I believe that The Vanishing Season is by far Dot Hutchison’s best book I’ve read thus far. The reason I see it as the best in a series of four books is that it offers the most character development in the storyline. Some characters take the entire series to fully develop, while others take a few books or just this last one. All of the characters have different issues that they work through as the case connects with some and others indirectly. It is sad to realize the reality of the situations presented in the book, but that threat of events that could happen in our world makes the book connect with us more. The characters have always been the strongest part of The Collector Series but I appreciate the quality of action scenes when they become necessary. The anticipation is what moves you on through the book, and Hutchison wrote these novels well enough that I look forward to reading through them again and enjoy them the same way I already have. I can’t comment much on the structure because I listened to the audiobook, but I plan to get the hard copies so I can see the structure. I would also like to note one last thing, I cried a lot in this book, because it hits you in the feels big time.

All in all, I highly recommend The Vanishing Season to anyone who enjoys a good thriller that can also stand the emotional rollercoaster that it takes you through. You do not need to start with the first book to understand everything, but I highly recommend that you begin there.