TL;DR: The second book in The Collector series was engaging and horrifying and I was hooked from the first page. It’s not very fast-paced but I loved the characters and their relationships, and I appreciated how the author explored all their trauma, grief, loss and means of coping. I loved the Sravasti women and rooted for these badasses the whole way through. Recommended for those who enjoy thrillers featuring serial killers and likeable but flawed characters.

I remember being blown away by The Butterfly Garden when I read it too many years ago and I’d been meaning to continue the series and didn’t get around to it until now.

It’s been a while since I read the first book so I forgot quite a few of the details, however, that didn’t prevent me from enjoying this story. It can be read as a standalone as it’s about a different serial killer. But while the aftermath of what happened in the first book is not the central focus here, we still get glimpses into the lives of some of the women from the first book. Their immersion back into society following the horrors they endured was both heartbreaking and eye-opening, and I’m glad that Hutchison managed to find a way to incorporate a few of them into this story. It’s well-written, engaging, and obviously, incredibly disturbing. Please check CW/TW before reading!

The story is told from two perspectives: FBI Agent Eddison and the MC of this thriller, Priya. I don’t read a lot of thrillers but I thought this was engaging and enjoyed the characters and their relationships. I particularly appreciated Hutchison’s portrayal of loss, grief and coping. The emotional journey that Priya and the other girls from book one undergo is very well depicted and palpable. Priya was such an amazing MC! She’s a teenager who has experienced some of the most horrifying things starting with her sister Chavi’s murder, which is what brings the detective trio into her life. She’s a warrior but she also has her vulnerable moments that are gutwrenchingly painful to witness. Her relationship with her mother was so wonderfully refreshing and honestly, I loved these two Sravasti women! They’re such empowered badasses who have come through so much loss and devastation and still triumph. I was right there with the other characters admiring the heck out of them! What I also really loved was Eddison’s relationship with Priya. He became a fatherly/brotherly figure of security and support for her and with him being the stoic grump of the trio, it was heartwarming to see how much he cared for Priya (and her mum too). And listen, Eddison! I’m a sucker for the grouchy haunted cinnamon rolls and he played the part perfectly. Not to mention that the trio complement each other so well and I’m glad that we get more stories with them.

In addition to these two POVs, we also get the killer’s perspective and it was done so well. With three very different perspectives, Hutchison did a fantastic job of keeping their voices distinct. The serial killer part of this is the most disturbing aspect of the story. This perspective got more and more intense but it also kept me reading so quickly! There are quite a few red herrings thrown in here and although I’m usually extremely bad at guessing “who done it”, I figured it out almost immediately here. That didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all though because I was eager to see how it all played out.

Have you read Roses of May or is it on your TBR or does it sound like something you’d enjoy reading?

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