Today I am thrilled to be writing about the third book in The Collector Series by Dot Hutchison. The Summer Children follows the story of three FBI agents that were initially introduced in the first book, The Butterfly Garden. Thankfully, Hutchison decided to continue the story in The Roses of May, and now the book is becoming one of my favorite series to be in the middle of right now.The Situation: Mercedes Ramirez has been a part of the FBI's Crimes Against Children division for almost ten years now, and she would like to be able to say that she has seen it all, that it nothing surprises her anymore, and that it does get easier, but none of that is true. Using her own past as motivation, Ramirez is fiercely determined to do what she can to protect kids against harm. Fortunately, she has the best and most supportive team she could have ever hoped for, with her longtime mentor and friend, Victor Hanoverian, and the man she sees more as a brother than a work colleague, Brandon Eddison. She has helped many children over her nine years on the job and has no plans of slowing down. And then it seems one of the many she saved has decided they want to help children too, but in a very different way.
The Problem: It begins when Ramirez finds an abused and shaken little boy on the front steps of her house. She does not recognize him, but he knows her, because the person who brought him there told him that Ramirez would keep him safe. He then tells the horrifying story of how the same person who brought him there also killed his parents and made him watch. It soon becomes clear that a vigilante had taken it upon themselves to exact justice against the boy's abusive parents. And when more children show up on Ramirez's porch, it also becomes clear that this person is not done. As more children are "rescued," and the methods get less exact, and the amount of time between murders begins to shorten, Ramirez and her team must race against the clock to find out who is doing this. Using her old case files as a guide along with the files at a local CPS office, the entire team taps into everything they can to stop this murderer in their twisted quest to do what they believe is right.
Genre, Themes, History: This novel is most often placed in the thriller category, but like Hutchison's other two novels, I prefer to give it the heading of "horror." The gruesomeness of what is happening in this book is twofold: first there are the murders of the parents, which are most often committed by a combination of gunshots and stabbing. Then there is why the murderer chose their specific victims. The murderer targets parents who are abusing their children, using complaints and CPS files as guides. Most often, the stories of what the parents had done to the kids is much worse than how they are killed. What Hutchison has done is give us a killer who is doing what many people believe these parents deserve, whether they are the abuser, or knew the abuse was happening and did nothing. And while the first book in the series was more or less told from the point of view of a kidnapping victim, and the second was told from Eddison's, this one is told by Ramirez. Her past as a survivor of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of a family member is what fuels her as an agent. And her history with the bureau is why the mysterious murderer chooses her house as the safe haven to send the rescued children. While rejecting the family she was born into, Ramirez has come to build a new family in her teammates, giving them a closeness than many at the FBI do not understand, with some of them thinking it is downright unprofessional. And just like with The Roses of May, we get to catch up with some of the girls from The Butterfly Garden and see how they are doing in life after captivity.
My Verdict: Switching points of view from one book to the next is always a gamble, but it once again pays off for Hutchison as the new perspective gives a fresh view of life as an FBI agent, especially one that deals with crimes against children. The crime scenes are still horrifying, and the stories of what the children have been through are unsettling, but the details are not given in a way that is meant to only make the reader uncomfortable. It is all told with a frankness that seems to acknowledge that this is the world we live in, and that it is not okay. While it may be hard to believe that the kind of closeness that exists between Ramirez, Hanoverian, and Eddison would ever actually be tolerated in the real FBI, it is nice to have it in this book and know that these are characters that can count on each other. Readers of horror will appreciate the honest details and the fear that comes from not knowing what will happen next, and when. Thriller readers will enjoy the search for the murderer and all of the clues coming together. All in all this made for an excellent third installment in The Collector series.
Favorite Moment: When Ramirez sees the apartment of the newest member of the team, Eliza Sterling, and is incredibly surprised by what she finds.
Favorite Character: Eliza Sterling sacrificed a lot to be a part of the team, and is a great addition. She fits right in with Ramirez, Hanoverian, and Eddison, and is even accepted by Priya, Inara, and Victoria-Bliss.
Recommended Reading: Shelter by Jung Yun explores the question of what obligation we have to help the people in our lives who have caused us harm.
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