Hutchison is the fourth and final book of her “ Collector” series. While it could be read as a stand-alone, the reader will not understand some of the references to previous books and the relationships of the characters.
In this one we are once again following an FBI unit in Crimes Against Children led by Vic the team leader and his team of Mercedes, Eliza Sterling and Brandon Eddison with a fourth addition of Cass. The first three all were drawn to this line of work by tragedies that either happened to them or those near to them as children.
In this book they are called in on a missing child’s case of an 8 year old little girl named Brooklyn Mercer.. this case proves to be a struggle for Eddison whose sister Faith, who disappeared at the same time of year and was never found.
As in the previous book you need a suspension of belief and a total ignorance of any procedures or rules that any law enforcement agency would follow. The book focuses far more on the relationships between the team than the actual case and those relationships are just not believable. An FBI team leader who shows up to check on whether you ate? Two members of the same team dating ? Buying houses next door to each other? Throwing a blanket over a body before evidence could be gathered? None of it rings true.
While the last three of the series are good, none lived up to “ Butterfly Garden”
Would I read more from this author? Yes but I hope we are done with this particular group of characters.
Thank you to #netgalley and #thomasmercer for the copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts.
This one is out tomorrow! Let me know what you thought!

As i was to find out, this is the fourth book in a series. I feel that i really do need to read the first three books and shall be doing so in the near future. Nonetheless, the story was enjoyable and it did keep me turning the pages until i came to the end.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have freely given.

WoW............The Vanishing Season by Dot Hutchison is the forth book in this brilliant series.

The other books in this series are:

1 The Butterfly Garden ★★★★★
2 Roses of May ★★★★★
3 The Summer Children ★★★★★

This book was just brilliant and kept me up all night! I did not want to close my kindle and I wanted to finish it. I really hope this isn't the last book! from Dot Hutchison. But, looking forward to read more of her books.

I highly recommend the entire series. But, you will need to read them in the correct order.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, but it just doesn't measure up to the first one. None of the others did either, but it's nice to keep up with crew. I'm a little sad that the adventure seems to be over. Can't wait to see what Dot Hutchison does next!

I just finished this book, not realizing it was the fourth book of a series. As I was reading and saw reference to butterflies and garden, i said hmm...... and yes I have the first book downloaded on my kindle but have not read it. Given the rave reviews of the first book, I will go back and read it. This was not so much a mystery to me, but a love story of families that we made out of pain and the courage to keep going. A lot of tragedies among the main character. I enjoyed reading about it but probably having read the first books would have made it a better read

This was a good conclusion to this series that is both creepy and good at the same time.
This author is good at creating atmospheric books with lots of twists
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

This fourth instalment in the Collector series feels like a conclusion, which is both good and bad, good because it answers some of the questions that readers have had since the first book, The Butterfly Garden, but bad because I , and I am sure many others, would happily read many more books featuring our favourite Crimes Against Children team.
When eight year old Brooklyn goes missing on her way home from school the team are called in, but for two members in particular, this case feels a little closer to home. For Eddison it's not just the resemblance to his missing sister, it's also almost the anniversary of her disappearance, while for Eliza it's the fact that the missing girl looks so like her, she could be her daughter. As the team investigates they uncover a shocking pattern that has gone undetected for decades, and may help them to find not just Brooklyn, but also answers to questions that have haunted families like Eddision's for years.
Reading this series of books always feels like spending time with old friends, and this latest is no exception as we catch up wirh what has been happening not just with the team but also with Inara,Priya and Victoria -Bliss. The real heart of these books is the family the characters have created for themselves, and the interplay betwen them is full or real humour, warmth , tenderness and affection.
While I am sorry that the series is ending, I cannot imagine a more fitting or satisfactory send off for this wonderful cast of characters .
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The atmosphere on this one was far more sappy & sad than the previous three.
The POV is from Agent Sterling's perspective.
Sterling is my least favourite character and better suited as a side dish rather than the MC in my opinion.
I think that may be why I enjoyed this less than the other books.
Or maybe I am just depressed that the series is over and I have to say goodbye to all my new friends.
Who knows for sure?
"You look too sweet to be so evil."
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

Actual rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Vanishing Season is the 4rth and final book in The Collector series. I loved The Butterfly Garden (a 5 star read!) but the 3 books after just did not measure up to the first. This book was definitely a slow burner. The first 60% had to do with the character's development/drama and detailing kidnapping procedures. The story of an 8 yr old girl's kidnapping gets overshadowed. There were times when I thought I was reading about high school girls instead of adult FBI agents. And enough with the Spanish. I learned a few Spanish words in high school but if you have more than 5 Spanish words in a sentence, I need a translation. It's like an inside joke that I am missing out on. This was an annoyance in one of her previous books too.
However, once we got to the actual story about the kidnapping, it became more intriguing (and a tearjerker). It was a satisfying, if not rushed, conclusion to all the characters in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of Dot Hutchison's "The Vanishing Season" in exchange of an honest review.

