What do you think?
Rate this book
Killing the Butterfly: A Thriller So Abusive, It's Criminal
Nineteen-year-old Patty has a lot of baggage. Abusive parents. A horrible boyfriend. The stifling cocoon of her Podunk town. She longs to become a travel writer — visiting exotic lands far, far away…
But escaping town the way she does, forced by her boyfriend Roy to join him on a violent crime spree across middle America was not the travel of Patty's dreams. It's a journey that will only land her in jail — or dead. But escaping Roy is out of the question. He'd hunt her down, find her, and surely beat her worse than he's ever beaten her before.
When they stumble across the gentleman alone at the cabin by the lake, he offers Patty a glimmer of hope and freedom. But this man hides evil secrets of his own…
But escaping town the way she does, forced by her boyfriend Roy to join him on a violent crime spree across middle America was not the travel of Patty's dreams. It's a journey that will only land her in jail — or dead. But escaping Roy is out of the question. He'd hunt her down, find her, and surely beat her worse than he's ever beaten her before.
When they stumble across the gentleman alone at the cabin by the lake, he offers Patty a glimmer of hope and freedom. But this man hides evil secrets of his own…
- GenresCrime
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2022
63 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Dale Ward
4 books12 followersDuring the day Dale Ward is an award-winning filmmaker and videographer, while his night job is writer, reader and family man. Films he has written include: My Life Is a Movie, Walther, Ragman (with appearances in more than 50 film festivals), and There's Something in the Basement. He has won 4 regional Emmy awards producing the national television talk show On Main Street, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media Communications from Webster University. His publishing history includes: The Home Run, Delayed Reactions, and My Life Is a Movie. He makes his home in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife, Suzanne, and two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 1, 2022
3.5 stars
Teenager Patty comes from a home where she has been abused by her father. Her mother is not much better, but when she dies, Patty has only her aunt to live with. Which is fine until she starts school and ends up getting involved with reprobate Roy. She slowly spends more and more time with her abusive boyfriend away from her aunt’s house. William is a loner, but manages to fall for Maggie, but some time after they are married, Maggie starts getting on his nerves. When they decide to spend a week out at Maggie’s sister’s cabin, the two couples intersect.
I thought this was a good story, but be warned that it is quite violent. It is frustrating to “watch” Patty not even try to get away from her abuser, but from what I hear that’s not completely inaccurate. At first I couldn’t figure out where William and Maggie fit into the story, but I figured it would eventually make sense, and it did.
Teenager Patty comes from a home where she has been abused by her father. Her mother is not much better, but when she dies, Patty has only her aunt to live with. Which is fine until she starts school and ends up getting involved with reprobate Roy. She slowly spends more and more time with her abusive boyfriend away from her aunt’s house. William is a loner, but manages to fall for Maggie, but some time after they are married, Maggie starts getting on his nerves. When they decide to spend a week out at Maggie’s sister’s cabin, the two couples intersect.
I thought this was a good story, but be warned that it is quite violent. It is frustrating to “watch” Patty not even try to get away from her abuser, but from what I hear that’s not completely inaccurate. At first I couldn’t figure out where William and Maggie fit into the story, but I figured it would eventually make sense, and it did.
May 30, 2022
Patty a sophomore in high school, meets bad boy Roy. Like most abusive relationships the beating starts gradually and continues to get worse. But, Roy buys her gifts apologizes and says he was drunk it will never happen again. Process repeat.
William is in a dead end job, has no friends, loves his yard and can’t stand his wife Maggie’s constant babbling. William wants to start a new life, new job far away without Maggie, but he don’t plan on divorcing her.
What happens when these to couples come crashing together?
I was really waiting for a crazy twist, but it just never came. It is a story that is straight as an arrow.
William is in a dead end job, has no friends, loves his yard and can’t stand his wife Maggie’s constant babbling. William wants to start a new life, new job far away without Maggie, but he don’t plan on divorcing her.
What happens when these to couples come crashing together?
I was really waiting for a crazy twist, but it just never came. It is a story that is straight as an arrow.
April 17, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC of Killing the Butterfly by Dale Ward.
I've been hesitant to try this one for a few weeks now and finally decided to just dive in. In the beginning I loved it. It was dark, thrilling, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I was on the edge of my seat and enjoying every word.....until I wasn't. It was about a little more than halfway through and I was getting annoyed at the characters, the plot was getting ridiculous, and implausible. I despise when people say a book was hard to believe because as I have stated before, it's a book, a story, not real life. Well in this case, I have to agree. Unfortunately, overall I just did not care for this one or it's seemingly rushed ending. Two stars for the good start to the book.
