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The Cannibal's Daughter
Caroline Gillespie is not famous. She’s a nobody. And that’s the way she likes it. Her father, on the other hand — Hank Keeling, the serial killer and occasional cannibal better known as the Pork Chop Killer — has just gone viral. Thanks to a prison guard’s error, a cell phone video of Keeling’s botched execution is quickly becoming an internet sensation.
After watching her father die in all his pixelated glory, Caroline is taken off-guard when Keeling himself shows up at her front door, looking very much not dead. And he has a plan. A plan involving Caroline. A plan Caroline is going to take part in whether she wants to or not. Success means wealth beyond her dreams. Failure means death.
Soon Caroline is whisked away from her bland life to face down killers, gangsters and a well-meaning cop in a hunt for long-lost fortune. Deceit, avarice and unrelenting violence collide in a coming-of-age story like none you’ve ever read.
After watching her father die in all his pixelated glory, Caroline is taken off-guard when Keeling himself shows up at her front door, looking very much not dead. And he has a plan. A plan involving Caroline. A plan Caroline is going to take part in whether she wants to or not. Success means wealth beyond her dreams. Failure means death.
Soon Caroline is whisked away from her bland life to face down killers, gangsters and a well-meaning cop in a hunt for long-lost fortune. Deceit, avarice and unrelenting violence collide in a coming-of-age story like none you’ve ever read.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2014
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163 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 6, 2023
The Cannibal's Daughter was an unexpected delight. I mean that in the sense that it excelled at it's B rate horror/thriller category and witty side bar thoughts in Caroline's head.
The book starts out with The Cannibal killer being executed in prison.... only to show up to antagonize his daughter, Caroline in a search for $11 million daughters that have been hid along a treasure hunt of clues.
Caroline is just your average every day person, bored and unfulfilled in her life post high school and working at a coffee shop, so even though her she is scared by this man who is supposed to be dead and a serial killer, she can't help thinking a cut of the money would be worth the trouble.
The book carries you on a wild goose chase and a lot of action with b-movie type gun/shovel battles. There are some unexpected twists and I loved the double thoughts that trailed Caroline and her actions.
Worth the read if you have ever had an affinity for B movies. 4 stars
The book starts out with The Cannibal killer being executed in prison.... only to show up to antagonize his daughter, Caroline in a search for $11 million daughters that have been hid along a treasure hunt of clues.
Caroline is just your average every day person, bored and unfulfilled in her life post high school and working at a coffee shop, so even though her she is scared by this man who is supposed to be dead and a serial killer, she can't help thinking a cut of the money would be worth the trouble.
The book carries you on a wild goose chase and a lot of action with b-movie type gun/shovel battles. There are some unexpected twists and I loved the double thoughts that trailed Caroline and her actions.
Worth the read if you have ever had an affinity for B movies. 4 stars
November 29, 2015
It’s November, we’re coming to the end of 2015, and I’ve read some cracking books this year. If I had to pick out the best I think I could name my top half a dozen for the year, but I have to say this is without a doubt my favourite book of 2015.
Not only did I enjoy the plot, which is certainly original, but I absolutely loved Mitchel Nelson’s writing style, which I would describe as reminiscent of Pete Hamill, who was so skilled at capturing the particular flavours of New York City, in particular sport and crime. Well this isn’t New York. Caroline Gillespie lives in Dallas, but the simplicity of writing is just the same.
There is a beauty in Nelson’s writing; not in the subject matter, which is jarring, harsh and disturbing, but in his prose. It’s obvious he cares about the truth, and his writing style is so transparent and so uncomplicated and so graceful that he’s somehow able to shine a candle for the reader with nothing but the most primitive approach. Keeling the Cannibal, the Pork Chop Killer, is just bone and muscle and raw fury, and he killed 14 fourteen women – well, he only admits to killing 14 – and ate body parts for no other reason than to kill them and eat body parts. He scared me just by reading about him.
I met someone once who spooked me like this (I’ll keep the circumstances of our meeting private). We talked and I can’t say that he threatened me any way at all. He wasn’t a fig fellow, he spoke quietly and in his words or his actions there was no attempt to intimidate, but he bothered me. I couldn’t explain it or justify my fears, just that he bothered me. Later on I discovered that he’d killed someone, and in one of the most brutal ways possible. Raw fury, you see. Bone and muscle and raw fury. Whatever inherent qualities he possessed weren’t calming, and I’d picked up on this. Caroline’s father, the Pork Chop Killer, is no different
In this stare-down – Keeling versus the world – I’d put my money on Keeling
Stephen King, who knows a thing or two about writing, says, “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little ashamed of your short ones.” Well let me tell you that Mitchell Nelson in no way dresses up his vocabulary. His writing is profound in its simplicity. He can explain the complexity of the mortal soul with a candour that can be universally appreciated.