Most Thriller lovers are familiar with The Butterfly Garden and its incredibly unique setting. More than two years later and I still remember the electrifying sensation that I felt as I read that book which ultimately left me wanting more from this series. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the final book in the Collector series was soon to be published and immediately requested it on Netgalley. Unfortunately, this book left me feeling very disappointed at how the series ended and also confused at the dreariness of the setting and lack of plot. There were several key factors that caused my letdown and my main reasons for disliking this book.

Firstly, the author focused too much on the lives of the FBI agents and too little on Brooklyn's disappearance. The spotlight was almost always entirely on the main leading investigator Eliza and her past, such as why she decided to take this job and what made her engagement fall apart. As much as I tried I couldn't take a liking to her or any of the agents on the team and was simply not interested in any of their interactions. Some conversations felt forced and, although I liked the appearances of some of the girls from the Garden, the continuous references to them started to feel irrelevant after a while.

The plot slowly began to come together towards the second half when the team connects Brooklyn's disappearance to that of several other little girls. I was glad to finally see some progress in the case and was hoping to join the team on a rollercoaster ride of solving this complex case. My main issue with this book was around this point when the team very quickly and almost without any research into anyone involved in Brooklyn's life suddenly discovers the key figure that connects all the disappearances. The lack of investigation really diminished the thrilling element and I felt as if there was a sudden rush to find the perpetrator because the character development had been exhausted and there was no other way for the story line to progress apart from finding the kidnapper.

Other small points which I found irritating included the constant mixture of random Spanish sentences mixed with English speech as well as the almost too perfect ending. I understand the approach that the author was aiming for but the execution felt poor to me overall. Although I strongly recommend The Butterfly Garden to Mystery/Thriller fans, unfortunately there is not much from this book that I can rave about.

The Vanishing Season will be out to buy on 21st May.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

A couple of years ago, I read THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN by Hutchinson and loved the creepy, vivid and downright intense mystery. How did I miss the fact that there were three more books? It wasn't until I got an ARC of THE VANISHING SEASON by Dot Hutchinson published by an imprint of @amazonpublishing that I realized what I'd been missing. Hutchinson is a genius with mystery and bringing relatability to events a lot of us have (thankfully) never had to endure. The last installment in The Collector Series is hands down, one of my favorite books this year.

The Vanishing Season is the final book in The Collector Series. I became hooked on this series after receiving The Butterfly Garden as a Kindle First Read and I highly recommend the entire series.

The Vanishing Season picks up the story of an FBI team in the Crimes Against Children (CAC) Unit a few years after the events in The Summer Children. This book is focused on and comes from the perspective of Agent Eliza Sterling, a pretty young blonde agent who looks disturbingly like the victim in the their latest case. Eight year old Brooklyn Mercer went missing while walking home alone from school and the CAC Unit has been called in on the case. Brooklyn also looks like Faith Eddison, the sister of CAC team member Brandon Eddison, who also was kidnapped at eight years old and was the reason he joined the FBI. As the case progresses, the team learns information that may suggest that Brooklyn's kidnapping is not an isolated incident, but the latest in a long list of missing girls across the country. Eliza and the team are racing against the clock to find Brooklyn and possibly solve a string of cold cases.

The Collector series has been incredible - Dot Hutchison knows how to draw out her characters, make them flawed and human, give them depth and motivation. The Vanishing Season is an apropos end to the series; The Butterfly Garden, The Roses of May, and The Summer Children are the three previous installments and each could easily be read as a stand alone novel, but I would strongly suggest reading them all in order so you can see the subtler progression of the characters. I literally stayed up until 2 am finishing this book, I couldn't put it down once I got into it.

There is no doubt that The Vanishing Season delivers. Each book of the series actually follows a different member of the FBI team, and this last book is all about Eliza and Brandon. I personally really appreciate this little detail, as it gives us the opportunity to learn more about certain characters while also still having the bantering between the members of the team. It's definitely a series best read in order, or else you will be missing important background information about both characters and past cases... But they will be well worth your time. The Vanishing Season has definitely succeeded in making this series go out with a bang. Things are going to get very personal and cold cases are going to get mixed with a current kidnapping case in a way you won't be able to guess easily. There are twists and turns involved to mislead you and while you may get some details right, it will be impossible to imagine the full truth about the who, how and why until the very end. And you won't be able to keep it dry by the time you reach the final page either... A part of this reaction has to do with the characters and how easy it is to connect to and basically adopt them. I personally love all members of the FBI team, flaws and all, and their bantering and dry humor is right up my alley. I even have a namesake in this series; something that doesn't happen often! I have seen some people complaining about the use of Spanish, but I personally love those little details as they add an authentic touch to the characters without complicating those readers who don't understand Spanish. Each character is thoroughly developed during the series and feels realistic; it's interesting seeing them evolve over time and I loved finding out how everything ended. The second half of The Vanishing Season is basically an emotional rollercoaster and there will most likely be tears involved if you were able to connect to the characters previously. I found myself flying through the pages as I was dying to discover how it all ended; I literally couldn't put down my kindle until I got there. I liked how everything wrapped up nicely and I was more than satisfied with this final book of the series. The Vanishing Season and The Summer Children are now tied for series favorite! If you enjoyed the previous books, you will most likely have an excellent time with this story as well.

