Monday, July 14, 2014

Book Review - The Butcher - Jennifer Hillier - New Release Tomorrow

18775334

Title:  The Butcher

AuthorJennifer Hillier

Review:  Lots of murder, rape, and suffering in this book.  I think it was not a bad effort by the author, who is still new to writing I imagine.  Predictable from the start and yet not a bad story line running through the book.  I would have liked less predictability as a reader and a bit more mystery – there were too many clues from the author to the reader along the way.  I am sure the author was worried the reader might feel robbed, but she gave plenty away without all the extra clues.  This author needs to give her readers more credit for thinking on their own and not leading them along like a pack horse.

If you like murder mysteries you might enjoy this fast paced book – short and quick to read – I started last night and finished up today.  I think her next book will be better as her writing improves and hopefully she lets the reader come to their own conclusion without throwing so many clues at them – I like a bit more mystery in my mystery.

Also, I think that Sam was a bit dumber then she should have been when it came to the mystery behind her mother’s death.  Clues were screaming at me and yet she walked around like she was asleep the whole book.  I do realize I know more than the characters, but please – if you give her brains she needs to keep those throughout the book and not lose them around the killers.  And what happened to the girlfriend whats her name?  Too many holes to mention. 

I have not read her other book but if this is a thriller I guess I don't get it!


Published:  Expected publication: July 15th 2014 by Gallery Books
ISBN:  9781476734217
Page Count: 352
Quick Review:  2 1/2 out 5 stars –
Why I Read this Title:  Sent for review by the publisher

Synopsis:   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. (Only if you don't read or are a complete idiot that is.)  A quote from the Avid Reader(see link in other reviews) - "Sorry for the crude analogy, but this book climaxed before the foreplay."  This is how I felt also but could not articulate it...not like this guy anyway. 
 Jennifer Hillier
Author Information:   Jennifer Hillier is a full-time novelist who writes about dark, twisted people who do dark, twisted things. If you ask her why she writes such dark stuff, she'll stare at you blankly because she still hasn't figured out a clever way to answer that question.

Born and raised in Toronto and a proud Canadian, she spent five years living in Seattle, which is where she wrote her first novel. She currently splits her time between Toronto and Seattle, and is slightly ashamed to admit that she's way more of a Seahawks fan than a Leafs fan . . . which, she suspects, makes her a bad Canadian.

She loves her husband, her cat Kobe, and Stephen King. Not equally, but close. She's the author of the psychological thrillers CREEP (2011), FREAK (2012), and THE BUTCHER (2014), all published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Her agent is Victoria Skurnick of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency in New York.

She blogs about writing, publishing, and life in general at SerialKillerFiles.com. Check out her official website at JenniferHiillier.org


Other Reviews:
The Avid Reader - "Sorry for the crude analogy, but this book climaxed before the foreplay. "

No comments:

Post a Comment

Disclaimer for all reviews sent by the publisher, publicist or author for review.

THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC) ISSUED NEW RULES THAT WENT INTO EFFECT ON DECEMBER 1, 2009. THESE RULES STATE THAT PRODUCT REVIEWERS ON BLOGS MUST DISCLOSE WHETHER THEY RECEIVED REVIEW PRODUCTS FOR FREE OR RECEIVED MONETARY PAYMENT FOR SUCH REVIEWS. PAYMENT IS NEVER ACCEPTED IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW OR BOOK MENTION UNLESS NOTED IN THE POST. THE RECEIPT OF ARCS OR FREE REVIEW COPIES IN NO WAY INFLUENCES OR HAS AN IMPACT ON THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK REVIEWS POSTED ON THIS SITE.