Buy your copy!
Amazon
Amazon
Barnes & Noble.com
The Butcher's Boy
- 2011 Readers Favorite Award Silver Medal Winner in Horror - Fiction
A Paranormal/Chiller by Michael Robb
Thirty-one years ago, Buxly the Butcher went to trial for killing his entire family. He was found guilty, and sentenced to die for those crimes. Now, Janet Hale, a recently divorced nurse, has purchased the house unaware of the brutal murders that took place there so long ago.
From the moment she, her eleven-year-old son, and his overprotective Rottweiler move in, bad things start to happen. A strange man is caught lurking in the back yard, and the only neighbor turns out to be a crazy old widow. But not everything is going wrong. During the move, Janet meets a handsome charmer. She likes him enough to start dating again, leaving a sitter to watch over her son.
When Michael, and his dog, Lucy-Fur, learn firsthand that their home is haunted by one of the victims of the Butcher's grisly act, Michael scours the internet and the local library to find out what happened back then. Maggie, the sitter, brings over a Ouija board and they soon find out that there is more than one dark spirit on the haunt.
Can Lucy-Fur protect her boy from the angry ghost that wants to possess him? Can Michael fight through the madness and terror to find out what really happened? If he does, maybe the tormented souls can be put to rest and his mom can keep the house that she seems to love. If he fails, he just might become one of them. With the help of Maggie, and a burned out house painter, Michael is going to try. The problem is, not everyone is who they seem... even the dead.
This isn't your average haunted house novel.
The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb... Take a slow ride into terror!
2011 Readers Favorite Award Silver Medal Winner
in Horror - Fiction
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
You know from the beginning that ghosts haunt Janet's new house. You may, like me, identify the killer early in the book. But you won't expect the frightening, twisty path the author takes you on in this mystery/horror/thriller.
I'm always a little amazed at myself when an author makes his characters so real, I empathize with them. I loved Michael, liked Janet and Howell, loathed the villains, and sympathized enormously with one caught in between, Oliver, a flawed individual trying to turn his life around against the odds. The ghosts were a surprise because, in the end, they did not act as I expected them to.
The author pulls no punches in excellent scenes so descriptive you can almost feel the victims' terror and pain. Not that it's a blood bath, there is terrible violence but also horror built as much on suspense as on the portrayal of brutality. Simple events like a thunder storm were so graphic, I felt the electricity in the air.
The farther I got into The Butcher's Boy, the harder it was to put down at the end of the day. You'll want to read it carefully, because the smallest details turn out to be clues. Very cleverly done. Highly recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the kind of thriller I love to read. "The Butcher's Boy" sinks it's teeth into your mind and pulls you into the story. It's one of those books that you can't put down, makes you feel like you want to read it fast to find out what happens, but yet you want to read it slow so it all gets absorbed.
Though I started to figure out fairly quickly who the bad person was, it did not seem to matter as there were enough twist and turns to keep me very interested. I do think that Michael, the 11 year old, was definitely very mature for his age, but then again, who wouldn't "age" after going through some of the things he went through. I am probably the only person that will feel sadness for Oliver, I think deep down he was a good person.
You might think you know what is going to happen but this is definitely not your average haunted house book.
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm mostly a fan of classic literature and historical fiction, but I have a secret. I really love a good scary ghost story.
The Butcher's Boy is about a newly divorced mother, her eleven year old son, Michael, and Lucy-fur, their overprotective Rottweiler who move into a house that is haunted by the victims of a horrific murder. Will the ghost take over the lives of the living? Or will Michael and his small family survive the haunting?
This story is full of the paranormal, mystery, horror, and gore. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The ghosts go in unexpected directions that were way beyond my comfort zone. (Warning: the ending is over-the-top and not for the squeamish. There is also an uncomfortable rape scene.)
Is The Butcher's Boy classic literature? No, not by a long shot. Is it a fun read? You bet!
Was this review helpful to you?
Excerpt
See Amazon or Smashwords for their huge free preview.
|
Paperback
|
