Title: THE BUTCHER
Author: JENNIFER HILLIER
ISBN: 9781476734231
Publisher: Pocket Books
Pages: 416
Source: Private Copy
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.
Official Summary
04 February 2026
This one is dark, brutal, and completely gripping — the kind of thriller that sinks its hooks into you early and refuses to let go. Jennifer Hillier doesn’t shy away from disturbing subject matter, and the result is a tense, morally complex story that kept me reading long after I should have stopped.
The premise is instantly compelling: a long-dead serial killer, a celebrated police hero, and a secret literally buried in the backyard. Matt’s discovery is genuinely horrifying, and the fallout from it is handled with real emotional weight. I loved how Hillier explores the idea of inherited guilt — the way the sins of the past bleed into the present and force impossible choices on those who never asked to be involved.
The dual perspectives work particularly well here. Matt’s internal struggle is agonising and believable, while Sam’s determination to uncover the truth about her mother adds urgency and heart to the story. Watching their paths edge closer together, knowing a collision is inevitable, creates a constant sense of dread. The tension builds steadily, rather than relying on cheap shocks, which made the eventual reveals all the more powerful.
This is not a gentle read. The violence is graphic, and the themes are heavy, but they feel purposeful rather than unnecessary. Hillier’s writing is sharp and confident, and she maintains a bleak, oppressive atmosphere throughout that perfectly suits the story. If anything, a few sections could have slowed slightly to explore the emotional aftermath more deeply, but that’s a minor objection in an otherwise standout thriller.
The Butcher is a chilling, thought-provoking read that asks uncomfortable questions about justice, loyalty, and how far we’re willing to go to protect the people we love. Highly recommended for fans of dark, psychological crime fiction who aren’t afraid to be unsettled.
Also By Jennifer Hillier
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
Because the only thing worse than a murder charge is two murder charges.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people and then writes about it.
She’s the author of seven psychological thrillers, including the USA Today, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail bestselling Things We Do in the Dark, winner of the ITW Thriller Award for Best Audiobook. Described as “an intoxicating thrill ride” by the New York Times and “propulsive and chilling” by People magazine, it was a Book of the Month Club selection, an Indigo Top Ten Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Editor’s Spotlight Pick, a Loan Stars pick, and her third consecutive novel to be honored as a LibraryReads pick, which places her in their Hall of Fame.
She’s also published six other novels, including the USA Today bestselling Little Secrets (finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award), and Jar of Hearts (winner of the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards). She also wrote Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland, which have been recently reissued by Gallery Books in beautiful trade paperback formats. Her books have been published in twenty-four languages so far.
Jennifer is Filipino-Canadian, born and raised in Toronto, but she spent eight amazing years living in Seattle, which is where she first became a published author. She’s a Seahawks fan who married a Packers guy, and they have a son in middle school who wishes she wrote books like Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (she does too, kid, she does too).
She’s afraid of the dark and can’t sleep unless she’s checked the locks on the doors several times. She loves writing when it’s raining, sleeping when it’s sunny, and reading after everyone else has gone to bed. She’s a cat person without a cat, which makes her sad. But she’s now back in the Toronto area permanently with her family, which makes her happy.
Heart of Glass, her newest thriller, will be coming August 25, 2026, from Minotaur Books.
While putting together this review post, I visited the author’s website, and I am excited about her new book, Heart of Glass, due for release in August. (I raced to NetGalley to see if I could secure an ARC – but no such luck) I did, however, order a copy of Jar of Hearts, which I am sure will jump to the top of my TBR.
Thank you for visiting again. Are you a Jennifer Hillier fan? Which is your favourite book? Leave a comment below. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