Take this example from the book where he successfully demonstrates emotional conflict;
I think: That’s weird
I think: That’s sweet
Eight words, 32 letters. A lesser author (like myself perhaps) may be tempted to pontificate over a couple of paragraphs, or even a couple of pages, but not Nelson. Carline thinks it’s weird, she thinks it’s sweet. And that’s all we need to know.
Conflicting emotions are discussed several times in the book - and I suppose if your father was a serial cannibal it would tend to mess you up a little bit – but always in the most transparent terms: In my head I’m screaming. Outside I’m cool. I am an ice queen.
Nelson actually uses this ‘thinking’ technique quite effectively on several occasions;
I think: I didn’t do anything
I think: He’s insane
But I follow him, so who’s the insane one, I ask you?
But it isn’t just this that makes the book so engrossing and unputdownable. It’s his descriptions of people. Keeling the Cannibal has a fast metabolism – he’s always eating – yellow-green teeth and a blue-green bruise right across his face where Caroline bounced a frying pan off him. But watching him eat is intriguing in an appalling way; The taco grease winds a trail through the dirt on his wrist. He looks at it a minute, then he licks it up. Almost, his wrist looks clean after that.
And note how in using this simple writing style he still has the courage to break with grammatical traditions. But this story’s not really about the Pork Chop Killer. It’s about Caroline Gillespie, her remarkable ability to handle stressful situations with a satirical comment and a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders, and it offers the reader the opportunity to take a glimpse inside her head.
One last thing; this book will get some poor reviews because certain people aren’t going to like the subject matter. Well, all I’d say to those people is, why did you buy the book in the first place? It’s entitled ‘The Cannibal’s Daughter’ so it’s about a cannibal and his daughter. Got that? It’s hardly likely to be a romantic comedy, is it? Cannibal’s eat people. Work it out for yourself.
Not only did I enjoy the plot, which is certainly original, but I absolutely loved Mitchel Nelson’s writing style, which I would describe as reminiscent of Pete Hamill, who was so skilled at capturing the particular flavours of New York City, in particular sport and crime. Well this isn’t New York. Caroline Gillespie lives in Dallas, but the simplicity of writing is just the same.
There is a beauty in Nelson’s writing; not in the subject matter, which is jarring, harsh and disturbing, but in his prose. It’s obvious he cares about the truth, and his writing style is so transparent and so uncomplicated and so graceful that he’s somehow able to shine a candle for the reader with nothing but the most primitive approach. Keeling the Cannibal, the Pork Chop Killer, is just bone and muscle and raw fury, and he killed 14 fourteen women – well, he only admits to killing 14 – and ate body parts for no other reason than to kill them and eat body parts. He scared me just by reading about him.
I met someone once who spooked me like this (I’ll keep the circumstances of our meeting private). We talked and I can’t say that he threatened me any way at all. He wasn’t a fig fellow, he spoke quietly and in his words or his actions there was no attempt to intimidate, but he bothered me. I couldn’t explain it or justify my fears, just that he bothered me. Later on I discovered that he’d killed someone, and in one of the most brutal ways possible. Raw fury, you see. Bone and muscle and raw fury. Whatever inherent qualities he possessed weren’t calming, and I’d picked up on this. Caroline’s father, the Pork Chop Killer, is no different
In this stare-down – Keeling versus the world – I’d put my money on Keeling
Stephen King, who knows a thing or two about writing, says, “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little ashamed of your short ones.” Well let me tell you that Mitchell Nelson in no way dresses up his vocabulary. His writing is profound in its simplicity. He can explain the complexity of the mortal soul with a candour that can be universally appreciated.
Take this example from the book where he successfully demonstrates emotional conflict;
I think: That’s weird
I think: That’s sweet
Eight words, 32 letters. A lesser author (like myself perhaps) may be tempted to pontificate over a couple of paragraphs, or even a couple of pages, but not Nelson. Carline thinks it’s weird, she thinks it’s sweet. And that’s all we need to know.
