The Butcher by Jennifer Hiller

Published by Gallery Books on July 15, 2014

In 1985, Rufus Wedge, believed to be the Beacon Hill Butcher, is gunned down by four police officers, including Captain Edward Shank of the Seattle Police. In the present day, Shank is moving to a retirement home at the age of 80. In a standard serial killer novel, we would learn at the end that Shank is the real serial killer and that he executed an innocent man to cover his tracks. In a twist on the standard plot, Jennifer Hillier tells us up front that Shank is the killer.

Shank's grandson Matt, owns a successful restaurant in Seattle and is about to get his own reality TV show. When Matt moves into Shank's house, he discovers evidence of his grandfather's hobby. Coincidentally -- and it's a huge coincidence -- Matt's girlfriend Sam is writing a book about the Butcher. She has come to believe that the Butcher killed her mother notwithstanding the fact that (1) her mother was killed two years after Wedge died, and (2) the Butcher always cut off his victim's left hand while her mother's hand was still attached. Why Sam is convinced that Wedge was not the Butcher is never adequately explained. Another coincidence, even more difficult to believe, unites Sam with a friend of Sam's mother who also believes that Sam's mother was killed by the Butcher.

All of this happens early in the novel, leaving the reader to wonder how the plot will unfold. I appreciated the unusual track the story follows. While the improbable plot fails to build suspense, it always held my interest -- at least when it didn't get sidetracked by melodramatic romance, which happened too frequently for my taste. In addition, key story elements feel contrived and Hillier didn't sell me on the characters, none of whom gave me the impression of being real people.

The oversexed octogenarian serial killer is a lively presence, but he's more a caricature than a fully drawn character. Still, he at least has a crotchety attitude that makes him sort of an endearing killer. Samantha, who spends most of her time fretting and feeling sorry for herself, has zero personality. Matt might be the most realistic character but he's a jerk. Jerks can make great characters but Matt is a dull jerk. An unbelievably sensitive ex-Seahawks quarterback who happens to be both Samantha's platonic best friend and Matt's former college roommate is too flawless to be convincing. In fact, my impression is that Hillier intended Matt to be the prototype of the "bad boyfriend" and the quarterback to the prototype of the "perfect man." Lacking the complexity of real people, prototypes rarely make interesting characters.

If you take out the bad characters and the romantic subplot and the contrivances (including the eye-rolling ending), the little that is left makes for at least part of a decent story. The swift pace makes The Butcher a quick-to-read time killer, but too much of it struck me as silly to earn a recommendation.

NOT RECOMMENDED