I loved this book. I have read the others in the series and was so happy to have gotten the fourth one for review. I am so sad that this is the conclusion of the series, as I wish there could be more. The writing is beautiful, the story is well developed and the journey it takes you on is thrilling.

I really tried to like this one, but it's nowhere near to what a masterpiece The Butterfly Garden was. Too many chapters/pages go into the intricacies of the characters so that the actual subject of the book - The Vanishing of Brooklyn Mercer gets shadowed (in my opinion). Not so much of a thriller as an overly-emotional drama, something that is not my preferred genre. I would have really liked if we'd seen more of the Brooklyn Mercer case and how it tied in with the other cold cases. Also, what happened to perp in the end? There was no clarity on that either. Everything and everyone here is just a little TOO perfect for my liking.
The only good parts in this book were where I read about the actual case that drew me to this book - The Vanishing of Brooklyn Mercer. As great as The Butterfly Garden was, the rest of the series just tanked in comparison.
Thank you Netgalley, Dot Hutchinson and Thomas & Mercer for an arc.

Dot Hutchinson had me hooked ever since I read The Butterfly Garden. I am so happy she created a series because book after book, she does not disappoint!

This book, like her others, follows FBI agent Brandon Eddison and introduces us to a new narrator, Eliza Sterling, also an FBI agent. The story begins with the disappearance of eight-year-old Brooklyn Mercer, who was abducted while walking from school. This hits close to home for Eddison because 25 years ago, his 8-year old sister was kidnapped after school. What was believed initially to be unrelated, turns into an horrifying pattern dating back many years and in many states throughout the country.

Dot Hutchinson did a superb job at weaving small connections from her last three books into The Vanishing Season. Well-written story, very fluid, and likable characters. Definitely a great edition to any readers' TBR list!

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, it was fast-paced and really kept my attention. What happened to Brooklyn? Would the FBI find her in time? I did struggle a little bit with keeping track of some of the characters - I have not read the first or second books in this series and I wished that I had because the characters I struggled the most with were featured in those first books. I will likely read the first two books at some point because I did enjoy the third and fourth books.

I thought the author did a great job alternating between current events (the FBI's hunt for Brooklyn) and giving glimpses into the past to follow the storyline of Eddison's missing sister, Faith. I especially liked the glimpses into the personal lives of the agents - especially Eliza Sterling who is the main focus of this book.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing a copy for review

OO yessss this was a good one! From the very beginning I was hooked and I love those types of novels. When the main character is already so intense you know that this will be a winner. Seriously y'all go out and read this one!

Wow! I have been waiting to see how the author was going to wrap up this series in a 4th book. I definitely enjoyed The Vanishing Season more than books 2 or 3, but The Butterfly Garden is still my favorite....I wanted some part of “the collector’s” storyline to return in a subsequent novel, but alas no.

Continued character development of my FBI favs, more personal storylines and an excellent case to solve in this final book of the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

There's a line towards the end of this book, that talks about the extraordinary kindness people can surprise you with, and I think that sums up exactly what drove this series so deep into my heart. I really don't get emotional about books any more, but I couldn't maintain dry eyes throughout the last quarter. Something about these agents and the family they've built for themselves just hits such a true note that it's like having that family as my own.

We're still only just under a month from publication, so obviously this will be a spoiler-free review. As usual, though you'll miss a lot if you do, this and all the books can be read on their own - but why would you want to not go back? I do, every time a new book comes out. In terms of the other books, this is more similar to #3 - we're back with the CAC team, rather than the survivors of a horror, but in this particular case it's hard not to blur the lines a bit. The characters we've grown to love don't disappoint, and there's a host of new people to extend your heart to.

I really am very emotional about this series, and Dot Hutchison has pulled off a true miracle in bringing such hope and happiness into what can be such a dark genre. She's an author who believes in kindness and it's extraordinary powers, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

What a great conclusion to an amazingly macabre series. It never takes me long to finish a book in this series and this last installment was no different I am not one who normally re-reads books...but this (series) will definitely be added to my favorites pile. I will absolutely recommend this series.

DNF chapter 8. Yawn, let’s get into the good stuff. I was trying so hard to get into the book but waaaay too much cop character building. The Butterfly garden should have been a standalone book as none of these compare.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a big fan of The Butterfly Garden, I was very excited to see how Dot Hutchison would wrap up this series. While it did not have the suspense factor of the previous books for me, I enjoyed that she focused on wrapping up the characters lives and giving a satisfying conclusion to the personal stories and character development she created throughout the series. Highly recommend reading the books in order to get the most out of the series and especially the conclusion I look forward to reading her next endevour!

@arianna.reads (Instagram)

I have become such a fan of Dot Hutchison, and her Collector series is one I would recommend to any avid reader such as myself!

I was pleasantly surprised when I learned her previous book, the Summer Children was not the final edition for a trilogy, and that she would be releasing this fourth book! Butterfly Garden will always be my favorite (it will be hard to top, Dot!) but this book gave a solid effort.

Main agent Eliza Sterling is on the case of a recently abducted young girl... a girl who just happens to look just like fellow agent Brandon Eddison’s younger sister who was abducted years ago. Is there a connection? And can Eliza find her before it’s too late?

Good character development and any loose ends from the series were very neatly tied up. Some sweet moments, but I just was expecting a bit more action.