Conflicting emotions are discussed several times in the book - and I suppose if your father was a serial cannibal it would tend to mess you up a little bit – but always in the most transparent terms: In my head I’m screaming. Outside I’m cool. I am an ice queen.
Nelson actually uses this ‘thinking’ technique quite effectively on several occasions;
I think: I didn’t do anything
I think: He’s insane
But I follow him, so who’s the insane one, I ask you?
But it isn’t just this that makes the book so engrossing and unputdownable. It’s his descriptions of people. Keeling the Cannibal has a fast metabolism – he’s always eating – yellow-green teeth and a blue-green bruise right across his face where Caroline bounced a frying pan off him. But watching him eat is intriguing in an appalling way; The taco grease winds a trail through the dirt on his wrist. He looks at it a minute, then he licks it up. Almost, his wrist looks clean after that.
And note how in using this simple writing style he still has the courage to break with grammatical traditions. But this story’s not really about the Pork Chop Killer. It’s about Caroline Gillespie, her remarkable ability to handle stressful situations with a satirical comment and a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders, and it offers the reader the opportunity to take a glimpse inside her head.
One last thing; this book will get some poor reviews because certain people aren’t going to like the subject matter. Well, all I’d say to those people is, why did you buy the book in the first place? It’s entitled ‘The Cannibal’s Daughter’ so it’s about a cannibal and his daughter. Got that? It’s hardly likely to be a romantic comedy, is it? Cannibal’s eat people. Work it out for yourself.
June 9, 2018
The plot is actually pretty interesting. I don't think I've heard of something like this before, or maybe I don't read enough books.
That said, it's predictable. I guessed the plot twist around the middle of the book, but I wouldn't say it was ruined once I got to the part.
The writing style is that kind of talky style that's so in nowadays. A bit bland, but it makes for good reading in certain parts . Caroline herself is sort of bland too.
It's decent. I read it on the plane and was entertained.
That said, it's predictable. I guessed the plot twist around the middle of the book, but I wouldn't say it was ruined once I got to the part.
The writing style is that kind of talky style that's so in nowadays. A bit bland, but it makes for good reading in certain parts . Caroline herself is sort of bland too.
It's decent. I read it on the plane and was entertained.
February 28, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained to the last page!
March 11, 2024
This is fun, it's pretty intense at times I recommend😁
August 18, 2016
"Life is mostly performance. It's all about the details. The little lies."
On the surface, this is a book about the daughter of a serial killer who's forced to help her father, who recently cheated death, find the fortune he hid before his imprisonment.
Beneath the surface, this is a book about lies. From the tiny little lies we tell every day to the people closest to us, to the huge deceptions that either destroy or save our lives and the lives of the people we love. Like Caroline says, life is mostly performance. You have to keep the pretense up. You have to know your lines. You have to interact with the other actors. Whatever you do, you can't let anyone find out that you're the sole offspring of a man who killed and ate people.
From the first page, Caroline's voice had me hooked. She's so sarcastic and yet so charming. She's no unrealistic, natural badass, but she projects toughness. She's no victim. She's narrative magic. I just love her.
There was no point in this book where I knew what would happen next. I honestly couldn't predict the next page, let alone the ending. And the ending! It was so unexpected and yet so inevitable. A perfectly painful sucker-punch.
This is just an all-around incredible book. Go read it already. You'll be glad you did.
On the surface, this is a book about the daughter of a serial killer who's forced to help her father, who recently cheated death, find the fortune he hid before his imprisonment.
Beneath the surface, this is a book about lies. From the tiny little lies we tell every day to the people closest to us, to the huge deceptions that either destroy or save our lives and the lives of the people we love. Like Caroline says, life is mostly performance. You have to keep the pretense up. You have to know your lines. You have to interact with the other actors. Whatever you do, you can't let anyone find out that you're the sole offspring of a man who killed and ate people.
From the first page, Caroline's voice had me hooked. She's so sarcastic and yet so charming. She's no unrealistic, natural badass, but she projects toughness. She's no victim. She's narrative magic. I just love her.
There was no point in this book where I knew what would happen next. I honestly couldn't predict the next page, let alone the ending. And the ending! It was so unexpected and yet so inevitable. A perfectly painful sucker-punch.
This is just an all-around incredible book. Go read it already. You'll be glad you did.
July 25, 2015
The title caught my interest while browsing eBook Stage deals and with the interesting synopsis, I downloaded this read for free on Amazon.
