Butcher Road

by Jon Athan

Austin and Anna had planned a simple trip. Austin would visit Las Vegas for work and Anna would tag along. The couple, however, were not aware of the terror lurking on Butcher Road - a lonely road plagued by violent murder and human trafficking. When they stumble upon a wrecked station wagon and a bloodied hitchhiker, the pair find themselves trying to survive a terrifying night...

Jon Athan, author of Sinister Syndromes and Mr. Snuff, invites you on a bloody road trip through Butcher Road. Don't forget your baggage. You won't be coming back...

WARNING: This book contains some scenes of graphic violence and disturbing themes, including references to abuse. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Adult, Thriller, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2016

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Athan delivers another tale full of decadence and mayhem with Butcher Road.
From start to finish, be prepared for nonstop blood splatter and other gruesome horrors.

[STEPH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew the moment they picked up that hitchhiker that hell's about to break loose. I've seen so many movies to know how this would end up. It should take out the thrill in the story but Jon Athan's writing style has been really pulling me in since the first time I encountered his work. What I really appreciate about all of this is how the story in itself wasn't senseless or overdone. It didn't heavily rely on the bloodshed alone.

It wasn't particularly original (as stated by Athan) but the story was there and I loved all the references. I could really see how the author was inspired by classic horror films. I thought of "Joyride" and "Wolf Creek" when the couple's car was being rammed by a truck. (Goldilocks, anyone?)

Not too extreme for me but I had fun. Still, I could never understand why people would drive 500 miles of dessert and dirt, somewhere far away and desolated, it is a tragedy waiting to happen. Take a look at our main characters, Austin and Anna-- two innocent souls on a perfectly harmless trip, driving for Vegas. After Austin decided to pick up a wounded man, everything went completely batshit from there.

Who dies? Who lives? You will have to read to find out.

[Peter Topside · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may or may not take a lot of grief for this review, but I have to just keep my integrity intact and be honest about my experience. But this was a clear rip off of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It even included one of our antagonists wearing skin and using a chainsaw, and there is also a dinner scene that is very close to the original fare. But it focuses on a family of sick, twisted psychopaths, as they manipulate, torture, and kill random, innocent people who drive down a certain road. Just way, way too many similarities throughout, all of which left me very disappointed in the content. The writing quality was fine, but everything else greatly suffered from taking so many obvious notes from the horror classic. And the internal logic was really something awful, too. For instance, when there was concern over picking up a bloody hitchhiker, Austin sent his girlfriend Anna out of the safety of their car to speak to him. And then they pick him up, despite seeing his current state, and this was immediately after passing by a car of slaughtered victims. And after being chased by the two killer brothers, they decided to just stop at a motel a few miles away for the night. Just a lot of really bad creative decisions that plagued this book. I like Jon Athan a lot, but this was awful.

[Leeanne 🥀 The Book Whor3 🥀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one f***ed up read!! It starts with photographer Austin and his student girlfriend Anna, driving to a photography job in Vegas. While on this road trip, they see a station wagon which has veered off the road, and on close inspection, the car is covered in blood. THAT’S ALL I’M SAYING!! In true Jon Athan fashion, the story gets bloodier, nastier and more brutal! This is a great ride (excuse the pun!), which reminds me of ‘slasher’ horror movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Psycho. This is a lot of fun, if you like extreme horror, because it is NASTY, which I love. I highly recommend and give this a brutal 5 🪓🪓🪓🪓🪓 rating!!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 50% of this book was very slow and I did start to wonder if it would ever get going...Then...WHAM...it picked me up and threw me head first into a bloody brick wall!!
OMG...The gore,the torture,the brutally just started to flow out of every page and there was no stopping it...it dripped extreme horror fast and furiously.
Austin was so sure that he and his girlfriend Anna would escape from the Psycho hitchhiker,his mad brother and their father...but he thought wrong!!
3.5 stars...rounded up to 4 because of the slow beginning...other than that it was a good read from one of the best...Jon Athan👍

[Mort · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what you get when you mix TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, PSYCHO and THE HITCHER. I was glad I decided to read it, because I was disappointed with the last two stories I'd read by this author, but this one redeemed him a bit.
Having said that, it's not earth-shattering or mind-blowing, but you get exactly what you expect:
Blood, gore and horror.

For entertainment purposes, this one gets the job done.

[Cheryl P. (review hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read and certainly took a strange twist towards the end. Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Psycho.

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young couple are driving to Vegas and decide to pick up an injured hitchhiker. Once they realize he's cuckoo they decide to ditch him, but he will now stop at nothing to find them again and he hunts them down all throughout the state of Nevada until they are finally in his grasp once again.

Great, quick, fun, exciting, disturbing book by a great author. Its gonna be a sad day when I run out of Jon Athan books to read.

In gonna give this book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For in-depth video reviews, please subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/UptownHorrorRev...

[Richard Bankey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is extreme horror and is not for the easily offended. I read this in one sitting and found it pretty enjoyable. Definately a great book to read for Halloween. 3.75 🌟

[Rachel the Page-Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started with such promise! I love hitchhiker stories, and I love graphic horror, but this one totally missed the mark for me.

It started off okay - Austin and Anna are driving to Vegas when they come across a wrecked car. When they stop to help, they realized the dead people inside definitely weren’t killed by a crash. They have no phone signal, so they drive ahead to get help. Then, they make the stupid mistake of picking up a wounded hitchhiker, even though they literally just saw people who were murdered. The rest of the book is them getting what they deserve for being so dumb.

While this did start off okay, it took a turn soon in, and I just started to get annoyed with it. The writing was not that great (I even caught a few grammatical errors and no English major was I). The characters were beyond one-dimensional. There wasn’t even any graphic horror until the end, but by then I was just trying to finish it (plus, the writing made it pretty lackluster). 2.5 stars, because I just wasn’t a fan.

[Tim Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable story. Was a bit slow for me getting started, but got going really well. Tons of parallels to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The author makes note of this later on in the book. So in that sense it was a bit predictable, but I've watched TCM hundreds of times. Even though I know how it will end, doesn't make me enjoy it any less. The gore and brutality in this story were excellent. When it comes to extreme horror that's what counts and Jon Athan delivers once again.

[CARLEEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast one day read; one thing I love about Jon Athan books is you just never know who is going to die a horrible, WTF death and NO character is safe, I REALLY love that because it is what makes his novels so unpredictable.

Synopsis: a 'should be smarter' couple traveling on down a desolate road; sees something they wish they hadn't, picks up someone they really shouldn't had and you can imagine the rest. a Good read indeed - Jon Athan please keep the books coming...with your sick, twisted ass mind!

[Allison | crazypageturner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin and Anna are on a road trip and they come across a bloody, injured hitchhiker. They decide to help him out and bring him to the nearest town. But his charming, nonchalant demeanor is suspicious and the couple soon find out their hitchhiker has a barbaric reputation and has his sights on them.

Definitely a handful of triggers in this one but if you read Athan you probably have come to expect that.

Man these two, Austin and Anna, just make numerous boneheaded decisions that it becomes frustrating at times!! Like have some self preservation and smarts people 😂😂

Classic case of good people trying to do the right thing by lending a helping hand only to end up in the clutches of evil.

Simply put. Don’t pick up hitchhikers.

It starts off creepy and continues to be tense and suspenseful throughout the book and then ends in classic Athan fashion. I didn’t see that ending coming either! I enjoyed the writing and loved the cat and mouse game of hitchhiker versus traveler.

[Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Austin and Anna planned a simple trip — a work visit to Las Vegas with Anna tagging along. But their journey takes a dark turn on Butcher Road, a desolate stretch haunted by murder. When they discover a wrecked station wagon and a bloodied hitchhiker, the couple must survive a night of terror.

Another brutal masterpiece from Jon Athan. Gritty, gory, and packed with tension — exactly what I want in a horror story. He never disappoints, and Butcher Road is no exception. A must-read for anyone who loves their horror bloody and unflinching.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty intense. The villains in this book were done very well. For a quick read, Jon Athan did a very good job at throwing a lot into this book and making it scary. This is my first book of his and I’m looking forward to diving more into his work.

This book definitely won’t be for everyone, especially those who don’t like extreme horror, but this was exactly what I was looking for. I love horror books that can shock the reader without focusing so much on the “shock value” to the point where the plot suffers. This book was able to be extreme, surprising, and continued to have a captivating story.

[Erica Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought this was going to be a dud because it was the same old tropes of picking up a maniac hitchhiker like in so many horror movies I've seen before. And though it does mirror Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, cannibals and slashers get me everytime. The last couple of chapters made up for it. It was gross, bloody and cruel

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 half stars.
Jon Athan was a find this year and I've been reading one per month or so. So far I've read 4 of them
My favorite was without any discussion
5* The Abuse of Ashley Collins
4* Camp Blaze , Cannibal Jungle & Butcher Road (3.5*)

Some minor spoilers...

This started very interesting but a bit slow. A couple are going through a hilly billy road and of course you know what's coming to them. One interesting part, and annoying is that they knew some of the risks yet put themselves in harm way. Basically they find a car with a couple of people dead, but not being much help and trying to get to the police they move forward. After a couple of miles they find a guy and gave him a hitchride (what? dumb decision...) and then the plot goes from them. It's a mix of wrong turn and other hilly billy cannibal stuff.

Interesting parts? Well, the vast majority of movies are safe to be honest. They usually don't dwell much on the cannibal parts but here it went a bit further. Everything in their houses were made of bones, they had some woman as a breeding ground with some very disturbing descriptions and then the eating. I was eating at that time, had to stop to think about it lol

Overall was good, my main complains are the pace, the dumb decisions (although if this was a homage I would say spot on). and the somewhat easy ending - although I enjoy it it was a bit easy. Not going to spoil..

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna is bored on the road trip to Vegas until Austin stops the car at the scene of an accident. When he takes a closer look he sees that the two dead people in the car have been brutally murdered. With no phone signal, they continue the journey, hoping to report it soon-and then they see a blood covered man walking at the side of the road. Anna is adamant that he might be the killer but Austin decides to ask if the man needs a ride-a decision he will soon come to regret.

Anna seems like a bit of an airhead to start with but being a horror film fan, she is well aware that picking up blood covered strangers close to the scene of a murder is not a sensible idea! But Austin the idiot refuses to listen and offers Dante a lift. From the start, they can tell that there is something not right with the man and they decide to ditch him at the nearby gas station. However Dante has other ideas about what is going to happen next and it becomes a night from hell for the couple and other people who are out on the same road that night. I don't want to say any more but the book very much reminds me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which the author readily admits to. It is a bloody and gory story but there is no sexual violence in it. It was another decent story from an author whose work I am enjoying so far.

[Carri lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon Athan never disappoints!

This story follows a young couple on their way to Vegas for a photo shoot. Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker that has other plans for them.
Follow Austin and Anna as they fight to stay alive by a family of cannibals who I swear are related to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family.

[Federica Lup · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down! Very similar to texas chainsaw massacre, one of my favorite horror movies. If your a fan of slashers you will enjoy this book!

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall the book was okay. I was a little disappointed with the writing style. The descriptions of the characters were repetitive in the same sentences and it wasn't as twisted or gory as I was expecting from this author. However, there was a twist that I wasn't expecting towards the end.

[Sharon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly captivating

I go from 1 extreme to another writing reviews only as I read so many books. I average 1 a day unless it's a short story of course. But I felt compelled to write this as it got me gripped. I've watched psycho and chainsaw massacre an could see the resemblance but also that it was a whole different story and kept me captivated from the first page. The whole brutal family thing and gore and chase was just brilliant. I just had to give it 5 stars as I never put this book down once. Had to read and at some points you want to read faster to see where and what happens next. I hope it isn't the end of this family. I'd love to see where it would go from here. A fantastic read definitely recommend to anyone who love a good horror with blood and gore but also has a good story background.
From a big fan

[Krisaundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Written Horror

As I continue to explore this author over the last week or so I think for every horror novel of his that I have read and enjoyed there have been just as many I could never recommend because they just didn't work for me. This is one of the best of his I've read so far and I really hope I can find at least a couple in a row that I truly enjoy as well written horror stories.

[Richard Longmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid little slasher book. In the afterward Jon Athan points to Psycho and Texas Chain Saw Massacre as key influences and it very much shows. Both in plot points, locations, and situations. The ghost of Ed Gein flies high above.

All of this sounds awesome, right? And mostly it is. We follow a sweet couple, driving for business to Vegas through some long stretches of road that have spotty cell service. They find a car off the side of the road that has the passengers slaughtered. Clearly not dead from the accident the car appeared to have, but from violent cuts all over them.

This sets up a situation where our couple finds themselves in the crosshairs of a killer. Some locals share details of urban legends that suggest there may be more murderers involved than the one they know about. Their situation just got exponentially worse. Who can you trust? Who else is involved?

So, let's talk Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Psycho - both rather tightly wound stories with small casts. Butcher Road fits this as well. TCSM and Psycho are also rather bloodless. Their fear comes from suspense. Jon Athan is a talented writer and he can charge up some suspense. But, expecting suspense to the level of two of the finest films of all time? That's unreasonable. His bread and butter is disturbing, gory, brutal stories. Here's where things stay good but don't rise to excellent to this reader. With such a small cast of characters you can't really do this. In the afterward, it's clear this was intentional, that adding random characters that the reader is indifferent to only to provide a body for slaughtering was not what he wanted to do. A noble writing experiment, but it limited him from using one of the best tools in his toolbox. But once he gets to the titular "Dinner Scene", he makes up for lost time and the "extreme master" is back to show how it's done.

So, all in all, this is a good book. Good characters, some suspense, and it's short enough that even if it takes a while to get to the brutal tale that readers were expecting, it's not an unreasonable length. Hell, this may be a great introduction for a King/Koontz reader who wants to dip their toe into Jon Athan's more "extreme" bibliography.

[peewee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I like finding books by authors who self publish because that’s what I am trying to achieve so if I can help support someone I will do.

I am a die hard Texas chainsaw massacre fan so anything that I can find that has to do with that I will read it. I was excited to find this book that took inspiration from it, and you can definitely tell a lot of inspiration came from Texas chainsaw. I would have enjoyed it to be a bit more original some things were a bit carbon copy from Texas chainsaw.

I don’t know why but I hated Austin as a character, I guess as a horror book character he has to be a bit of a dick. But I just don’t think his personality was actually real. He seemed a bit too much like a main character in a anime that has to save all of humanity type personality. I don’t know why I was just rooting for him to die I guess
It’s definitely very gory and bloody but I like all that.

The part I enjoyed the most was the ending with the bedroom and the girl. I thought that was so original and I was reading it like a movie and I could see everything that was happening, totally creepy.

Overall I did really like this book. Just a bit too similar to Texas chainsaw in my opinion. I definitely am going to buy some more of this authors books straight away I love this writing style and I will be recommending to everyone and posting about it on my bookstgram @alexbooknook

[Shee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

BUTCHER ROAD

by Jon Athan

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars


The moment I jumped right in to this book, I knew I would be in a roller coaster ride of gore and horrific scenes. This book did not disappoint. Well, with all honesty, I'd never been disappointed with Jon Athan's book. Always an amazing read to me, that's why he easily became one of my favorite extreme horror authors. 


I knew it when I read the scene with the hitchhiker... It already gave me the THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE vibe, which I like because it is scary. The idea of driving in an unfamiliar, isolated road is scary. Add to it the idea of having a serial killer around the area, and damn----- it's a nightmare. The pacing of the story was fast, and I am truly at the edge of my seat while reading this. Scared, and anticipating the next scary scene. The plot twist however is hmm, how should I say it? A little bit predictable for me? Yeah, probably because I have seen a lot slasher films that I have predicted it already. But yeah, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish.


The main character of this book, which is Austin, I don't know.. I couldn't fully root for him, as there are times that I feel annoyed by his actions and decisions. He's kinda lame to me. But of course I feel sad for him in the end. I wish a different ending for him but it is what it is, so move on.


Giving this book 4 stars because it's truly an amazing, horrifying read and I recommend you read this if you want chills and thrills!


🖤

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My true rating is 3.9 stars.

I enjoy horror novels, yet this one felt more like a character study on how individuals can fall into perilous situations. Each of the characters defied my expectations; there were no stereotypical archetypes, which was refreshing. Having driven to Las Vegas numerous times, I found myself disoriented, and uncertain of the characters' starting point, though perhaps I overlooked it.

Austin and Anna had organized a straightforward trip: Austin would attend to business in Las Vegas, with Anna accompanying him. Unbeknownst to them, terror awaited on Butcher Road—a desolate stretch notorious for violent crimes and human trafficking. Their encounter with a demolished station wagon and an injured hitchhiker thrusts them into a fight for survival through a night of horror...

Jon Athan, the author of Sinister Syndromes and Mr. Snuff, beckons you to a gruesome journey down Butcher Road. Remember your luggage; a return is not on the itinerary...

Perhaps I've become slightly desensitized to written bloodshed and violence, or maybe it wasn't as gruesome as it purported to be. I intended to empathize with Austin and Anna, but their continuous misjudgments from start to finish frustrated me. Rather than sympathizing with their ordeal, I was irritated by their foolishness. They serve as a cautionary tale in their own right.

This book contains scenes of graphic violence and disturbing themes, including references to abuse. This book is not for those easily offended or appalled.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

INTENSITY by Dean Koontz is one of my favorite books of all time, and I imagine if Mr. Koontz has watched a 24-hour slasher marathon and snorted pounds of cocaine, he could have re-imagined INTENSITY as BUTCHER ROAD.

One of my many fears is to be on an isolated stretch of road with no cell service and then to have another car start tailgating me or worse, forcing me off the road. Austin and his girlfriend Anna are on a road trip to Vegas and have no idea they are traveling a lonely stretch of road that has been dubbed Butcher Road, which is part of the town's folklore. Violence has plagued the stretch of road for years.

I"m all about suspending disbelief in most anything I read, but to read the things that these two did just defy logic. First, they pass the scene of a horrific accident. With no cell service, it made sense to stop and check on the inhabitants. After finding them dead, their next step should have been to drive like hell until they got to civilization and could call the police. Instead, they decide to pick up a hitchhiker, and things just go straight to hell from there.

Of course without the couple's actions, we wouldn't have a book, would we? What follows is another blood-soaked adventure with a few surprising twists. Heed all trigger warnings before proceeding.

[Leigh Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of brutal, high-adrenaline slashers, this book delivers exactly what you’re looking for. The tone and atmosphere evoke the raw, relentless horror of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: grim, unflinching, and soaked in dread. The gore is graphic, the pacing relentless, and the tension never really lets up.
What stands out most is how effectively the author leans into the slasher formula without feeling lazy or repetitive. The violence is visceral, but it’s the sense of isolation and mounting terror that really sinks in. You can practically feel the heat, the sweat, and the panic as the characters struggle to survive.
This isn’t a story for the faint-hearted, but if you love a good, bloody, no-apologies slasher, you’ll have a great—if nerve-wracking—time with it. It’s scary, it’s gory, and it embraces the genre with confidence.