I have really enjoyed this trilogy. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys Criminal Minds or Karin Slaughter.

Good suspense, good characters and this villain you understand the motivation. This is definitely a series for those that want to be immersed in the cat and mouse game of a serial killer.

I was a bit disappointed with this, too much emphasis on the personal lives for me, could have been more on the actual crimes, only my opinion

Well. All I have to say about Dot Hutchison's Collector series is: nothing gold can stay.

Dark, twisted, and gripping, I thought The Butterfly Garden was altogether pretty brilliant. But Hutchison's followup novel, Roses of May, provided a starling (and in my opinion, utterly grating) tonal shift, abandoning a lot of the creepiness of the first novel and coming across as ultimately rather juvenile. I was hoping The Summer Children might bounce back and show a hint of The Butterfly Garden's greatness, but I'm afraid this had nothing to offer but more of that obnoxious fan-servicing cutesy humor that plagued Roses of May. I mean, in theory, The Summer Children should be dark. It follows FBI agent Mercedes Ramirez as she investigates a series of murders by someone who's attempting to 'rescue' children from abusive households by killing their parents. The last thing I should be thinking is 'why does this have to be so goddamn twee,' but here we are.

This kind of goes hand in hand with my criticism of the book's tone, but what's so insufferable about Roses of May and The Summer Children is how obsessed Hutchison is with her own protagonists. Sure, they're all flawed (in super palatable ways), but they're also the most competent and considerate people in the universe, and we need to be reminded of it again. and. again. There are entire scenes that serve no narrative purpose but to self-congratulate. Is it not bad enough that we have to revisit Mercedes's proclivity toward being honest with the children she works with on about twenty separate occasions, do we really have to laud it each time?

Maybe it's just me, but I like stories that dig into human imperfections - characters who say the wrong thing and can't take it back, characters who react inappropriately in dire situations, characters hurt the people they love by mistake. There is none of that here. Mercedes and her team can do no wrong, and we need to pat them on the backs every time they know exactly what someone needs at exactly the right time. And that's another thing - the found family trope is usually one of my favorites, but the way Hutchison writes it is so heavy-handed I spent most of this book cringing with secondhand embarrassment.

Speaking of cringing - this is a passage I highlighted not only because of the corny writing, but because it was probably the fourteenth or fifteenth time the word 'scar' had jumped out at me in this book. "Scars mean we survived something, even when the wounds still hurt." Anyway, so I did a search on my Kindle, and do you know how many times the word 'scar' is used? Twenty-seven. Talk about being bashed over the head.

Bottom line is that I was not the target audience here, and I ordinarily don't hold this kind of thing against the book as much as I am doing right now, but I can't help but to find it irritating that all the maturity of the first book sort of evaporated in the second two. I guess this can't technically be classified as YA as the protagonist is in her thirties, but trust me, if you do not enjoy YA, read The Butterfly Garden as a standalone and move on.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Dot Hutchison for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely stellar conclusion to The Collector trilogy. I quite enjoyed the return to the darkness and gore of the first book. Mercedes was a genuinely interesting character and her back story played in quite nicely. Just very properly well done.

I have positively adored this entire trilogy so much, and this was the perfect conclusion, even if I am sad to see it draw to a close. While the books do not follow the exact same plot line and probably could be read as stand-alones if you so desired, I do strongly recommend reading them in their publication order!

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was afraid of change. She went out bravely into the world anyway.

If you’ve read these books before, you may remember that book 1 centered on Vic, and book 2 centered on Eddison; in book 3, we finally get to see things through the eyes of Mercedes Ramirez, the 3rd FBI agent in the original trio. Not only do we get to spend more time with the gang, we also get to know Agent Sterling much better, as the events in book 2 led to her being promoted to join the team in book 3. With that backstory out of the way, let me say that—while I love Vic and Eddison to no end—Ramirez had my single favorite perspective of each of the books.

If you were afraid of something in the light, wasn’t it just good sense to be more afraid of it in the dark?

Mercedes Ramirez has been an FBI agent for nearly a decade, but we didn’t learn much about her in the first two installments, aside from the fact that she is Latinx, a lesbian, and has a very personal stake in the business of saving children from their assailants and abductors. In this book, we slowly get to piece together why Ramirez’s job means so much to her—aside from just the comfort of knowing she saved these poor kids—and it’s a rough ride, but a worthwhile one.

It’s one of his gifts: let me distract you, let me fill the silence for you, until you decide there’s something you need to say.

We also get to see a brand new side of Eddison, which I loved; through Vic’s POV, he’s the team clown, and through his own POV, he’s a very serious, older-brother type, but through Ramirez’s eyes, we find the true Eddison, which is something right in the middle. He’s so caring and a total teddy bear, but he’s also fiercely protective, and I loved getting to know him more.

I suppose if you’re the guardian at the gates for a dragon, you can’t help but be pleased when she roars.

I also was delighted to see Sterling come into her own as a character, though it made me a little bit sad that, so far, this is confirmed to be the final book, because now I can’t help but want Sterling to get a POV in a 4th book, too! She’s such a delight and is absolutely brilliant while subverting a tremendous number of gender roles and expectations, and I thought she was a stellar addition to the team.

“I honestly don’t know if you’ve seen Vic when he’s about to rain down fire and destruction.”

Of course, last but not least is Vic, who has taken on a management role but is still incredibly hands-on and more than capable of taking care of his agents, who are practically his kids in every sense but the biological one. He’s always been my favorite because I’m a sucker for the “father” figures in heavy books like this, and he plays the spot perfectly.

In the same breath that people abhor those who break the law, they also love vigilantes with an appealing cause.

As with the first two books, trigger warnings are heavy-handed for this story: sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, child neglect, child abuse, child death, the list goes on. It’s a tough one to read at times, but the exchanges in between with the agents leaning on one another for support are enough to keep it from feeling overwhelming most of the time. The action never stops, and as someone who is finicky about my thrillers and typically doesn’t like crime thrillers at all, I don’t say this lightly: Dot Hutchison weaves the perfect balance of action, suspense, mystery, and character development to always keep my interest. At this point, I’d read anything she releases, and I cannot recommend this series highly enough!

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the third book in the "Butterfly Garden" series. The first book was AMAZING, so if you haven't read it, jump on it right away. Mercedes Ramirez is an FBI agent that had a horrible past. As an agent in the Crimes Against Children division of the FBI, she sees the worst of the worst kinds of crime. One day she comes home to a child on her porch who is bloody and traumatized. He watched an "angel" kill his parents. The angel rescued him from them and told him that he would now be safe with Agent Ramirez. This is a pretty fast paced novel that is hard to put down. However, there are many trigger warnings, so you might want to have a strong stomach to read about the abuse these children encountered. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

WoW, WoW, WoW..........If I could give The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison "10 stars" I would.
This is the third book in this series and I found this book just took my breathe away. So beautifully written throughout. It was my favourite of the series.
This was an excellent wrap up to the trilogy. Just Brilliant

Dot Hutchison is a fantastic author and looking forward reading more from her.

I highly recommend the series and will be read again in the future.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am A huge fan of Hutchison. Butterfly Garden was one of my favorite psychological thriller books. Although I enjoyed Roses of May and Summer Children, I didn't think they lived up to Butterfly Garden's legacy. The connection to characters and plot seemed forced. Hutchison' writing is exceptional and fast paced. The storyline was easy to follow and flowed nicely but Summer Children was more of a Detective Crime Thriller than a Psychological Thriller.

Dot Hutchison is my girl. Not only is she a brilliant writer, she releases her books on NetGalley to readers WITHOUT approval. You read that right folks! NO approval required. A lady of the people, how can you not be obsessed with this woman?!?

The Collector series is delectably dark and twisted. For some, this is a major appeal. The wrong just seems so right in her stories. I've eaten this series up. However, The Summer Children, lacked something for me. But to be fair, my standards for this woman are high, her previous novels were home runs. And you can't win them all.

The Summer Children synopsis was enticing as hell. But the execution just wasn't what I had anticipated. I felt like the story wasn't nearly as exciting as the previous. It was decent. But my high set standard weren't met. And maybe that is more on me. If you don't expect too much, you won't be let down. And I was expecting much.

I think Dot Hutchison has a great handle on presenting character point of views that truly differentiate and resemble each character through each novel. The 2nd story in the series was from Eddison's point of view. I believe I was reading a story from a man's point of view. With this one, Mercedes' point of view was handled in such a different way. This story was much more emotionally driven, which is true for many females. I just really appreciate Dot's ability to write from diverse point of views.

Overall, I don't think there was anything wrong with the book. I just had high hopes and that weren't quite met. Is it a decent story? Yes. Is it as good as the previous ones? Not for me. BUT....I am only one reader, so try it out for yourself.

And for the record, if there is a forth installment, you bet your ass I will read it!

Shout out to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I really enjoyed all three books in this series. They aren't so intertwined that you have to read them in order which is nice. If you enjoyed the first two you will like this one but if you haven't read the others this works as a standalone too.

I think it’s unfair to rate any of the author’s follow up novels since The Butterfly Garden set the bar sky high. It will always be one of my favorite horror/thrillers. It is always nice to see characters from the previous two novels visit, but I also enjoyed getting to know new characters as well. Very feminist and female centered characters and storyline.

Book 3 did not disappoint! I LOVED the Butterfly Garden and was really excited for Roses of May, however, I felt that book fell a little short. My expectations were a little lower for The Summer Children after the 2nd book, but it was so good! The subject matter is a little heavy at times but the story flows nicely. I love the inclusion of characters from the previous books as well. Can we get a book 4?

This is the third and final book in The Collector trilogy so, to get the best from it, it is best to have read the first two, The Butterfly Garden and The Roses of May, first. You could, at a push, read all three books as stand alones as the main stories are self contained, but there is a running theme and crossover character inclusion and development to be had throughout the trilogy so I really would recommend reading in order.
In this book, we feature on FBI Agent Mercedes Ramirez and the work she does for the Crimes Against Children division. She arrives home on day after a date with her partner to find a child one her doorstep. A child who is covered in blood and clutching a teddy bear. A child who tells her that an angel killed his parents and then dropped him off at her house where she would be safe. She calls it in and the child is taken to hospital and his house searched whereupon the bodies of his parents are indeed found, slaughtered.
And then another child turns up, and another. On investigation, it is believed that the "angel" is indeed trying to save these children as all appear to have suffered some kind of abuse. Of course, this doesn't justify the brutal way in which these abusers are punished. But to find out who is committing these most heinous crimes, the FBI have to figure out why it is to Mercedes that the unsub delivers the children.
As with book two, the Butterflies from book one pop up in this book too. Another reason to have read that one first. They are still very close to the agents who helped save them from the garden and that link is maintained throughout this instalment too.
I really felt for Mercedes in this book as she could also have been considered a victim in this story as she was the one singled out as the safe person for the children being "saved". Not an insignificant thing and one that impacted not only on both her personal and professional lives but also provided a bit of a blow to her relationship. Obviously with dealing with crimes of the kind depicted within this book, and indeed investigated by the CAC in general, you know what you are letting yourself in for. But here the author has been very careful in including what is necessary for the story to progress without going into all the sordid details. She really has handled the crimes against the children with kid gloves. It's enough that we know what has happened without needing to spell it all out.
But honestly, it's not all doom and gloom. Far from it. Using mostly the art of camaraderie between the FBI agents, the author has managed to keep the book from getting too dark and kept it balanced. There is a real bond between all of them that is evident in the way they behave and look after each other throughout the trilogy and indeed within this book. It's also reinforced by the relationship they still have with the remaining Butterflies from book one. There's a danger that my next statement could come across as a bit twee but I do mean it when I say that they are almost like a big family, so close they have all become.
And now the sad part. This was book three of a trilogy. It's over, it's done. But I'm not ready to leave all the characters yet. I need more, I want more. I wonder what is next for the author and if she will cameo some of these characters in her subsequent books. I hope so; I'm going to miss them. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the first 2 books in this trilogy, I was dying to read the third and it was spectacular! It far surpassed my expectations.

The first book was dark, the second one not so much and this one was really dark to the point of being disturbing. The subject matter was not easy to read at times but the book was written so well. I practically devoured it and couldn't put it down at all. I think it would be better to read the series in order and not start with this one, it will give some insight into the characters.

I really enjoyed it and how the series was wrapped up. I only wish there were more books after this one. I hope the author writes another series soon.

This is the third book in the Collector Trilogy but I think it would be fine as a standalone. I did read The Butterfly Garden but not the second book and anything mentioned from The Butterfly Garden was briefly explained. This book focuses on FBI Agent Mercedes Ramirez who was an abused child and who was rescued. She went on to go to college and become an FBI Agent. Someone is murdering the parents of abused children and leaving them on Mercedes porch. This was basically a good read but it dragged on in places and I did not care for all the Spanish phrases that were peppered throughout the book since my Spanish is very limited.

I loved this series from the first book so I was super excited to be able to read the conclusion to the series. This is the final book in the Collector series by Dot Hutchison. This book focuses on the life of the girls after they were freed from the collector. What I didn't like to much was that it also focused on an agent who was looking at the case and it was about the agent solving that cause which didn't have much to do with the butterflies
at all. I didn't feel that this one stood out like the first one did. I did find it sad however to see how hard the girls struggled to deal with a normal life after they were freed. I can't imagine how hard that would have been. Just like the first two books Dot has a way with her words that really pulls the reader in and gets them invested into her characters. Her story telling ability is immaculate and I'm glad I got the chance to see how she finished the series.

The Butterfly Garden was a brilliant book. The author should have stopped there. Book 2 was awful, this one I found slightly better but it was slow, boring and fairly repetitive.

The Summer Children is the third and final book in Dot Hutchinson's The Collector Trilogy. The entire trilogy is brilliant, the final act did not disappoint and I highly recommend the series. Dot Hutchinson brings an amazing cast of characters to life and is an amazing storyteller. This novel was full of suspense; I just couldn’t put down. This was bittersweet because I really enjoyed this cast of characters but knew that this was the final book. My favorite is still The Butterfly Garden as it was my first introduction to Dot's work and I was drawn in to that novels dark and creepy setting. Mercedes's backstory was painful and so very emotional but I enjoyed seeing her successful career and drive to help children. This series is over, I look forward to Dot's next thrilling creation and hope we don't have to wait to long.

I devoured this book, I was a little hesitant after not devouring the second, but this did not disappoint. I couldn't put this down. Dot does an amazing job at developing these characters from start to finish. The story keeps you interested and intrigued the entire time.
This pulled at my heart strings in ways they haven't been pulled in a while. I recommended the first in the series until I was blue in the face and I will do the same with this one.

This may be the third (and I believe final) book in the Collector series, however it can be read and understood as a stand-alone novel. Yes, some characters from the first two novels are featured in this one, however it is done in a way where the reader doesn't get lost or confused.

This novel does touch on some disturbing realities (mainly the abuse of children and how in some cases the abuse is overlooked and/or the system has failed a child), however I feel the author's strong writing style make it more palatable than it otherwise may have been. The sad reality is, sometimes these things do happen and occasionally we as readers need to be taken to a place of discomfort in order to face the reality of the worlds.

I loved getting to see team Mercedes is a part of interact with each other. The obvious bond they had showed just how much they had been through as a team, and what they were willing to do for one another. I will say that while all of these characters are complex and strong in their own ways, Siobhan was not my favorite. I feel as though she had a lot of unrealistic expectations when it came to Mercedes and her job. Also, I enjoyed (as hard as it was) to learn Mercedes background. I think it spoke a lot to her character and why she acted (and reacted) in the ways that she did.

I would definitely recommend this novel to those who enjoy well written police and "whodunit" novels. I will be reading more from this author!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.