"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, the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding..."
This is an edge of your seat suspense thriller by a fairly new author (to me!), Dot Hutchison. She writes a compelling story about a group of survivors. Survivors of a serial rapist and killer, called the Gardener. Their story is told by Maya, to the lead investigators after they have been rescued.
Hutchison draws you in by slowly releasing information, both to the investigating agents and you, the reader. You are held spellbound by Maya's account, from the moment of her kidnapping to the climax of their rescue. You continue to question her own motives during the investigation as she reveals more of her own complex character. However, you will be well satisfied with the conclusion of the interview as all falls into place!
Read no further if you do not want a SPOILER!
But be warned. Dot does lose me for a short bit: Sophia should not have featured as the "escaped butterfly". After drawing me in using Maya's clever dialogue, I thought that was a clumsy attempt at a plot twist. The novel stands tall without that addition and would have been just as successful!
Peppered with passages and quotes that fans will Tweet and Instagram, you'll soon wonder if anyone will buy the movie rights from Dot. A well written, enjoyable read!
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