The Butcher

A suspenseful small-town horror novel of oppression, heartbreak and buried anguish – Shirley Jackson meets Never Let Me Go with the wild west setting of Westworld.

When Lady Mae turns 18, she'll inherit her mother's job as the Butcher: dismembering Settlement Five’s guilty residents as payment for their petty crimes. An index finger taken for spreading salacious gossip, a foot for blasphemy, no one is exempt from punishment. 
 
But one day Winona refuses to butcher a six-year-old boy. So their leaders, known as the Deputies, come to Lady Mae’s house, and, right there in the living room, murder her mother for refusing her duties.
 
Within twenty-four hours, now alone in the world, Lady Mae begins her new job. But a chance meeting years later puts her face to face with the Deputy that murdered her mother. Now Lady Mae must choose: will she flee, and start another life in the desolate mountains, forever running? Or will she seek vengeance for her mother’s death even if it kills her?
 
A devastating, alarming page-turner infused with melancholy, humanity – and society’s maddening acceptance in the face of horror.

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352 pages

Average rating: 7.75

55 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Lauralee🧚‍♀️
Mar 25, 2025
10/10 stars
Hey Jennifer, got a grocery list I can read? This was amazing and this was well done.
Curlee
Mar 14, 2025
9/10 stars
Great thriller. Though a little predictable, the twists and character depth was enjoyable. One of my favorite thriller series.
rshormsby
Jun 21, 2023
4/10 stars
Meh.

It had potential, but it seemed like every line wanted to be a one-liner. Very cliché.
Anonymous
Jan 10, 2023
8/10 stars
3.5 good story but last page was kind of blah for part of a story that wasn’t explored enough. Warning on audible- the narrator makes the woman sound annoying

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