Great way to wrap up the dark series! Addicting to the core! I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. I highly recommend for anyone who wants a twisted series!

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

I was absolutely excited to read this book. I have loved loved all the previous books in this series. They were all very well written, entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. This was an amazing conclusion to a wonderful series. I would advise that one reads the books in order as it will give you a greater understanding of the characters.

I am so sad to see this series end and I hope that she will write more books soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A little girl is kidnapped on the anniversary of the disappearance of Eddison's sister, Faith, and the similarities between the cases bring back all the pain and guilt. When they start to investigate, they find a string of disappearances of blonde haired, blue eyed girls across the country.
This was such a great series. I loved The Butterfly Garden and The Summer Children best and I was so excited to get a chance to read the series conclusion early. I love how close the whole FBI team has gotten and especially the relationship between Eliza and Bran. I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.

I love this series and I really hope this isn't the last book! There seemed to be much tying up of loose ends, making me think this probably is the final book, but I hope I'm wrong.

Each of the four books in this series is narrated by a different member of the FBI team. How much I liked each book is directly tied to how much I liked each character, but I still really liked all of them. Every book is fast-paced, intelligent, and often quite funny (I laughed out loud at least a few times). Whether she continues the series or not, this author has a fan for life in me!

*CRY CRY CRY*

Why is this amazing series over!!!
What an ending though! What a series! What a series.
Anyone who has been with this group since day 1 (ME!) will be sad to see these old friends go, but what an amazing ride! I can’t wait to see what else Dot Hutchinson has planned for future novels.
I can’t recommend this series enough…and now I must go pout in the corner over the loss of my “friends”

This is the fourth book in what I thought was a trilogy and I'm so happy I was wrong with that! To get the very best from it, especially with respect to the relationships between the characters, you would be better off reading the first three books before this one.
So, it's coming up on Halloween. A tricky time for Eddison as it was when his sister Faith went missing. To cap it all, there's an open case; a young eight year old has disappeared. If that wasn't enough, missing girl, Brooklyn Mercer, is the spitting image of Eliza. But they are professionals so the team start to look into it. Things go very dark very quickly when an old friend brings them some startling information linking Brooklyn's case to other missing girls, going back many years, cross country. Can they figure it out in time to save Brooklyn and give peace to the other families devastated by their own losses?
I was so sad when I thought the third book completes this series as a trilogy. I was devastated to leave these characters behind. Although I now have to go through that loss again, as this is the last in the series, I am so very glad I had this book to reconnect with them all once again. I really hope that maybe, in some way, these characters pop up in future books; even as cameos. That'll do me...
The plotting in this book is excellent as always. Although the subject matter is harrowing, I devoured this book in only a day, so eager I was to get to the bottom of things. Characterisation was excellent once again - both with development of existing characters and introduction of new ones, The author definitely writes wounded characters very well and always manages to evoke a multitude of emotions from me - for victims, perpetrators and investigators alike.
As the definite last in series, we also have a lot going on personally for some of the characters and the final chapters were so emotional for me as I have invested so much in the characters. Although I will miss them, I am glad where the author took them on their journeys.
All in all, a cracking conclusion to one of my favourite (albeit short) series. I don't know where the author will go next but I do know that I'll be there! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I was really happy to receive an ARC from NetGalley. I’ve read all the previous books in this series and think this was a great way to end this collection of stories. This isn’t one you need to have read the others to enjoy. I’ll be sad to not have any additional books from this series to look forward to, but everything was tied up nicely and it’s been a fun journey to take into this fun group of characters.

This series started as a trilogy, but was changed to a series due to this fourth book. It wrapped up nicely, so I don’t really expect a fifth, but I certainly would love to read it if there is one!

I love this group of characters so much. The first in the series is a bit different than the others, but the last three follow a similar format, but each with a different main character from the Crimes Against Children division of the FBI. In this story, the team is working on a missing child case and discovers that it may be part of a larger pattern of cold cases.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lou Jacobs's Reviews > The Vanishing Season

The Vanishing Season by Dot Hutchison
The Vanishing Season (The Collector, #4)
by Dot Hutchison
M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review Apr 13, 2019 · edit
it was amazing

There is not a woman or man alive who can read this gem without crying! This is the fourth novel dealing with heart rendering cases of the Quantico based Crimes Against Children division of the FBI. The warmth of their relationships of the four members shines through their everyday good natured chatter and ribbing. The team consists of Eliza Sterling, Brandon Eddison, Cass Kearney and Mercedes Ramirez. Lead agents Eliza and Brandon are thrust into the investigation of the disappearance of blonde haired , blue-eyed eight-year old Brooklyn Mercer . The resemblance of Brooklyn to Eliza is uncanny and extremely disturbing. And to make matters worse ... Brooklyn's disappearance marks the 25th anniversary of Brandon's sister Faith's abduction. During the course of their initial fruitless investigation the team is contacted by retired Tampa Police Department Detective , Ian Mats. Even though retired he has been tirelessly investigating the cold case involving Faith. He uncovers a disturbing pattern of abduction of blonde-haired, blue-eyed young girls dating back decades and spanning across the country .... involving at least 17 girls.
Dot Hutchinson proves to be an excellent storyteller and weaves a convoluted and harrowing tale that will grab the reader by the heart and soul. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I intend to immediately download the first three novels of this series. However, this novel can certainly be enjoyed as a standalone.