From the author of the acclaimed suspense novels Creep and Freak and whom Jeffery Deaver has praised as a “top of the line thriller writer,” The Butcher is a high-octane novel about lethal secrets that refuse to die—until they kill again.
A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous “Beacon Hill Butcher” was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.
Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.
Meanwhile Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher—two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret.
A thriller with taut, fast-paced suspense, and twists around every corner, The Butcher will keep you guessing until the bitter, bloody end.
I have always been a fan of dark psychological thrillers, and if they feature a serial killer even better. This book definitely checked those boxes, especially the dark and serial killer part. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest and fair review, back in February or March of this year. I waited to read it until now. Not sure why, because it really was a fast, almost easy, read for me. The almost part is due to the horrific subject matter. Books about serial killers are never pretty. Some are more horrific then others, some gloss over the horrific parts; this book I would put closer to the horrific but definitely not the worse I have read, because to be honest, I have read some doozies!
What I liked about this book:
The writing. The author pulls us in immediately, and paces the book to perfection. It steadily builds up to it’s conclusion, and you can’t stop reading. It was definitely a page turner for me. I have never read anything else by this author, but I may just have to rectify that!
The characters. This probably falls under the category of the writing, but for the sake of this review, I will separate it. The serial killer was a different sort of character for me. You find out really early on who this person is, but I am not naming names here. Samantha, as the main female, was my favorite character of the book. Oddly enough, her boyfriend, Matt, was not my favorite. He comes off as a bit of a jerk-well, actually a big jerk. Edward, Matt’s grandfather (and ex-chief of police) was equally as realized as the two main characters. I didn’t much care for him. The male character that I really liked was Samantha’s best friend, Jason. For a lesser character, he was very well imagined by the author, and I am sure will be a favorite with most readers.
The premise. Without getting into specifics, suffice it to say, that although it’s a genre that I have read more then my share of, this book managed to surprise me at times.
What didn’t I like about this book:
I have sat and thought about this and I have nothing to put in this column. While it was well written, with good, interesting characters, and a good premise, it wasn’t the absolute best that I have read with this same subject matter, but I sure wouldn’t put it with bad ones either. If we still rated with stars, I would probably have given it 4 of them, but we don’t so that’s a moot point.
Who would I recommend this book to?
Adult mystery and thriller fans should be the target audience. It’s not for the squeamish!
This book was a good read. It kept me turning pages and never bored me. For people(adults) that like this genre, I would definitely recommend it.
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