Caroline's father was Keeling the Cannibal who was sentenced to death but after his video went viral, he showed up to Caroline to ask for her help. Together they need to uncover the clues to locate the hidden million dollars. As she try to help Keeling find the money, the more danger she was in..... the detective she trusted, a gang called Trinities and even from Keeling.
The characters, and the plot were interesting and intriguing. A suspense read full with lies, secrets, deceit and conspiracy. As I got deeper into the story and as more revelation has been revealed, I was kept thinking if the characters were really who they are.
The ending wasn't what I expected tho. With the truths revealed, I was expecting Caroline would do something to clear the name of her father and there was no explanation of the significance of the silver dollar.
A recommended read especially for those into suspense genre.
Caroline's father was Keeling the Cannibal who was sentenced to death but after his video went viral, he showed up to Caroline to ask for her help. Together they need to uncover the clues to locate the hidden million dollars. As she try to help Keeling find the money, the more danger she was in..... the detective she trusted, a gang called Trinities and even from Keeling.
The characters, and the plot were interesting and intriguing. A suspense read full with lies, secrets, deceit and conspiracy. As I got deeper into the story and as more revelation has been revealed, I was kept thinking if the characters were really who they are.
The ending wasn't what I expected tho. With the truths revealed, I was expecting Caroline would do something to clear the name of her father and there was no explanation of the significance of the silver dollar.
A recommended read especially for those into suspense genre.
August 20, 2015
A great idea for a novel but could have been executed better. Nelson isn't a bad writer but there are a lot of loose ends that just leave you confused and wondering why they were created in the first place. For example, the main character's mother is lying about her job and in the end it has nothing to do with anything. Could have been left out entirely.
There's also some contradictions -- one so obvious that it made me laugh. Keeling kills someone in a bar filled with patrons. Pages later, Caroline is afraid he'll kill her but thinks, "He doesn't like witnesses." Um, didn't you just see him kill a guy in public?
There's also some contradictions -- one so obvious that it made me laugh. Keeling kills someone in a bar filled with patrons. Pages later, Caroline is afraid he'll kill her but thinks, "He doesn't like witnesses." Um, didn't you just see him kill a guy in public?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2016
So disappointed in the repeated, unneccessary vulgar epithets used by the antagonist and by the protagonist's attitude of "I deserve it" but I will survive. Ugh. The ending. I won't spoil it but...ugh. Also, it the book reads like a 12 y/o wrote it. It could have been so much more powerful with a more mature voice. Instead we just get lots of "cunts" and "bitch" and "totally." I have to go do a palette-cleanser with something worthwhile. Vulgarity and colloquialisms can be used effectly to season a book. Like salt. But this one is a salt-shaker falling open and half the contents ending up on the words.
July 14, 2015
Interesting
I was pulled right in to Caroline life of who her father really was. It was full of mystery and suspense that I couldn't put down. Her whole life he was not meant nothing to her until his death!
I was pulled right in to Caroline life of who her father really was. It was full of mystery and suspense that I couldn't put down. Her whole life he was not meant nothing to her until his death!
August 7, 2015
Not bad, pretty good for a free book.
The ending was very interesting to me. I enjoyed the entire book but it was. A little slow for me up until about the 60% mark. Very realistic to me, but maybe that's just me, it just depends on the person I suppose.
The ending was very interesting to me. I enjoyed the entire book but it was. A little slow for me up until about the 60% mark. Very realistic to me, but maybe that's just me, it just depends on the person I suppose.
July 31, 2015
It was too confusing. The end was stupid.
July 30, 2015
Good.
This book was good. Not great but pretty good. It lacked continuity and was a little uneven in spots. I was also expecting a more dynamic ending.
This book was good. Not great but pretty good. It lacked continuity and was a little uneven in spots. I was also expecting a more dynamic ending.
August 18, 2015
A real page Turner.
Very good book,couldn't wait to pick back up and read more. Would recommend to those who enjoy a good mystery.
Very good book,couldn't wait to pick back up and read more. Would recommend to those who enjoy a good mystery.
October 10, 2015
Unbelievable
This is an amazingly wild story. Even though I dislike the vulgar language I was totally involved in the story and had to finish reading it.
This is an amazingly wild story. Even though I dislike the vulgar language I was totally involved in the story and had to finish reading it.
July 30, 2015
great book but not so great ending.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews