THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN by Dot Hutchison
Thomas & Mercer; 5/23/17
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: twisted, utterly addictive crime fiction
Do you have any books that seem to have been sitting on your TBR forever? Today's featured review is one such book for me. I finally made time to read one of the books I’ve been intending to get around to forever - THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN by Dot Hutchison - and I’m so glad I did. THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN grabs readers by the throat and doesn’t let go—from its first page to its cinematic finale, this stunning launch to Hutchison’s Collector Trilogy will thrill and disturb even the most seasoned crime reader. Fans of serial killer thrillers will be hooked on the story’s disturbed villain; fans of police procedurals will love the author’s measured, masterful plotting. I would have read this book in one sitting if my schedule had allowed—that’s how utterly gripping and all-consuming a read THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN is. Come for this book’s stunning cover, stay for the brutal, inventive crimes at its core; with the final installment in this trilogy releasing in May 2018, now is the perfect time to enter Hutchison’s dark and twisted world.
Plot Summary:
Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.
In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.
When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.
As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding…
Right from the outset, THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN differentiates itself from its "serial killer thriller" peers with its unique premise: a serial killer has been captured, and it’s now up to the FBI to piece together what happened through an interview with one of the killer's survivors. Now, I love a traditional serial killer thriller, but I’m even more excited by stories of this genre that differentiate themselves with unique plot structures and premises. (Don’t get me wrong: I can absolutely appreciate a good cat-and-mouse chase between cop and killer, but I also love to see what authors can do to expand upon this genre standard!) Hutchison has developed a take on the “serial killer thriller” that is all her own, and I loved the measured, precise way that she reveals the horrific reality at the heart of the “Garden.” The premise of this story is simple: a survivor recounts the unimaginable ordeal she has survived to the FBI. The reading experience, however, is much more complex. The majority of the story is spent in flashback, exploring main character Maya’s experience in the “Garden,” with her present-day interview with the FBI used to establish guideposts that orient the reader to the crucial moments of Maya’s twisted journey. This alternating storyline was utterly gripping: I found myself equal parts repulsed and hooked on the dark truths it unveils to the reader, and despite my constant eagerness to get back to the story's flashbacks, I was equally glad for the framework that the interspersed interview scenes provided.
Beyond the story’s effective structure, its content itself makes for simply unputdownable reading material. At the heart of this brutal story is a killer with an almost poetic sensibility; the Gardener is a man who loves beauty so much, he seeks it out and preserves it forever… although, in this case, his idea of “preserving beauty” means capturing, branding, and killing innocent young women. Hutchison’s writing is nothing if not visceral: I caught myself grimacing and wincing more often than I care to admit on public transportation while reading THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN. Once again, though, Hutchison has struck an elegant balance in her writing; in this case, she walks a fine line between the brutality of the crimes she writes about and the almost refined way she describes them.
This is not a “slasher” thriller—there is minimal bloodshed in this chilling story. But that’s not to say this is a light read by any means, and Hutchison plumbs the depths of humanity through her story’s depraved villain, the Gardener. Violence and abuse take many forms in this book, but Hutchison manages to portray the severity of these crimes with a remarkable lack of “just-for-shock-value” scares. There are twisted reveals, stomach-turning abuses, and plenty of moments that were so genuinely upsetting, I had to take a quick moment to recover from them before continuing on with the read—but they are brought to light in measured pace, with a frankness and candor that reflect the attitude of our main character, Maya. Offsetting the brutality of the story’s villain is the aesthetic beauty of the world that he has created: the Gardener prides himself on the beauty of his Butterflies and his Garden, and Hutchison describes this beauty in heartbreaking, vivid detail. Each piece of the twisted puzzle that is the Garden - and the Gardener - is set in place meticulously, and each reveal - whether of the Garden’s brutality or of its beauty - contributes to the reader’s larger understanding of the bizarre world the Gardener has crafted for himself and his Butterflies.
The one element of this story that did not work for me came at the story’s conclusion. What was for the vast majority of the book such a meticulously-crafted and precisely-plotted story suddenly seemed rushed and overly-dramatic, a taut plot giving way to a frenzied - and messy - finale. To put a positive spin on the book’s over-the-top conclusion, we might call it “cinematic”—but in reality, its drama (though perhaps hypothetically well-suited for the big screen) failed to tie together in a cohesive, believable way. To be clear: the entirety of this book is undeniably dramatic, but there is a difference between drama that is consistent and ties together well and drama that seems hasty and just for effect. The majority of the book fell into the former category; the conclusion fell into the latter. It’s as though the author wanted to sneak in a few last twists before the story’s conclusion—a decision which, unfortunately, did not do justice to the well-constructed and thoroughly entertaining read that preceded it.
That being said, I would still highly recommend THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN. Don’t let this criticism of the book’s finale put you off—this is without a doubt one of the most gripping and engrossing crime novels I’ve read recently, and I will also most definitely be making time to read the rest of the Collector Trilogy. Hutchison has crafted a gripping, grotesque crime novel that is as rich with vivid detail as it is rife with tension and despair. THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN is not to be missed.
Book Details:
Below are details on both of the Collector Trilogy titles that are currently on sale: THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN (Book 1) and THE ROSES OF MAY (Book 2). I fully intend to read THE ROSES OF MAY soon, in anticipation of the final book in the trilogy releasing this spring!
THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN
Series: The Collector Trilogy (Book 1)
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (June 1, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1503934713
ISBN-13: 978-1503934719
Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.
THE ROSES OF MAY
Series: The Collector Trilogy (Book 2)
Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (May 23, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1503939502
ISBN-13: 978-1503939509
Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.
Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.