Thrillers & Suspense
![Jennifer Hillier - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_jennifer_hillier.jpg)
The Butcher
From the acclaimed author of Creep and Freak whom #1 bestselling author Jeffery Deaver praised as a "top-of-the-line thriller writer," 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 tense, suspenseful, thoroughly creepy thriller" (Booklist), The Butcher will keep you guessing until the bitter, bloody end. Don't miss this "thrill ride that will have your attention from start to finish" (Suspense Magazine).
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 tense, suspenseful, thoroughly creepy thriller" (Booklist), The Butcher will keep you guessing until the bitter, bloody end. Don't miss this "thrill ride that will have your attention from start to finish" (Suspense Magazine).
Editorial Reviews
"Hillier's third thriller fairly shudders with tension. [She] sends her reader into a labyrinth of creepy twists and grotesque turns…The secrets of the past refuse to keep quiet in this disquieting, taut thriller." -- Kirkus
"As she ably proved in her debut (Creep, 2011), [Hillier] has a fine knack for creating hideous killers. This time she turns the formula whodunit on its head… A tense, suspenseful, thoroughly creepy thriller." -- Booklist
"Once I got started I couldn't stop reading, and I confess to having sweaty palms a few times. A thrill ride that will have your attention from start to finish! This one is 4.5 stars." -- Suspense Magazine
"Replete with plot twists and surprises, The Butcher is an engrossing tale that piques the reader's interest immediately and then holds on to it like an angry pitbull." -- NJ Journal of Books
"The Butcher is a clever, twisted thriller about genetics, faith, and death . . . The greatest thing about The Butcher is its uncanny ability to trump the narrative conventions of the conventional serial killer novel over and over again . . Jennifer Hillier's prose remains fast paced and immensely readable as her content becomes quirkier and more cerebral with every novel." -- Dead End Follies
"Hillier writes beautifully horrific stories… Readers will be immersed until the final page, thanks to the velocity at which this unique thriller is told." -- RT Reviews (Top Pick)
"[A] rapid-fire thriller of dark, unsettling proportions with some very surprising twists. With the turn of each new page, the suspenseful plot is tense and gripping...a skillfully penned tale of murder and cover-up that will keep readers enthralled until the powerful finish. Thriller fans should not miss The Butcher! -- Fresh Fiction
"As she ably proved in her debut (Creep, 2011), [Hillier] has a fine knack for creating hideous killers. This time she turns the formula whodunit on its head… A tense, suspenseful, thoroughly creepy thriller." -- Booklist
"Once I got started I couldn't stop reading, and I confess to having sweaty palms a few times. A thrill ride that will have your attention from start to finish! This one is 4.5 stars." -- Suspense Magazine
"Replete with plot twists and surprises, The Butcher is an engrossing tale that piques the reader's interest immediately and then holds on to it like an angry pitbull." -- NJ Journal of Books
"The Butcher is a clever, twisted thriller about genetics, faith, and death . . . The greatest thing about The Butcher is its uncanny ability to trump the narrative conventions of the conventional serial killer novel over and over again . . Jennifer Hillier's prose remains fast paced and immensely readable as her content becomes quirkier and more cerebral with every novel." -- Dead End Follies
"Hillier writes beautifully horrific stories… Readers will be immersed until the final page, thanks to the velocity at which this unique thriller is told." -- RT Reviews (Top Pick)
"[A] rapid-fire thriller of dark, unsettling proportions with some very surprising twists. With the turn of each new page, the suspenseful plot is tense and gripping...a skillfully penned tale of murder and cover-up that will keep readers enthralled until the powerful finish. Thriller fans should not miss The Butcher! -- Fresh Fiction
Readers Top Reviews
Connie B. Hinsley
There was a lot going on in this story, most importantly about the serial killer The Butcher. Definitely one if the baddest bad guys I've read in a while. Hillier's books drag you into whatever fresh hell she's writing about.
The book was good, kept me reading and it was an easy read, but all of the editing mistakes were distracting.
RKM Connie B. H
This was my first book from Jennifer Hillier and I can't wait to read another. This book is full of suspense. The Chief was a heartless killer with no conscience.
Michelle HopkinsR
This is such a great read! I enjoyed the entire book. Hard to put down. Jennifer Hillier does it again!
TiffanyMichelle H
This book had me at the very start. You would think, while reading it, that the beginning of the book would be something an author would put at the end of the book because there was so much information being told, but it kept on getting better and better. I couldn’t put this book down! I loved the twists and turns! Highly recommend!
Short Excerpt Teaser
The Butcher
