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The Butcher  By  cover art

The Butcher

By: Jennifer Hillier
Narrated by: Dan John Miller
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2014 Jennifer Hillier (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Gallery Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

What listeners say about The Butcher

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Entirely Unique, Entirely Unbelievable

First, the good stuff... The mystery revolves around a dark family secret that is revealed in the first few chapters. It's an entirely unique twist on the serial killer angle. The characters are well developed and distinct.

The narrator, Dan John Miller, has a great voice for reading. Several of the characters were exceptionally performed. However, his take on one of the main characters, Matt, is whiny and so irritating I cringed in every scene. Ditto with his female voices. It was an extremely schizophrenic performance.

As for the story, it revolves around three key characters, the Chief, Matt (Chief's grandson), and Matt's girlfriend Samantha. The Chief, retired chief of police, is a remarkable and unforgettable character. He reminds me of Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino. And it must be said that the narrator nailed his voice on a 5 star level.

Matt, however, is a whiny, self serving jackass with virtually no redeeming value. The combination of his horrible character and the whiny voice all but ruined the story.

Samantha is an extremely attractive character despite the bad narration, but there is no good reason she should have been involved with a loser like Matt. Ever!

So here's my plug, listen if you want to hear a truly unique tale of a serial killer. Otherwise, stay away.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not quite a total waste of time

The Butcher is a serial killer story. I'll be kind and say the novel is disappointing.

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11 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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I Made It All the Way Through

I was mostly disappointed in the stereotypical female characters. I wish I hadn't bothered with this one.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

This narrator!

I am struggling to get through this because I cannot stand this narrator’s character voices—especially the female ones! The male voices aren’t much better! He’s ruining it for me!!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and Original

Would you listen to The Butcher again? Why?

Yes. I will wait for a few years though.

Which character – as performed by Dan John Miller – was your favorite?

The narrator did a good job with Edward.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this story. It was creepy, funny, thought provoking and had some romance that blended well with the whole story.I just bought another book by the author and can not wait to listen!

On another note, I would rather have less acting by the narrators. This narrator did a decent job but the voices that he used for Sam and Matt did not fit with the characters being portrayed and took away from the listening experience (for me).

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Not a fan

This book stayed true to the title. I had to skip to the end it was to unsettling for me.

If you like detailed serial killer books. I think you would like it. For me, I liked her other books a lot better.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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GREAT AND SUSPENCEFUL

That was excellent, suspenseful, great twists! Loved it. I would highly recommend it. Great Author.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book! Normally don't like thrillers, but....

Interesting story, likable characters, except for the whiny grandson/son/boyfriend. He's totally whiny and the narrator captured it perfectly which, while true to the character, was completely annoying.
Great read/listen.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great twist at the end

I loved the story I just hated the guy also doing the female voices lol it was kinda creepy

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Butcher

A friend told me about Jennifer Hiller. Since then I have read every book! Definitely a page turner. Love the characters. Can’t wait for the next book.

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