I've been hesitant to try this one for a few weeks now and finally decided to just dive in. In the beginning I loved it. It was dark, thrilling, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I was on the edge of my seat and enjoying every word.....until I wasn't. It was about a little more than halfway through and I was getting annoyed at the characters, the plot was getting ridiculous, and implausible. I despise when people say a book was hard to believe because as I have stated before, it's a book, a story, not real life. Well in this case, I have to agree. Unfortunately, overall I just did not care for this one or it's seemingly rushed ending. Two stars for the good start to the book.
January 6, 2024
Great read.
Two stories in one. First story. Young woman with no friends falls for a bad boy. And was he ever. He had a good job, but stole from his employer. Got fired and started stealing. Made the girl an accessory.
Second story. A lonely man who worked at a company for over a decade meets a girl. They get married and are happy. Until he didn't get the promotion that he was waiting on.
Third story. The two groups above end up meeting. That is where it gets interesting.
Two stories in one. First story. Young woman with no friends falls for a bad boy. And was he ever. He had a good job, but stole from his employer. Got fired and started stealing. Made the girl an accessory.
Second story. A lonely man who worked at a company for over a decade meets a girl. They get married and are happy. Until he didn't get the promotion that he was waiting on.
Third story. The two groups above end up meeting. That is where it gets interesting.
June 20, 2022
This was an interesting but brutal book! It follows two couples: Patty and boyfriend Roy meet William and wife Maggie under "unusual" circumstances and things go haywire from there! Both Roy and William are unlikable and crazy when tempers flare so we can see how this "meet-up" might go wrong! I did really enjoy the spider/fly analogies and it was a truly riveting novel that I read in one sitting! I look forward to reading more of Ward's books as there are dozens of good twists and turns I didn't see coming!
May 8, 2022
Child rape
A man trying to write a female perspective of abuse.
Fuck off.
A man trying to write a female perspective of abuse.
Fuck off.
February 23, 2024
Four stars for evoking intense emotions and leaving the reader feeling wrong for finding anything amusing in this tale.
I found this one disturbing, difficult, and extremely conflicting. On the one hand, the story has some real brutal and gritty elements. If you are triggered by sexual abuse, this book may bother you intensely. On the other hand, it has many quirky and comical moments—which when juxtaposed against the abuse seem very dark and wrong. The author keeps the reader guessing by maintaining two independent storylines through most of the book. One storyline is about Patty, a girl who has known nothing but physical and sexual abuse for her entire life and her small-time hood boyfriend, Roy, who has suffered his own share of physical and sexual abuse. Roy becomes everything his father was, and worse, he becomes everything Patty’s father was. The other storyline follows Maggie and William, who are polar-opposites of Patty and Roy. Maggie and William have led normal, boring, lives. No one has ever raped Maggie or William. Their story isn’t one of abuse, it’s a tale of how disappointment and banality, combined with incompatible personalities, can turn an office drone of a man into a maniac. I spent the entire book wondering how these two lines related until the denouement and the very bizarre and blindingly fast close.
I found this one disturbing, difficult, and extremely conflicting. On the one hand, the story has some real brutal and gritty elements. If you are triggered by sexual abuse, this book may bother you intensely. On the other hand, it has many quirky and comical moments—which when juxtaposed against the abuse seem very dark and wrong. The author keeps the reader guessing by maintaining two independent storylines through most of the book. One storyline is about Patty, a girl who has known nothing but physical and sexual abuse for her entire life and her small-time hood boyfriend, Roy, who has suffered his own share of physical and sexual abuse. Roy becomes everything his father was, and worse, he becomes everything Patty’s father was. The other storyline follows Maggie and William, who are polar-opposites of Patty and Roy. Maggie and William have led normal, boring, lives. No one has ever raped Maggie or William. Their story isn’t one of abuse, it’s a tale of how disappointment and banality, combined with incompatible personalities, can turn an office drone of a man into a maniac. I spent the entire book wondering how these two lines related until the denouement and the very bizarre and blindingly fast close.
