Little Crew of Butchers

by Francine Pascal

Lucas Baird never got much of a break when he was a child, but by his early twenties, his good looks and easy manner allow him to skate through life without having to put in much effort. On the cusp of manhood in years yet still a boy -- what Anthony Trollope called a hobbledehoy -- charming Luke has enjoyed his extended adolescence of drinking and small-time cons. But when a freak accident compels him to leave LA -- and leave fast -- he finds himself in New York, in the seemingly idyllic Long Island beach town of Shorelane, where through a drunken mistake, he becomes trapped in a life-or-death ordeal. Luke's only potential saviors are a group of local children, who are themselves lost and destined for paths much the same as Luke's -- if not worse -- and a young woman, equally lost. For Luke to finally cross into manhood, he will have to come to terms with his own poor judgment and mortality, and find the courage to stay sane in the face of irrational actors.

Reminiscent of The Beach and Lord of the Flies, Little Crew of Butchers is a masterful tale of the innocent savagery of children, but also of the redemptive power of love and courage, and the wisdom that comes from truly growing up.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2020

About the author

Francine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.

Reviews

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually give this a 3.5. A nice, short, creepy little tale about a gang of children who terrorize a homeless man trapped in a drainage sewer.

[Samantha Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super creepy story reminiscent of THE BODY by Stephen King

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book in about an hour and a half!A little over 250 pages it was a dark read and one that at times could have been more developed and longer 3.5 stars rounded up

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book.

[ToniS · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a strange reading experience. I saw this book in a new releases list, thought the premise sounded good, title sounded great and the author’s name sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place it. I looked it up and she’s the Sweet Valley High creator, the prime entertainer of my tween-age self. So, I put it on my library holds list.

This has a Stephen King-like premise: A down-on-his-luck/shady outsider comes to a small town and has a run-in with the troubled 12-year-old town bully and his sycophantic squad. Then an accident puts the stranger’s fate in the hands of the kids. Will they help him or won’t they? Everyone struggles with their own demons. It’s kind of a cross between The Body and Misery. All good.

However, the little details are wrong to the point where I couldn’t tell if it was a 2020 world or a historical setting, weird words like “penultimate” are used repeatedly, and the dialogue is really clunky. The worst part is the gratuitous sexualizing of the kids. These are little kids (7-12 year-olds) involved in multiple masturbation scenes, flashing, threats of sexual violence, watching adults having sex, etc. It’s weird and the story didn’t need all that.

It’s almost like an outline that could have been a good novel with some fleshing out of characters, cleaning up of details and editing out the ickiness. In fact, it’s so short it’s almost a novella.

[Myunique Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different

I liked this story. From the beginning it was very immersive and written in a way that’s easy to follow. In a world full of remakes and shared ideas, it was nice to dive into something different. Something fresh. It was fast-paced with no real resolution by the end, but, I would read a story that follows Daisy and Luke in a heartbeat. There’s something about their relationship that’s strange, and oddly realistic. Though, what’s billed as love, is merely infatuation at its finest. As much as I hated Larry, and omg did I hate Larry, I would still follow a spin-off. Only because his ending isn’t satisfactory in the least bit. In fact, aside from Luke escaping the gutter, nothing very satisfactory happens at all. It’s just one unfortunate event after another. Overall, I did like this book. There are moments that made me chuckle. Especially from Lucy, who is the heroine no one deserves. At times though, she’s a little beyond her years. But with just enough of that kid curiosity we all love. I could see a future of Lucy in law school. Anyways, it was a somewhat quick reading experience. Finished in a few hours; had to fight not to jump ahead. Enjoyable nonetheless.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler free review:
I struggled in the beginning with this book. I really disliked every character and every decision they made. It was around a third of the way into the book when I realized I was SUPPOSED to not like every character. I was supposed to be appalled at how they handled these situations. Once that realization struck, I tore through the rest of the book in a few hours.

While it was a quick read, it wasn’t an easy one. The mental anguish Luke goes through while being stuck was tough to read. The kids were infuriating, but well written because they all felt real.

The finale was shocking but well done and felt like something that could really happen.

Overall, this was a good read if you’re looking for something that takes you for an emotional ride.

[Care Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could........not......put.....it.....down! The short chapter format worked so well for this! How embarrassed was I when I get to the back jacket and realize that it was written by the Sweet Valley High lady and I hadn’t recognized her name? Never would’ve guessed in a million years. I kept thinking, “omg....I have to read everything this person has written!” only to realize that I must’ve read like 80 of her books back in the day.

[Tara Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Crew of Butchers by Francine Pascal- YES, THAT FRANCINE PASCAL OF SWEET VALLEY FAME!!!!! I had no idea she authored books for adults! She actually has a pretty extensive writing resume including musicals! Anyway, this story is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, and one of my all time favorite books - The Beach by Alex Garland. It centers around Luke, an Australian living in the states who finds himself on a beach town in Long Island and in an incredibly perilous situation. I won't say much more, except that I enjoyed it, but I found his relationship with the main female character to be far fetched, and there was one scene that really bothered me. Maybe I'm soft in my old age, but anything involving violence against women, children, or animals, and anything degrading really turns me off. This story had an instance of the latter. But overall it was pretty good. I wanted more from the epilogue, but otherwise worth the quick read (I finished it in 2 days).

[Daphne Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redemption that is the theme that plays out in this graphic,twist of a tale. Luke a guy who gets by on looks and tale tales finds his life through no fault of his own at the mercy of a band of kids. Luke a grifter looking out only for himself gets trapped in a storm pipe and is discovered by kids,who take orders from an oversized bully of a kid named Larry. As the trapped Luke tries to negotiate his way out the level of torment escalates. Lucy the youngest and yet the wisest of the group along with her brother Charley are two of the crew. It is Lucy who in the end sheds light on the real story of Luke’s ordeal and Charley who lives with his silence the rest of his life.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book was good--a group of kids led by the school bully find a homeless man trapped under debris in a sewer pipe in Shoreline, New York. Unfortunately, that is about the only good thing about this book. It appears to be a modern day tale (Luke owns a cell phone), but feels like it's set in the 1950s and 1980s almost simultaneously. Pascal writes this as if she's still writing her Sweet Valley High books, and the misogyny just is rampant--too much emphasis on looks, especially with the "bad" characters being fat and ugly.

This wasn't really all that worth reading, but at just over 200 pages, at least it was a fast read?

[Ginger Snaps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give this one 3.5 stars, but I rounded up for sheer creepiness and what could be absolute real, terrible, happenstance all over the world.
I don’t really like anyone but Lucy in this book, but I have to remember that everyone, even the parents, are younger than I am now. Some are dumb, some are selfish, some are complete assholes, all are self absorbed. There are a lot of ways this book could’ve ended. The way it did was not the most satisfying, nor was it the most horrific. It was probably the most realistic, and in a lot of ways the most heartbreaking.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio presentation read by Dion Graham. An excellent reader that moved the story and defined characters smoothly. This is a story about a bully, Larry age 12, and four children kin his grasp. It is also a story about Luke, a young con, that has trouble all written over him. Luke becomes trapped and the group of children find him. Do these children rescue him or do they rescue themselves?

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The creator of Sweet Valley High, who gave all of her fans the middle finger with the ridiculous Sweet Valley Confidential, has written a new book about brutality, childhood, honesty, courage and society. It's an old story, but a truthful one. Pascal's writing is en pointe and easy to read. This is a dark book with a hopeful ending.

[Vix S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rip-roaring look at five days in the little town of Shoreline. Luke breezes into town like a hurricane, making as colossal an impact as one, in this speedily told snapshot of rights and wrongs and teenage morality.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick read but very enjoyable, glad it wasn't padded out. unique story, very relevant to today. i liked learning the different situations/histories of all the characters. maybe a little "nicer" overall than it could've been but it grabbed and held me.

[Annarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even if it's well written I couldn't connect to the story and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Nena Anda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and grabbed my attention from the first page. Couldn’t put it down and finished in about a day and a half. Great story about the affects family can have on an individual!

[Dave Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not perfect...but has a unique plot.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a pleasure read but I'll take this as my Lord of the Flies substitute

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. It read a lot like a Stephen King novel.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting!

[Maria Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Second worst book I've ever read

[Olive White · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting enough story but the author seems to think her readers are morons. you don't need to spell every goddam thing out francine

[Nikolai · Rating 3 out of 5]

♪ 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘥
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯
𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘥 ♪

[Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francine Pascal, the brilliant mind behind the young adult series that shaped so many formidable years - Sweet Valley High - is out with a new adult novel that will blow your mind! Set in a Long Island shore town, over the course of just a few days, we meet drifter Luke, who soon finds himself at the mercy of a group of twisted kids. An agonizing journey of survival, with a suspenseful ending you won’t see coming. There are few books I read again, but this will be one of them!