The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison Published by Self-Published on June 1st 2016
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley
Purchase @ AMAZON or BN
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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...
Angie’s Thoughts:
I’m really not quite sure how to write my review. How to do justice to this beautiful, heartbreaking, terrifying, strange book that had me holding my daughter closer during the day and night. How to give the girls of The Butterfly Garden justice or Dot Hutchison for that matter.
The Butterfly Garden is told through Ianara or Maya (her Butterfly name) perspective. We not only learn about her but also about The Gardener, his sons and most importantly the other Butterflies. The Gardener loves his Butterflies pretty and he believes that he’s saving them. But what happens when one of his beautiful Butterflies becomes broken?
I love the details that Dot gave us into the garden and also the stories of the other Butterflies and even the moments before they died. I felt connected to each and every one of them. I was horrified with them, terrified when things didn’t go a certain way and mourned when they lost a family member.
I’ve read plenty of twisted books. But not one that truly unnerved me like this book did. Maybe because I have a 5-year-old little girl and knowing there are sick perverts out there that are capable and have done stuff like this to young girls. Mind you they were 16 but in my eyes, that’s still young.
The Butterfly Garden is one book that will stick with me until I’m old and gray. Dot Hutchison wrote a beautiful yet twisted piece of work that you can not put down. Trust me you’ll be holding your children tighter after reading this.
The Verdict:
About Dot Hutchison
Dot Hutchison is the author of A Wounded Name, a young adult novel based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and the adult thriller The Butterfly Garden. With past experience working at a Boy Scout camp, a craft store, a bookstore, and the Renaissance Faire (as a human combat chess piece), Hutchison prides herself on remaining delightfully in tune with her inner young adult. She loves thunderstorms, mythology, history, and movies that can and should be watched on repeat.