I am sad to see this series end. I really enjoyed all 4 books. The Butterfly Garden hooked me the instant I started reading it. I have enjoyed that each book has a different person on the team being their book. Each person has their own problems and each book solves a horrific case and at the same time having that person work through their problems. This was another bizarre case that spans 30 plus years. Both Bran and Eliza have problems to work through in all things, work, their relationship and personal. If you have loved all the other books you will love this one. If you haven't read the other books, why not?


*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

In one way I'm sorry that the series has ended, but in another I'm glad that Brandon finally has peace, and is able to move forward with his life. It's an ending - in fact a book, that had me laughing and crying - at times together.

It has been an amazing series starting with the butteflies and ending with a joyous funeral of a child who has been missing for a quarter of a century.

Loved it. 5 stars just arent enough.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Vanishing Season, the fourth novel in The Collector series to feature the FBI’s Quantico based Crimes Against Children team.

When eight year old Brooklyn Mercer goes missing from a “safe” neighbourhood in Richmond the team are sent in to find her. Team leader Brandon Eddison is almost immediately relegated to support work because not only is it the same time of year as when his eight year old sister Faith disappeared twenty odd years ago, Brooklyn bears a startling resemblance to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Vanishing Season which takes a different approach to the previous novels, being more low key on the crime and placing more emphasis on the personal. It is narrated in the first person by CAC team member Eliza Sterling who is also Bran’s girlfriend (can I say that or should I say significant other? Partner doesn’t seem right when they don’t live together. Obviously I’ve been reading too many American novels to get tied up in this!) so the reader gets a more up close and personal account of his emotional vulnerability. I must admit to crying at some of the descriptions.

The crime element is slim, relying on certain coincidences, and is quickly solved. The motive has been done before in fiction so it’s neither surprising or particularly imaginative. This is a surprise as the author has tended to rely on shocking, outlandish scenarios in previous novels. Instead it concentrates on the effects of crime on the ones left behind. Bran and his family’s grief and unknowing of Faith’s fate are a powerful painting. The guilt and what ifs of friends and family strike a human chord and seem so natural. The how did I not know from the perpetrator’s family is an unanswerable question. The ramifications go on and on. It’s all done naturally throughout the novel. It had me hooked from start to finish.

Despite the subject matter this is a warm novel. The closeness of the team and their friends give the novel its warmth and feel good factor. There are running jokes and friendly banter, maybe a little subdued given Bran’s angst but it’s still there. I like them for this and would gladly read more in the series but there are a lot of loose ends tied up in this novel and I wonder if it will remain a quartet or strike out in a new direction.

The Vanishing Season is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

4.5 Stars for an amazing & satisfying end to Dot Hutchinson's The Collector series!

"We heal, mostly, but even scars can bleed."

I've come to love the CAC team in this series. With the last two installments we really get to know them and become invested in the family they have formed. In The Vanishing Season 8 year old Brooklyn Mercer goes missing on her short walk home from school. The disappearance allows us to dig deeper into Brandon Eddison's past. I have thoroughly enjoyed Bran and his interaction with both the members of his team and the girls from the Garden whom he adopted over time. It was fitting to finally get his full backstory. What an emotional case and journey! This one got to me the way The Butterfly Garden did - I was emotionally invested and couldn't tear myself away from its pages.

I appreciate that Dot Hutchinson gave us this fitting conclusion to the series. The ending was like catching up with old friends and feeling that sense of contentment at finding out what they have been up to. The book was emotional, heartbreaking and absolutely wonderful! It's hard not to get sucked in to the dynamics between the members of this team. I will definitely miss them but I am satisfied with where Hutchinson chose to go with her conclusion and so happy I went along with her for the The Collector journey!

The Vanishing Season is the fourth book in Dot Hutchinson's The Collector Trilogy... Wait a sec... Yeah, I thought this series was done but I was very surprised (and extremely excited) when I stumbled on this new gem from Dot Hutchinson. It seems Dot could not say goodbye to the Collector world and the fantastic cast of characters she has created, who can blame her. I've said it before in my reviews of her other books in this <s>trilogy</s> series, I highly recommend that you pick up all of Dot's Collector novels. The Butterfly Garden is my absolute best of the bunch but all are great. The Vanishing Season is a thrilling mystery that follows Eliza Sterling and Bran Eddison as they, along with they FBI team, search for missing 8 year old Brooklyn Mercer. Child abduction is emotionally painful to all the people involved and Dot shows that emotion across these pages. You feel for these characters. Dot is a gifted storyteller and does a superb job of setting the right tone and pace.