April 19, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC
What do you get when you take a 19 year old girl who experienced a ton of trauma and give her an abusive boyfriend? More trauma. I was quickly sold on Patty and her story. I wanted the best for her, I wanted her to beat her dreams/recollections of childhood. I wanted her to succeed. I was super confused by the introduction of William and his story and when he was introduced. But I kept voraciously reading to find out all the things. I was sympathetic to William, but Patty and Roy was where the story hooked me.
I was hooked for awhile, but then got annoyed. I wanted more of Patty’s past. Why give us those snippets, if they aren’t really a part of the story. I was annoyed at Maggie, she was just an annoying character. Mostly I was annoyed that nothing brought the storylines together until 70% through the book. Even then, I felt the happenstance was unnecessary and the book could’ve done more with just Patty and Roy.
Easy read, the beginning was fabulous, but overall it missed the mark.
What do you get when you take a 19 year old girl who experienced a ton of trauma and give her an abusive boyfriend? More trauma. I was quickly sold on Patty and her story. I wanted the best for her, I wanted her to beat her dreams/recollections of childhood. I wanted her to succeed. I was super confused by the introduction of William and his story and when he was introduced. But I kept voraciously reading to find out all the things. I was sympathetic to William, but Patty and Roy was where the story hooked me.
I was hooked for awhile, but then got annoyed. I wanted more of Patty’s past. Why give us those snippets, if they aren’t really a part of the story. I was annoyed at Maggie, she was just an annoying character. Mostly I was annoyed that nothing brought the storylines together until 70% through the book. Even then, I felt the happenstance was unnecessary and the book could’ve done more with just Patty and Roy.
Easy read, the beginning was fabulous, but overall it missed the mark.
July 1, 2022
The worst thing that ever happened to Patty was being born into an extremely dysfunctional family. Her mother, aka The Witch and her father, aka The Monster are dreadful people who should not have been allowed to procreate but they did. Patty is stuck with them until her luck finally changes and she moves in with her Aunt Meredith. Then the other worst thing happens- she meets and falls in love with Roy. The red flags are flying everywhere you look- he lives in a trailer with his abusive alcoholic father, he steals cars, he has a number of armed robberies on his resume, rarely attends school, etc. but Patty is drawn to this bad boy. The twists and turns that form the crooked path of their relationship lead them into a life of crime and violence but Patty is powerless to escape and Roy can't or won't break the cycle of abuse that defines him. The ending is surprising but quite satisfying. Don't miss this one by Dale Ward!
June 5, 2022
2.5 stars, rounding down. The writing in this book was very simplistic. It read very much like a conversation. Not a lot of description or flowing language; very short and to the point. After reading the novel, the author mentioned that this grew from a short story he had previously written so perhaps this is the reason. Because of the writing, it was a very quick read and I found that I didn’t want to put it down near the end. I wasn’t surprised by the ending but I wanted to see exactly how things were tied up. The author’s tone was a little strange as the story centers on Patty and her abuser, Roy. At times, some of the things that were said or done were so absurd and madcap that it seemed like he was trying to be funny and make light of it. Even the title has that feel, so just a bit confusing. Thank you to the publisher and LibraryThing for the free copy.
October 31, 2022
Local author weaves innocence and evil creating story of abuse
Why do people stay in abusive relationships? This question is frequently asked when the cruelty is uncovered. Slipping from romantic gestures into abuse is often so gradual, frequently followed by a dreamy honeymoon period, that it is easy to deny the moments of evil. The author captures the cycle of abuse in this story about two couples whose lives intersect just as they both reach crisis points. What happens next is not completely believable, yet often times true life is even less believable.
The book has elements of suspense, laughter, an opportunity to cheer for the good guys and worthy of the time spent reading. The most redeeming feature- it causes one to reflect on one’s own life choices and how important it is to seriously consider the consequences of each decision one makes.
Why do people stay in abusive relationships? This question is frequently asked when the cruelty is uncovered. Slipping from romantic gestures into abuse is often so gradual, frequently followed by a dreamy honeymoon period, that it is easy to deny the moments of evil. The author captures the cycle of abuse in this story about two couples whose lives intersect just as they both reach crisis points. What happens next is not completely believable, yet often times true life is even less believable.
The book has elements of suspense, laughter, an opportunity to cheer for the good guys and worthy of the time spent reading. The most redeeming feature- it causes one to reflect on one’s own life choices and how important it is to seriously consider the consequences of each decision one makes.
