If you have read Smith before, you know he doesn't hold anything back. If things are going badly in the book, they are bound to get worse. And worse. The violence in this one is right up there with his Billy LaFitte books, but the characters are much more real. A man who, once he has murdered once, feels like he might as well do it again and again. And his unwilling accomplice, the butcher of the title, who...well, he is a butcher. It all revolves around a fundamentalist church, and Smith tells the story mostly through the eyes of the son of the minister--that is, the son who has fallen from grace after an affair with a churchgoer and is not a police detective instead of a preacher. The butcher is his brother-in-law, married to his younger sister. There's a lot going on here, and Smith manages to show the humanity of most of his characters, even while seeming to disagree with the beliefs of the fundamentalists. In any case, if you're prepared for carnage and some interesting characters, or if you have read Smith before and are prepared for anything he can throw at you, jump right in ( )

I'm a huge fan of noir fiction - but it's an easy genre to miss the mark in. This absolutely hit it out of the ballpark. There was plenty of tension, a colorful cast of characters, and a plot that keeps you turning pages. I was impressed by how dark and compelling the story was, truly embracing the meaning of noir. The author has a unique voice, and puts his own twist on the genre. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future, if this is any indication of the caliber of his work. Perfect for those looking for a somewhat gritty, and very dark read. ( )