What do you think?
The Butcher's Wife
Robin Patterson has been following her husband — and she’s terrified of what she might find.
She had a perfect life ... until he came home with blood on his shirt.
Just a deer, he said ... an unlucky encounter on a dark, barren road. But then, just one week later, it happened again ...
Blood on his shirt, scratch marks on his back, and a whole lot of excuses that just don’t add up.
Or at least that’s what she claims.
Jimmy Hunter isn’t so sure. A private investigator with a dark, disturbing past of his own, he’s perfectly suited to see through lies.
Only this time, it’s not so easy.
The news says there’s a violent killer on the loose and the local river has a bounty of human remains to prove it.
Is Robin’s husband responsible? Is she telling the truth? Or are they both part of something bigger and more sinister than Jimmy could ever imagine?
She had a perfect life ... until he came home with blood on his shirt.
Just a deer, he said ... an unlucky encounter on a dark, barren road. But then, just one week later, it happened again ...
Blood on his shirt, scratch marks on his back, and a whole lot of excuses that just don’t add up.
Or at least that’s what she claims.
Jimmy Hunter isn’t so sure. A private investigator with a dark, disturbing past of his own, he’s perfectly suited to see through lies.
Only this time, it’s not so easy.
The news says there’s a violent killer on the loose and the local river has a bounty of human remains to prove it.
Is Robin’s husband responsible? Is she telling the truth? Or are they both part of something bigger and more sinister than Jimmy could ever imagine?
225 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 518 reviews
July 24, 2025
I think I need to stop trusting tiktok for book recommendations. Started off really interesting and had a lot of potential but just died off and the ending was just so boring.
June 14, 2025
Saw this book on a booktok thriller page.. big dud.
Story line started out good & I anticipated a big “wow” & was left with… nothing. 👎🏼👎🏼
Story line started out good & I anticipated a big “wow” & was left with… nothing. 👎🏼👎🏼
May 26, 2025
What the hell. This was so bad 🫠 After 526336 mentions of teeth flashing or snarling (THERE’S CANNIBALISM, I GET IT) I’m so annoyed I didn’t just give up and move to something better. Also I guess it was my bad but I had no idea this was part of a series so the “Claire Foley” reveal just sent me spiraling trying to figure out who the fuck she was supposed to be and why I should care. The synopsis of this was wildly misleading and I haven’t disliked a book this much in a while. Sooo many things were left unexplained and other than Jimmy being a somewhat okay character I truly didn’t like a single thing about this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2025
How many more recommendations from a teenager on TikTok saying ‘this is the best book I EVER READ’ am I going to take??
September 24, 2025
What the fuck have I just wasted my time reading? I seen people on TikTok saying this was one of the best books ever with the most jaw dropping twists? TWIST WHERE? was the twist in the room?
It’s very rare I hate a book so much it makes me angry but I am absolutely livid I read this! There was too many characters without names so I couldn’t keep up with everyone, then there was just random people coming in and making a mess? I have so many unanswered questions?! God this was such a waste of my precious free time
It’s very rare I hate a book so much it makes me angry but I am absolutely livid I read this! There was too many characters without names so I couldn’t keep up with everyone, then there was just random people coming in and making a mess? I have so many unanswered questions?! God this was such a waste of my precious free time
August 31, 2025
Reading this reminded me to never trust ‘BookTok’
November 11, 2025
literally nothing happens. you discover a few things then they never get explored. the title is barely even touched on.
July 7, 2025
This is so bad it’s comical. Wanted a quick thriller and this one lacked everything. Bizarre, juvenile, and repetitive. Anywho, since I read the stupid book I might as well tell you about it.
Jimmy Hunter is a former police officer. Currently a private investigator who works both the underworld and the outer world. Rarely is there a plot where they coexist only and do not commingle. Turns out in this one the same bunch controls both.
Robin Patterson has it all. The husband, the money, the clothes, the swanky clubs, the right friends. The truth is she’s in over her head with an inherited lifestyle she wants to escape from. No one escapes, they get butchered. Jimmy is hired to investigate her husband after a string of body parts show up in the waterways and he comes home with blood on his clothes. She plays dumb, knowing he is the butcher and responsible for said body parts. Jimmy risks his life and gives up his resources of a new life to help give her a fresh start.