June 11, 2022
Patty has lost her mother in a car accident. She is going to live with her Aunt Meredith. She has suffered abuse by her father as a child. She tries to fit into her new environment and school, but remains isolated mostly.
She acquires a lab partner in science class. His name is Roy. They become a couple, but with bad things that happen between the two of them.
William works long and hard at his company and should be the next person up for a promotion. He marries Maggie (a non-stop talker). Life becomes a bit of a headache for William.
These four people are thrown together near the end of the book and it takes the story wider and busier. Strange how life is so small.
This book was sent to me by librarything.com for early review.
She acquires a lab partner in science class. His name is Roy. They become a couple, but with bad things that happen between the two of them.
William works long and hard at his company and should be the next person up for a promotion. He marries Maggie (a non-stop talker). Life becomes a bit of a headache for William.
These four people are thrown together near the end of the book and it takes the story wider and busier. Strange how life is so small.
This book was sent to me by librarything.com for early review.
December 19, 2022
‘Killing the Butterfly’ is a fiction thriller, and you follow Patty, a 19-year-old girl who dreams of traveling the world writing. Her dreams don’t really go as planned. Traveling, she does but with her violent boyfriend, Roy, who gets her involved in violent crimes. Patty is a strong female character. Her personality is very relatable, and it is easy to bond with her. Escaping Roy is not easy, as she must first believe in herself and figure out ways to run without getting killed.
The story is written very well. It is descriptive in a form where the thrilling nature of the story is kept throughout the read. What stood out most for me was how the story had a beautiful flow to it. I recommend this book to fiction readers.
The story is written very well. It is descriptive in a form where the thrilling nature of the story is kept throughout the read. What stood out most for me was how the story had a beautiful flow to it. I recommend this book to fiction readers.
April 14, 2022
Wild: probably the best description I can give this book. Overall, I liked the story. I liked that I didn't know what was actually going to happen or the direction the story was going.
Pros: Survival. I like that in the end, Patty was able to over come everything that she went through. I feel like some of her experiences are relatable as domestic abuse is such an unfortunately common thing in our society.
Cons: There were some pieces that were overly descriptive like the office scene, that usually takes me out of the story for a few minutes. The different storylines sometimes feels a little disjointed, but overall it comes together in the end.
Pros: Survival. I like that in the end, Patty was able to over come everything that she went through. I feel like some of her experiences are relatable as domestic abuse is such an unfortunately common thing in our society.
Cons: There were some pieces that were overly descriptive like the office scene, that usually takes me out of the story for a few minutes. The different storylines sometimes feels a little disjointed, but overall it comes together in the end.
July 12, 2023
The title says it all. Dale Ward's Killing the Butterfly isn't your romance beach read. But if you're into crime noir, where good guys make bad decisions and bad guys make worse ones...this is your book. In dualling narratives, the author creates protagonist-antagonist bonds almost impossible to break, and a breakneck-paced thriller that glues the reader to the pages. I spent half the book shaking my head at Patty's predicament, and the other half with my pulse racing, trying to guess how she's get out of it. Couldn't put this one down!
June 2, 2022
I was hooked with Patty and Roys story. I kept hoping that she was gonna be somebody and have a good life. But Roy is an abusive butt that just wouldn’t let her go.
Bringing in Maggie and William was a plot twist that was confusing. I think the whole story would have been better if those two had been left out and the focus remained on Patty. But that’s just my opinion.
Many thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
Bringing in Maggie and William was a plot twist that was confusing. I think the whole story would have been better if those two had been left out and the focus remained on Patty. But that’s just my opinion.
Many thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
September 19, 2022
I'm giving this book 2 stars for the premise, which is how I ended up reading it. Otherwise, the writing is uneven, the editing non-existent, and the "poetry" awful. Too confusing in so much of it; far too simplistic. Brutal to a fault, with characters that I'm not sure were written as sarcastic stereotypes or were supposed to represent actual people. And if the first is the case, how can an author justify minimizing the abuse? Dreadful, in my opinion.
December 8, 2022
Well this is kind of a surprising book. It starts with a socially awkward girl who is attracted to a bad boy. It doesn't go well for her (no surprise there). He takes advantage of her and continually abuses and then apologizes for his brutality. You pretty much figure out when the other couple is mentioned that they will somehow be entangled, but the entanglement ends up in a surprising way.
It was an interesting read.
It was an interesting read.
