Jennifer Hillier, author of Freak, Creep and her latest, The Butcher; splits her time between Seattle and Toronto. That qualifies her for space on my blog about discovering Washington State. I read thrillers almost exclusively and hers have been some of my favorite.

The Butcher definitely has to be her best work to date. The most notorious killer in Seattle history, according to the book jacket, was the Beacon Hill Butcher. But he has been shot and killed. Or has he?

 

Recent murders show signs of the same modus operandi as the Butcher. Maybe it’s a copy cat? Or maybe the sheriff, who has now retired, got the wrong guy.

Sam is researching a book about the Butcher. She has an unsettling suspicion that he may have killed her mother. Her boyfriend, Matt, a chef entrepreneur and grandson of the sheriff, makes a very disturbing discovery when he moves into his grandfather’s (the sheriff) house.

I won’t reveal anymore because I want you to read the book. Hillier draws brilliant, life-like characters with everyday flaws. I can only imagine what her plotting diagram looks like during the writing process. Because she makes some swift turns with her plots, ones that keep you guessing. The story reads smoothly without excess back story and without unnecessary description.

And I absolutely love her descriptions of real places in Seattle.

I highly recommend all her books, but The Butcher has to be her best.

You can follow her on www.jenniferhillier.org.