Ok I made that sound better than it really is. If you read it you’ll be disappointed. You’ll fly through the pages wondering when the twist happens. IT NEVER HAPPENS. The book just ends ;)
Jimmy Hunter is a former police officer. Currently a private investigator who works both the underworld and the outer world. Rarely is there a plot where they coexist only and do not commingle. Turns out in this one the same bunch controls both.
Robin Patterson has it all. The husband, the money, the clothes, the swanky clubs, the right friends. The truth is she’s in over her head with an inherited lifestyle she wants to escape from. No one escapes, they get butchered. Jimmy is hired to investigate her husband after a string of body parts show up in the waterways and he comes home with blood on his clothes. She plays dumb, knowing he is the butcher and responsible for said body parts. Jimmy risks his life and gives up his resources of a new life to help give her a fresh start.
Ok I made that sound better than it really is. If you read it you’ll be disappointed. You’ll fly through the pages wondering when the twist happens. IT NEVER HAPPENS. The book just ends ;)
June 30, 2026
I don't normally leave book reviews, but this one needed my two cents. Take it for what it is!
Like a lot of other people, I picked this up because of BookTok. I've been in the middle of a bunch of long fantasy series and figured a standalone, fast-paced thriller would be the perfect palate cleanser. This book was not it.
The biggest issue is that the synopsis is not what the book is actually about. It barely touches on the fact that Robin's husband is The Butcher. There was so much potential here to dive deeper into the cannibalism, the elitist cult known as The Guild, and the history of how it all started. Instead, those elements feel like a subplot to an entirely different story. Honestly, this feels less like a standalone novel and more like a bridge book that connects one series to another while introducing a new main character.
Jimmy is one of several characters thrown into this tangled web, and from what I can tell, he's a character from one of the author's other series. I pictured him as a modern-day Elliot Stabler—older, grizzled, tough. Instead, he's constantly limping, hurting, and described like he's barely holding himself together. Yet somehow he can break someone's arm, survive an incredibly long-winded knife fight, go on a shooting spree, suffer serious injuries, ignore everyone begging him to get medical attention, and just...walk away fine. It felt incredibly inconsistent.
He's hired as Robin's private investigator after a referral from a lawyer who, halfway through the book, we're casually told she's apparently having an affair with. There's barely any buildup to that reveal. Even stranger, Jimmy never really investigates anything. There's never a satisfying moment where he tells Robin, "You're right. Your husband is involved in something terrible, and here's what I found." Isn't that the whole point of hiring a PI?
Instead, most of Jimmy's story revolves around bouncing between different bosses he works for. We spend far more time with gangs, underground clubs, and nightclub politics than we do with Robin, Michael, or The Guild.
That's what frustrated me the most. The Guild should have been the shining star of this novel—a horrifying secret society full of awful people. Robin is literally the daughter of one of its founders. Why not explore how it began? Why not show more of the organization's influence? Robin herself had the potential to become such a compelling character. She starts off as this anxious wife asking questions, and then there's one scene where it almost seems like she's going to embrace something darker...but instead she mostly just warns her friend that she can't leave. It never feels like she actually grows into the role the story seems to be setting up.
And then there's Michael.
He's The Butcher. He's the title of the book.
We barely see him.
We're told, almost in passing, that he's the one who dismembers people so they can be consumed by The Guild. That's horrifying! Why aren't we learning more about him? Why don't we get chapters from his perspective? Why don't we actually witness what makes him "The Butcher" beyond people simply saying he is?
Then Claire Foley shows up.
She's introduced as this mysterious woman who convinces Jimmy to attend a Guild dinner, and Jimmy barely questions anything she says. Is she helping him? Manipulating him? Working against him? We never really know. She stays mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. Then, at the very end, she finally says her name, which is clearly supposed to be some huge reveal. Without knowing this is setting up another series, though, it completely falls flat. My immediate reaction was, "Wait...was I supposed to know who this is?"
As far as the gore goes, I actually don't think it's nearly as extreme as people make it out to be. I read a lot of transgressive fiction, thrillers, and murder mysteries, and the violence was pretty much what I expected.
What I wasn't expecting—and really disliked—was the animal abuse.