January 19, 2024
Author Dale Ward's masterfully-crafted crime noir thriller takes the reader on twisting and turning ride that had me turning pages late into the night. Patti, a teenager growing up in a small town, struggles to overcome an abusive relationship and find redemption, even as it seems like an impossible feat to accomplish. I enjoyed this dark, but many-layered story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written crime novel!
April 3, 2024
Dale Ward’s Killing the Butterfly is a gritty tale of abuse. Ward delves into two unrelated relationships, bringing them together in a surprising conclusion. He tells the story from the perspective of the victims, and the brutal details will have you rooting for the victims and wondering what comes next.
July 10, 2022
Awesome read!
Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! Best book ever! Made me realize that there are many types of abusers in the world. Had to finish the book before putting it down! Loved it! Looking for more stories by this author!!!
Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! Best book ever! Made me realize that there are many types of abusers in the world. Had to finish the book before putting it down! Loved it! Looking for more stories by this author!!!
October 20, 2024
😲
From an abusive father to an abusive boyfriend, patty just can't seem to catch a break and even when she believes get life is getting back in track Roy shows back up on her doorstep. It's all downhill from there.
The book was intriguing enough to keep be reading.
From an abusive father to an abusive boyfriend, patty just can't seem to catch a break and even when she believes get life is getting back in track Roy shows back up on her doorstep. It's all downhill from there.
The book was intriguing enough to keep be reading.
June 18, 2022
Thilling
I loved the book. It kept me on the edge all he say through. The author brought the characters come to life I could easily relate to them.
I loved the book. It kept me on the edge all he say through. The author brought the characters come to life I could easily relate to them.
September 4, 2022
A story of what happens when a teenage girl with a traumatic past {her father isn't referred to as The Monster, her mother as 'the witch' for no reason} hooks up with an abusive boy with an arguably just as traumatic a past.
In Patsy and Roy we have two great main characters; Patsy a character I quickly got behind, willing her to break free of the cycle of abuse. Roy? Hmm! Roy was a whole other kettle of fish as my nana would say.
That every fibre in me wanted to hate Roy and yet there was a small bit of me that argued that he was as much a product of his upbringing as Patsy was of hers. That he created such a monster and yet managed to evoke some empathy for them within me, something that I admire greatly about the author's writing
Alas I was so taken with the other couple, Maggie and William, that we were later introduced to. ...
Whilst I can appreciate their inclusion was one way of drawing the reader in from every possible angle and that there will doubtlessly be those readers who enjoyed the addition, for myself personally, an unnecessary addition, the jumping to-and-fro between characters, something that may well have worked in a longer novel but, at 187 pages, a relatively short read, I found the constant shifting left me feeling dizzy, my head reeling.
Dark, brutal, though not what I considered gratuitous, a no-bars-hold tale, the abuse at the centre of the story, harrowing and heart-breaking, redemption beyond reach ... or is it? That I was kept on my toes, wondering just where events would take me ... well, I'll let that speak for itself; essentially I rather enjoyed this thriller 'so abusive, it was criminal'.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... Reviewed on behalf of the author, the thoughts are mine and mine alone, no financial compensation was asked for nor given
In Patsy and Roy we have two great main characters; Patsy a character I quickly got behind, willing her to break free of the cycle of abuse. Roy? Hmm! Roy was a whole other kettle of fish as my nana would say.
That every fibre in me wanted to hate Roy and yet there was a small bit of me that argued that he was as much a product of his upbringing as Patsy was of hers. That he created such a monster and yet managed to evoke some empathy for them within me, something that I admire greatly about the author's writing
Alas I was so taken with the other couple, Maggie and William, that we were later introduced to. ...
Whilst I can appreciate their inclusion was one way of drawing the reader in from every possible angle and that there will doubtlessly be those readers who enjoyed the addition, for myself personally, an unnecessary addition, the jumping to-and-fro between characters, something that may well have worked in a longer novel but, at 187 pages, a relatively short read, I found the constant shifting left me feeling dizzy, my head reeling.
Dark, brutal, though not what I considered gratuitous, a no-bars-hold tale, the abuse at the centre of the story, harrowing and heart-breaking, redemption beyond reach ... or is it? That I was kept on my toes, wondering just where events would take me ... well, I'll let that speak for itself; essentially I rather enjoyed this thriller 'so abusive, it was criminal'.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... Reviewed on behalf of the author, the thoughts are mine and mine alone, no financial compensation was asked for nor given
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews