The Vanishing was an enjoyable 4 star thriller for me, in fact I enjoyed all the books in the series, but none quite live up to the Butterfly Garden. I still think of that book years after I have read it.

Great storyline and very interesting well-crafted characters. The Vanishing Season will keep you on the edge of your seat. A great read and I highly recommend it for mystery lovers.

I liked all the others in the series, this one wasn’t my favorite. Wasn’t bad by any means. I’m glad I read it and still recommend the series to friends! Satisfying ending to the series though!

It took me a bit to get into this one, but sometimes that's the case with crimes against children books. Having children of my own it makes me squirmy. Still, this was a pretty decent mystery, if it did take a bit to get to where it wanted to go. I do wish I had read the preceding 3 in the series first, I believe that character involvement and investment would help.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC to review!

I enjoy this series because the crimes are always unique in some way. And they always feel like an episode of Law and Order SVU!

I've bounced back and forth with this series: 1 - great (if macabre), 2 - so-so, 3 - great, 4 - so-so. If you're like me, you'd probably keep reading if more books were made, but maybe it's time to say goodbye to the agents. Taken as a whole, I appreciate and recommend the series.

The Vanishing Season by Dot Hutchison is book #4 in The Collector series that began with The Butterfly Garden. This time The Crimes Against Children team is against the clock, as they race to find a eight year old little girl abducted as she walked home.

"...When a child gets kidnapped, people wail and point to safe neighborhoods as if that should be protection against opportunity. As if money is the only thing needed to make a child safe.
A lot of the girls on this list lived in safe neighborhoods.
Brooklyn Mercer lives in a safe neighborhood..."

It takes a special individual to join the FBI. Even more so to be a part of the Crimes Against Children Division. Most of the time, when these agents come into the picture, it is too late to save the child. Most of the time, the best they can do is find the remains, and evidence of a crime committed. But at least then, they can remove the monster who did this from the streets. So at least this monster, won't hurt anyone anymore. But there are so many monsters and the unit sees not only the horrors people commit, but what they do to children. To the most vulnerable, to the ones who cannot protect themselves.

Agents Eliza Sterling and Brandon Eddison have seen the worst of humanity. But this case hits a little closer to home.

Eight year old Brooklyn Mercer has gone missing. Nearly on the same day that Brandon Eddison's sister Faith went missing years ago. Even more disturbing is the physical resemblance that Brooklyn has to Faith, and to Agent Sterling as well. So acute, that they could be related.

When the retired Detective, who had originally worked the case of the missing girl, Faith Eddison, and who would become a mentor and second father to Brandon, shows up with evidence of a crime greater than what Eliza and Brandon had first thought. They now know that they very little time to find Brooklyn Mercer and they clock is already ticking.

Dot Hutchison may be the best thriller, mystery, gritty and incredibly real writer out there that you just don't know about yet. But you want to, you really, really want to. Each book, though it encompasses the entire team, is told with one of the members being the central character. In doing so Hutchison allows the reader to become more involved in the mindset and in the history of the Agents. It is an intimate portrayal of a character and one that pulls the reader deeply into the tale. Though it is a series, each book stands on its own, with only hints off what the other books hold.

The Vanishing Season is a tense, powerful story of pain and grief and madness. Of the void in our hearts and our souls that never heals and if allowed to, can eat away until it is all there is.

A hell of a good read!

This is the 4th book in the series, and I have enjoyed each book in its own way. The characters continue through each book, but from different perspectives.

While each book references past stories, I don’t think you NEED to read the other books in the series to enjoy this book.

I look forward to more!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

As this series has progressed, I like each book in it less and less. The Butterfly Collector was excellent, and I’ve been so disappointed that the rest of the series hasn’t come close to that strong start. Would have been best if it had been a standalone novel. I just looked and while the first book got 5 stars from me, each subsequent book kept losing a star down to 2 stars with this final book.

I wasn’t too interested in Eliza Sterling’s character when she was introduced and so to have this last book focused on her did not help matters. I had no interest in The Dress or The House, and the use of the capitals was ridiculous. And then all the focus on how her looks would remind everyone of various kidnapped girls, ugh. It was repeated over and over again. Do all blond blue-eyed females stand in for each other? I also don’t remember Spanish being used so much in the previous books either. I have some elementary Spanish knowledge but I still found myself using Google Translate just to confirm I was translating correctly. I think it was mostly obvious through context but it was still a little annoying, especially since this seemed to be occur a lot in this book compared to the previous ones. And as the books progress and more characters have gotten introduced, it seems like they all need to return to make at least a little cameo which feels unnecessary. I think Hutchison thinks we are more attached to those characters than we actually are.

The best thing about this book was getting closure on what happened to Edison’s sister.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Dot Hutchison for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. :o)

The Vanishing Season is a decent thriller. It works as a sort of hybrid romance and suspense. It would definitely prove entertaining as a stand alone for readers who had not read the first three installments. Unfortunately, or, rather, fortunate for me, I read The Butterfly Garden. I was enthralled and enraged and disgusted and grieved by it. It left enough of an impression that despite my usual abhorrence to sexual deviance, I could accept the bigger picture. The Vanishing Season has all the plotting and procedural elements of TBG without any of the pathos, imagery or tension. I didn’t feel the same unease in situations or kinship to the characters. I wasn’t engaged.

The bulk of the story related to the relationship between two agents, which is fine in most cases, but not in the case if this particular readership. Maybe it could work as a spin-off, but definitely not as an addition. If there are any more stories for this unit, it would have to be in their pursuit of similarly deranged, career predators and their victims. Highlighting Edison instead of his sister creates a disconnect. It puts us outside the action from the start. The Summer Children has a similar less pronounced issue. Immediacy was the most affecting tool in that garden. Without that feeling, The Vanishing Season pales.

Thank you Netgalley for approving this copy for me.

The final book in an The Collector series.

Personally not for me, I enjoyed the concept with the book and the idea behind it but the writing style is personally not for me. I felt the same things were often said over, just in a different way

I loved the first book in the series, but this one was not my favourite. While I did like the emotional connection that Hutchison creates with her characters, I didn't find it as engaging as prior books.

The Vanishing Season was an amazing conclusion to this wonderful series! This book was mostly focussed on the characters from the previous novel so I recommend reading those before you read The Vanishing Season. This book is like coming home to a warm cup of tea and a cozy blanket. You love the characters so much and the banter between them all is amazing. I love their relationships together. The case was very intriguing and heartbreaking. I couldn’t put it down and spend through the pages! I highly recommend this series!

I really encourage readers to read her previous books first before reading this one.

That said, I loved it. I love all her books. Always great story and characters.

Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

Due to not reading the other books in this series I feel I can not finish the book or provide a review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I am unable to finish reading this book as I just could not connect the story in the way I was able to in the earlier books in this series. Because I am unable to provide a fair and honest review, I will not be posting anything to any retail websites or providing links. Thank you again.

4.33
I've read this entire series and loved them all. The FBI unitrs functioned more like families. I grew to care about the characters more and more during each new book. I hope this isn't my last adventure with them.

4.5 stars

The Vanishing Season by Dot Hutchison is the fourth and final book in the Collectors series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)

FBI agents Victor Hanoverian leads a team of investigators that include Brandon Eddison, Mercedes Ramirez and Eliza Sterling. They solve complex, horrendous crimes.  Crime Against Children.   Their past cases stay with them, as they build relationships with the victims that they save.




My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The addition of Cassandra Kearney to the team is welcome, but they will need more than just Cass on this one.

When blonde-haired, blue-eyed, eight year old Brooklyn Mercer disappears while walking home from school one afternoon, the team is called in.  This is going to be a tough one for Brandon, as the child bears a striking resemblance to his sister Faith, who disappeared 25 years ago.  It is also a tough one for his girlfriend Eliza, as she, too, bears a striking resemblance to the missing child, and she is persuaded to work the case from the office with Brandon.

As more information is gathered, it becomes apparent that Brooklyn Mercer may not have been the first child abducted.

Meanwhile, Brandon will have to keep his emotions in check as the case takes more out of him with every discovery.




My Opinions:  

Again, I have deducted part of a star because the author is not translating some of the dialogue into English.  I don't know Spanish.....or Hebrew.

Dot Hutchison writes about some tough, rather dark subjects.  This one handles child abductions, and a lot of time is spent explaining the different reasons why a child is taken, and what the outcomes may be.  It was very interesting, although a little long.

The author usually centers her books on one of the characters. Each character has his/her own quirk.  This book is told from Sterling's point of view, often showing that her focus goes beyond the norm, and that she hasn't quite gotten over her past.  However, the actual plot centers around Brandon's missing sister, and we learned a lot more of his background in this manner.

Please, read the books in order, so you don't miss the connections that have been built over the years.  The team and familial relationships are so well done.  As well, there are references to past cases that show why the relationships developed, and why they are so deep.

This was another emotional read, which often had me in tears, commiserating along with the characters.  It was well-written, and well-paced.  Actually, these books have all been emotionally charged.  The author writes "emotions" really well, whether she is expressing anger, or fear, or sadness.  The reader feels exactly what Dot Hutchison wants us to feel.

Overall, this was a great series, and I hate that it has come to an end, but it was a good ending, and although I will miss the characters, I am looking forward to whatever comes next from this very talented author.

Warning! Book 4 of this series! Should read books 1-3 first to truly enjoy this book.

First Thoughts:

Sad to see an end to this series. Though in all honesty it ran it's necessary course and ended just right. I will miss the sparky and real characters. I will miss these amazing thought-out cases. It all started in a butterfly garden, where girls had tattoo butterfly wings on their backs, the very first case in this series. And it ended in a very emotional and very heart-pounding case. If you like the other books you will definitely love the characters in this journey. If you haven't read any of the other books, can I suggest you read them?! Anyways, let me wipe my eyes, blow my nose and start this review!

Summary:

FBI agent Eliza Sterling is on a case that she has to solve before another girl's fate ends badly. With the help of her fellow group of agents this should be easy right? Well it's not easy solving a case that might involve Agent Eddison's missing sister. Eddison is doing his best to contain his emotions as this case rapidly increases as it becomes apparent that the abducted girl isn't the only one involved in this case. They have to rush to find Brooklyn before it's too late.

Eddison's temper and emotions are spiraling out of control but can Eliza bring Eddison back from this darkness in time to help solve the case or will he be more of a liability? With the help of her fellow agents theys rush to solve this case of both abducted Brooklyn and the missing girls that formed over years. Will these girls cases finally get solved or will Eddison drag all the agents down with him.

Plot:

Just like with the other three books, the case is a tough one to solve and read. It still surprises me that something like this book has probably in one form or another come to past in reality.

I love books that are like this. The good guys trying to make a imprint in this world. The plot really becomes deep in parts and makes the reader want to comfort the agents who are battling the bad guy(s). It deals a lot with the agents trying to solve this case that actually evolves to more. It becomes a man-hunt to solve who could've taken Brooklyn and why. And why is it when Eliza gets closer to touch deeper in the case she's pushed 3 steps back? Eliza is determined to solve this case and others, so that she may one day see a happy ending.

This plot was up and down and dealt with a lot of emotions. Though it necessarily didn't make me cry it still was an emotional roller-coaster. And the cases were thoroughly picked apart by Eliza and her fellow FBI agents. Definitely a good plot that had only a few dry spells. And by dry I mean slow and kinda boring. But overall it was a pretty good plot.

Romance:

Eliza and Eddison are dating and their relationship was definitely tested in this book. With Eddison's little sister's case possibly being connected to Brooklyn's his anger slowly builds. And with anger comes things you wouldn't normally do. Eddison's anger towards the world comes to come against Eliza. I have mixed feelings about their relationship. With what Eliza dealt with, I'm not sure I could've stayed. With my past especially. Overall this wasn't the best part of the book.

Characters:

Eliza was such a strong character. She had so much thrown at her. When we met her in the previous books she was kind of a "just there" character. She supported her fellow agents but you couldn't see her true colors until this book. We got to see her step up. See her finally get rid of that wedding dress from her first almost wedding to a previous guy. But man I literally cheered when she did that. I think I might of yelled when it came across that part. In this book she was the lead on this case. She took it by the reins. but by no means was able to solve it by herself.

Eddison another primary character was an emotional character. He was kinda a weak character in this particular book. But I guess you would be weak when your missing little sister became a possible connection with the new case.

The other agents were good in their own parts. The visiting "butterflies" were fun to see and it allowed the reader to be okay with the series ending.

Transformation of the Character:

Eliza blossomed in this book as I mentioned above. She really shone in this book and it made me excited to see just how much she did bloom. I thought she was weak in the other books but when it came time to help put relief to Eddison's torment she really grew up.

Eddison on the other hand transformed in a different way. He had a different kind of hurdle. When a case hits close to home you're bound to have a harder time with the case as than the other agents. He had to come to terms that his little sister may have been a part of this case. He gets super emotional and moody. He doesn't really try to get better in my opinion until the case comes to a conclusion. Not going to spoil it but he definitely wasn't that transformed like Eliza.

Description:

There was definitely good descriptions in this book. The findings of bones and how they were found and described was phenomenal. The author really did her research. It seemed so legit that I doubt it was made up! And how she described Eddison's emotions really got to me. It was like I was right there with him. Even though I mentioned I thought Eddison was a weak character doesn't mean I didn't like him. I honestly can't blame him for how he felt because I would feel the same way. But the author really got the reader to engage with the book and it's description. It was like I was actually there! One roller-coaster of a book ride!The scenery was well polished and pulled at the reader. Really liked this part of the book.

Style:

This was written in multiple P.O.V.s but mainly Eliza's. I liked the way the author chose to choose when necessary to add in the other point of view. Eliza's point of view was definitely important but it was definitely in the best interest of the book to add in other point of views. Especially when it came to understanding exactly what was going on. Also this book was written in first person. It allowed the reader to connect with Eliza. There's only so much you can get out of third person or even second person. But as this story being a FBI book, you needed to get in the head of the person really into the case.

The author's writing itself was beautiful. Really caught the readers attention. Not rocky but at times sharp. Definitely would recommend her writing.

Quote of the Book:

""Faith? You're not out here all alone, are you?"

She stopped on the sidewalk and looked up. "umm...that depends," she hedged. "Are you going to tell my mama?"

The man smiled. "No, I won't tell her anything.""

Last Thoughts:

Man, I miss this series already. Though I'm trying to take a break on FBI books. I need something more light. A "happy" book if there really is any. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes pyschological thrillers or FBI based stories. Of course, if you liked any of the first three books then you would definitely be down for this book. Be ready for your life to be changed!

Rating:

4 Blooms!

Received from NetGalley
Completed July 7, 2019
317 page ebook

The Butterfly Garden was an amazing book, and if you didn't know that it ended up being a series, you are behind the times. :) TBG was great and, honestly, should have stayed a stand-alone. The follow-up books are good, but not great, and no where near the level of awesomeness of the first.

If The Butterfly Garden was rated a 9 on a 1-10 scale (easier to show the differences than a 1-5 scale) I would rate the 2nd, 3rd and 4th books in this way:

Roses of May --- 5
The Summer Children - 6
The Vanishing Season - 8


But for a standard GR rating, I rated this book a 4.5, and rated it down to a 4.

Would have been 5 stars but it was REALLY slow starting off, didn't really get going until about 30% into it, and then it still had slow moments. It was sluggish at parts and just kept going on. But the end made up for it. Really emotional stuff in the last part, it was hard to read at times but good. I hate crying for books and cried like three times at the end of this one.

I didn't realize it was wrapping up the series, and it was a perfect way to do so. The ending was really good how everything came full circle, really really well done.

Though the others lack the magic of the first, they are worth the read, and enjoyable series that stands up to similar police procedurals.


Setting = A
Plot = A
Conflict = B
Characters = B+
Theme = A