For anyone who likes content warnings: Michael randomly kicks his dog in the face. Later, the dog tries to protect Robin from people searching for her. They stab at the dog, cutting its paw before it runs away...and that's it. We never see or hear about the dog again. That honestly upset me far more than anything involving the humans.
The frustrating part is that the book actually starts off really well. It's fast-paced, intriguing, and had me hooked. A couple's dog discovers body parts. Jimmy sees the news about a possible serial killer. He takes the PI job. It genuinely felt like everything was building toward an intense psychological thriller centered around The Butcher.
Then it just...loses its own premise.
The writing also started to feel repetitive as the story went on. Certain descriptions were used over and over again—people's "bottom lips jutting out," "flashing lights against teeth," "licking lips." It wasn't something I noticed early on, but by the end those repeated phrases really started to stand out.
Ultimately, was this a fun read? Not really.
Could it have been? Absolutely.
There was so much potential here for more intrigue, more mystery, more background on The Guild, more of Michael as The Butcher, and stronger character development for Robin. Instead, it felt like I accidentally picked up an in-between novel whose real purpose was to introduce Claire and set up another series.
Would I recommend it? No.
That said, this is the first book I've read by this author, so I can't say whether this is representative of their other work or if their other series are stronger. I just don't understand why this has become such a popular BookTok recommendation for thriller readers when it doesn't really deliver on the premise it promises.
If you're considering picking it up, I'd honestly pay close attention to the reviews here. I wish I had.
Like a lot of other people, I picked this up because of BookTok. I've been in the middle of a bunch of long fantasy series and figured a standalone, fast-paced thriller would be the perfect palate cleanser. This book was not it.
The biggest issue is that the synopsis is not what the book is actually about. It barely touches on the fact that Robin's husband is The Butcher. There was so much potential here to dive deeper into the cannibalism, the elitist cult known as The Guild, and the history of how it all started. Instead, those elements feel like a subplot to an entirely different story. Honestly, this feels less like a standalone novel and more like a bridge book that connects one series to another while introducing a new main character.
Jimmy is one of several characters thrown into this tangled web, and from what I can tell, he's a character from one of the author's other series. I pictured him as a modern-day Elliot Stabler—older, grizzled, tough. Instead, he's constantly limping, hurting, and described like he's barely holding himself together. Yet somehow he can break someone's arm, survive an incredibly long-winded knife fight, go on a shooting spree, suffer serious injuries, ignore everyone begging him to get medical attention, and just...walk away fine. It felt incredibly inconsistent.
He's hired as Robin's private investigator after a referral from a lawyer who, halfway through the book, we're casually told she's apparently having an affair with. There's barely any buildup to that reveal. Even stranger, Jimmy never really investigates anything. There's never a satisfying moment where he tells Robin, "You're right. Your husband is involved in something terrible, and here's what I found." Isn't that the whole point of hiring a PI?
Instead, most of Jimmy's story revolves around bouncing between different bosses he works for. We spend far more time with gangs, underground clubs, and nightclub politics than we do with Robin, Michael, or The Guild.
That's what frustrated me the most. The Guild should have been the shining star of this novel—a horrifying secret society full of awful people. Robin is literally the daughter of one of its founders. Why not explore how it began? Why not show more of the organization's influence? Robin herself had the potential to become such a compelling character. She starts off as this anxious wife asking questions, and then there's one scene where it almost seems like she's going to embrace something darker...but instead she mostly just warns her friend that she can't leave. It never feels like she actually grows into the role the story seems to be setting up.
And then there's Michael.
He's The Butcher. He's the title of the book.
We barely see him.
We're told, almost in passing, that he's the one who dismembers people so they can be consumed by The Guild. That's horrifying! Why aren't we learning more about him? Why don't we get chapters from his perspective? Why don't we actually witness what makes him "The Butcher" beyond people simply saying he is?
Then Claire Foley shows up.
She's introduced as this mysterious woman who convinces Jimmy to attend a Guild dinner, and Jimmy barely questions anything she says. Is she helping him? Manipulating him? Working against him? We never really know. She stays mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. Then, at the very end, she finally says her name, which is clearly supposed to be some huge reveal. Without knowing this is setting up another series, though, it completely falls flat. My immediate reaction was, "Wait...was I supposed to know who this is?"
As far as the gore goes, I actually don't think it's nearly as extreme as people make it out to be. I read a lot of transgressive fiction, thrillers, and murder mysteries, and the violence was pretty much what I expected.
What I wasn't expecting—and really disliked—was the animal abuse.
For anyone who likes content warnings: Michael randomly kicks his dog in the face. Later, the dog tries to protect Robin from people searching for her. They stab at the dog, cutting its paw before it runs away...and that's it. We never see or hear about the dog again. That honestly upset me far more than anything involving the humans.
The frustrating part is that the book actually starts off really well. It's fast-paced, intriguing, and had me hooked. A couple's dog discovers body parts. Jimmy sees the news about a possible serial killer. He takes the PI job. It genuinely felt like everything was building toward an intense psychological thriller centered around The Butcher.
Then it just...loses its own premise.
The writing also started to feel repetitive as the story went on. Certain descriptions were used over and over again—people's "bottom lips jutting out," "flashing lights against teeth," "licking lips." It wasn't something I noticed early on, but by the end those repeated phrases really started to stand out.
Ultimately, was this a fun read? Not really.
Could it have been? Absolutely.
There was so much potential here for more intrigue, more mystery, more background on The Guild, more of Michael as The Butcher, and stronger character development for Robin. Instead, it felt like I accidentally picked up an in-between novel whose real purpose was to introduce Claire and set up another series.
Would I recommend it? No.
That said, this is the first book I've read by this author, so I can't say whether this is representative of their other work or if their other series are stronger. I just don't understand why this has become such a popular BookTok recommendation for thriller readers when it doesn't really deliver on the premise it promises.
If you're considering picking it up, I'd honestly pay close attention to the reviews here. I wish I had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2026
As a wise animated bunny rabbit named Thumper once said - “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
Therefore I shall not be writing a review for this book, all I will say is one star was overly generous, thankyou and good night x
Therefore I shall not be writing a review for this book, all I will say is one star was overly generous, thankyou and good night x
June 7, 2025
Needed a palette cleanser and this was weird and gross and a bit silly/dumb. Lost the plot a few times but sometimes you need a book that you can absorb in a few hours and be done with it.
March 12, 2026
One star is one too many for this turd of a book.
May 1, 2026
I need to stop trusting TikTok recommendations
September 8, 2026
This book had SO MUCH potential but the plot was so lost about 70% through😭 I wanted to hear wayyyy more about the Guild and Viox genomics but I was disappointed. I'm glad we got some crumbs at the end, but I wanted more.
August 30, 2025
What the hell was the point? Everything was predictable. There was no thrill. There was no ending. There were no answers. No twists. No turns. You are given random ass characters placed in random ass situations with no explanations. What with the guild? How did it start? Why would anyone want to willingly be a part of it? If it’s so dangerous why would they bring a random ass person to a party and the cry about the consequences later? Then out of no where more mysterious people show up who are more mysterious than the other people but you never learn who they are just that at the moment they seem like less bad guys than the bad guys. No explanation of who or why. The ending what a joke. It’s like the author got tired of writing and was like okay we are done here let’s wrap this one up. I can’t believe I wasted hours (maybe 4-5) reading this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2026
Hate hate haaaaaaated this book. I’m so annoyed that I sat through pages of unnecessarily graphic descriptions and had to read about dogs being abused, only for absolutely nothing to come of it in the end. TikTok convinced me to pick this up, and I seriously wish it hadn’t. Save yourself the time and skip. 🚫
August 21, 2025
I didn’t even bother finishing this, I was so incredibly bored. I’ve never left a book 80% read but couldn’t put myself through the torture of another page of predictable, uninteresting writing.
Did Not Finish
February 18, 2026TikTok has bamboozled me again and with the same author too. SMH that fact that I didn’t learn my lesson before is beyond me. I don’t even know how I got 43%in but I’m dnf’ing this.
March 13, 2026
So disappointed! I don’t even know what I just read. The story makes no sense. It’s like reading a long run on sentence.
June 29, 2026
Is something afoot? Did she have a hand in it? (IYKYK) 3.5 ⭐️
Jimmy Hunter has done many jobs in his life, now in his 50’s his work consists of money collecting and part time PI. This leads him into the world of criminals, The Guild and all that it encompasses. A job for an old friend leads him to meet Robin, who at first impression leaves him wondering about the woman behind the facade. His investigating takes him into the direct path of The Guild where it becomes apparent they are a nefarious selection of elites who have a penchant for humans in one way or another.
“𝒯𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝑒 𝒥𝒾𝓂𝓂𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒷𝓈𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓌?”
Finished this in one sitting, to start with it seemed to jump quite a lot from one POV to another but soon settled into an intriguing story of human trafficking, m^*rders, deceit, betrayals and his meeting with Claire Foley. I quite enjoyed this storyline, the different aspects of his work, a delve into his past and his ability to seek the truth. It did remind me a little of other crime thrillers.
Jimmy Hunter has done many jobs in his life, now in his 50’s his work consists of money collecting and part time PI. This leads him into the world of criminals, The Guild and all that it encompasses. A job for an old friend leads him to meet Robin, who at first impression leaves him wondering about the woman behind the facade. His investigating takes him into the direct path of The Guild where it becomes apparent they are a nefarious selection of elites who have a penchant for humans in one way or another.
“𝒯𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝑒 𝒥𝒾𝓂𝓂𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒷𝓈𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓌?”
Finished this in one sitting, to start with it seemed to jump quite a lot from one POV to another but soon settled into an intriguing story of human trafficking, m^*rders, deceit, betrayals and his meeting with Claire Foley. I quite enjoyed this storyline, the different aspects of his work, a delve into his past and his ability to seek the truth. It did remind me a little of other crime thrillers.
August 14, 2026
Zag dit book op Tiktok, waar het werd aangeprezen met de claim van een hele grote plottwist. Misschien was dit de reden dat ik de “twist” zag aankomen, maar overall is dit echt niet een goed geschreven boek. Ik bleef hopen op iets onverwachts waardoor het verhaal logisch zou zijn maar dat kwam niet. Het verhaal gaat alle kanten op zonder je echt te pakken, en het einde slaat helemaal nergens op. Would not recommend at all. Gelukkig was het een kort boek
July 17, 2025
I just about couldn’t finish. Who was the editor? Can’t have had one. The first time the author used wreaking I was confused. The third time, I finally figured out they meant reeking. I no longer trust book tok. I expected cannibalism which wasn’t a deal breaker. Just very poorly written.
October 29, 2025
1 star is way too many for this book.
January 7, 2026
TikTok is a liar.
this is horrible .
I am so sorry to the author, but tik tok over hyped your book
this is horrible .
I am so sorry to the author, but tik tok over hyped your book
April 2, 2026
Not an ounce of logic to be found
Did Not Finish
May 30, 2026No.
August 6, 2026
Yeah I don’t know. I needed to know the end, so I read through it pretty quickly. At the end of the day, I can’t read about rich people being evil anymore. I have enough of it in the real world.
September 16, 2026
This was more painful than spending 74 hours in labour.
I couldn't even tell you what happened because so much happened but nothing happened??
The book description does not match the plot.
Robin hires a PI to follow her husband because he comes home covered in blood, but she knows what he's doing because she's part of it. I don't get it. Nothing made sense, it was all over the shop, quite frankly it was honestly just awful.
I couldn't even tell you what happened because so much happened but nothing happened??
The book description does not match the plot.
Robin hires a PI to follow her husband because he comes home covered in blood, but she knows what he's doing because she's part of it. I don't get it. Nothing made sense, it was all over the shop, quite frankly it was honestly just awful.
March 7, 2026
Se siente como un episodio de detectives que alguien está viendo en la tele, es mala producción y mal diálogo pero lo sigues viendo por los cliffhangers. El personaje principal es un hombre blanco y "viejo" y se nota por la forma en la que describe a las personas, en especial a las mujeres. El otro personaje con relevancia es la mujer que tiene 0 personalidad pero está ahí para que pueda existir la historia.
May 17, 2026
The last time I listen to TikTok for thriller recs😂 this genuinely had so much potential with the plot but the chapters were so random and disjointed it was literally not making sense! Towards the end is just seemed pointless and boring I had lost complete interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 518 reviews