I’m back with another novel from The Collector series by Dot Hutchison, this one being The Roses of May. I thoroughly enjoyed The Butterfly Garden, and as soon as I finished it, I requested the this one and the third one, The Summer Children, for my mum to read. I was going to try and hold off on posting it this month, but when a book is this atmospheric and enthralling its difficult to hold back.

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Butterfly Garden and The Roses of May, and should not be read by wanting to read the books without spoilers. The Collector series is a dark crime thriller series with mature, heavy themes, and sensitive readers are advised to check content warnings before beginning their reading journey. Even if you don’t think you will be triggered, it is worth double checking the warning to prepare yourself. Mental and emotional health are more important than a book being spoiler-free.

Four months after the explosion at the Garden, a place where young women known as the Butterflies were kept captive, FBI agents Brandon Eddison, Victor Hanoverian, and Mercedes Ramirez are still entrenched in the aftermath, helping survivors in the process of adjusting to life on the outside. With winter coming to an end, the Butterflies have longer, warmer days of healing ahead. But for the agents, the impending thaw means one gruesome thing: a chilling guarantee that somewhere in the country, another young woman will turn up dead in a church with her throat slit and her body surrounded by flowers. Priya Sravasti’s sister fell victim to the killer years ago. Now she and her mother move every few months, hoping for a new beginning. But when she ends up in the madman’s crosshairs, the hunt takes on new urgency. Only with Priya’s help can the killer be found—but will her desperate hope for closure compel her to put her very life on the line?

I really appreciate the fact this story includes the characters from The Butterfly Garden, showing their recoveries and the difficult path they have to face with media harassment, public misconceptions, and people feeling entitled to their stories. Seeing the interactions and relationships between the girls and the detectives is also heartwarming. Not only does it bring out the personalities and character behaviours of the detectives, but it also shows how heavy and difficult cases like these still hold a massive toll over those involved even after the immediate conclusion of such events. There is irrevocable change that has shaped these characters, and seeing how that in turn shape their steps forward as they readjust to life makes for amazing character development, dialogue, and internal conflict.

The plot for The Roses of May outside of the follow-up on the butterflies is just as haunting. I believe I mentioned it in the first review, but I can so easily picture this being an episode of Criminal Minds. The story has so much grit and intrigue, the characters are diverse, interesting, and I have a sneaky suspicion at the moment (writing this up one-third of the way through) that has me eager to find out more. If I am right, then the story structure and intentions are really compelling, but this is something I would have done myself so I am picking up on it. If I am wrong, then the payoff will be different, but I am hoping I am right (it is an idea that only has one portion of the answer, I don’t know the second which makes it all the more exciting).

Reading The Roses of May feels like a fantastic way to spend the end of October. The vibes of this read are so good, and I can see so many people eating this book up. Dot Hutchison’s The Collector series is one series you need to add to your tbr lists ASAP, and at this point I can’t even tell you to leave it until next spooky season. Read them over the next few months. You will not be disappointed.