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The Boatmore Butcher Paperback – August 31, 2023
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As the island starts to slip into hysteria, our villain goes to gruesome lengths to keep their identity a secret. Able to hide in plain sight, the killer is out for revenge as they close in on their prey. Can they escape the wrath of the Boatmore Butcher?
- Print length382 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 31, 2023
- Dimensions5 x 0.96 x 8 inches
- ISBN-101943201900
- ISBN-13978-1943201907
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A chilling tale of calculated murder and revenge - a visceral masterpiece."
- Lezlie Smith aka The Nerdy Narrative
"THE BOATMORE BUTCHER is more than just a slasher. An epic tale of labyrinthine detail, where the charming seaside setting is immediately tinged with blood. With brutal and inventive kills, no one is safe-don't let your guard down til the very last page."
- LAUREL HIGHTOWER, Author, Crossroads
"...a spectacular debut, just why readers are obsessed with true crime stories. Fiction doesn't get any better than this." - TheCoycaterpillarReads
5 out of 5
"gruesome, bloody, and visceral...The plot is tightly woven and keeps us guessing until the end." - whatyoutolkienabout
5 out of 5
"I lost a whole night's sleep to this book as I just couldn't stop reading, I loved it and I am sure any fans of horror books or gruesome crime thrillers will enjoy this book as much as I did." - Inked Book Reviews
4 out of 5
"...a chilling read that will make your heart pound...I was hooked..." - Tea Leave and Book Leaves
5 out of 5
"...I commend the author for a remarkable debut. The narrative is replete with riveting, unexpected moments from the very outset...artfully explores themes of grief, trauma, and the intricate process of coping with loss." - Rajiv's Reviews
4.5 out of 5
"This was quite unlike anything I've read for a long time...A brilliant read." - book_a_holic17
5 out of 5
"...this is one of the best horror stories I have read for a while and I will remember this for some time to come." - kaz_loves_books9
5 out of 5
"This is everything you want and need to feel the terror...It properly freaked me out, and I was glad I wasn't home alone." - penfoldlayla
5 out of 5
"...great characters, twists, gruesome scenes, tense moments and definitely has you wanting to play detective...a really gripping and enjoyable read that was very hard to put down!" - paigesworldofbooks97
5 out of 5
"This was a really good read. Very well written. Couldn't put it down." - sue.wallace1974
4 out of 5
"The mystery surrounding the killer in the beginning was the perfect anchor to keep me reading...would love to watch a movie adaptation of the book." - inkbound_dreamer
5 out of 5
"OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK. AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GOTHIC, CHILLING, GRUESOME, AND PAGE TURNING EXPLOSE MUST-READ HORROR!!!" - bookwormwhitlock86
5 out of 5
"The murders were brutal, gory, and sadistic, but oh so clever..." - alittlemixofvix
3.5 out of 5
"The Boatmore Butcher is definitely a no-holds-barred descent into the pits of Hell." - Jazzy Book Reviews
3.5 out of 5
"Brutal, bloody, but very creative...packed with shocking twists and turns, it will make your hair stand on end." - ramblingmads
Product details
- Publisher : AM Ink Publishing (August 31, 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 382 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1943201900
- ISBN-13 : 978-1943201907
- Item Weight : 14.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.96 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,388,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,957 in British & Irish Horror
- #116,447 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2023"We're just too easy to lose, especially if we don't want to be found, and even more so when someone else doesn't want anyone to find us."
A slasher that completely shatters the mold, a bloody spree that rampages across a small, isolated island - an island that has become the hunting ground of THE BOATMORE BUTCHER.
I have always said there was a predictable formula when it comes to slashers, whether they be movies or books. It sounds negative, but while it is predictable (bodies dropping everywhere, collateral damage in the extreme), you still don't know where or when our murderous killer will appear or how they might slay the next victim. That's the fun part! This is what I expect, this is what I want when I read or watch a slasher.
L. Stephenson does something outside the norm. Slashers don't usually take the time to endear the main character(s) - you tell yourself, don't get attached, everyone is going to die - but you absolutely cannot help but fall in love with the residents of Boatmore Island. The chapters flip back and forth between the perspective of the residents (usually featuring one or all three of the paramedic characters of Liam, Martin and Ben) and the Butcher. The paramedics and their friends and family are lovable, relatable and hilarious. They reminded me of that comedy show, Sirens - honestly, I could have a read a book just about the lives of the people on the island because there was some interesting bits of spice that raised my eyebrow more than once.
Because I loved these people so much and I was so interested in their lives (especially the gossipy bits, lol), I found my heart rate racing with each page turn because as I was learning about Boatmore, a place where people on died due to natural causes or accidents, one bizarre murder leads to several. The crazy thing is - the Butcher wasn't technically killing these people - he was rigging the victims in a way that when the paramedics would perform life saving techniques, THAT was what caused the actual death. The island descends into absolute terror, paranoia and hysteria.
Perhaps my favorite aspect is that readers are given the why. I have always wanted to know why the serial killer(s) started their spree - what was the trigger that finally set them in motion? How did they choose their victims? How is it they are able to hide in plain sight and avoid detection for decades? Huge thanks to the author for answering all of these questions and giving such a unique spin to the backstory of the Butcher.
No matter how many times I've read certain sections of this book, I always get caught up in its fast paced momentum - I scream at the characters like the words on the page are suddenly going to change and someone will do something different. It's unusual for a thriller like this to hold me in its thrall on a reread - I typically only get that wrapped up in the thrill of the kill the first time through.
It felt so good to read the final chapter of The Boatmore Butcher.
It may be the end for the Butcher (we slasher fans know the slasher always comes back), but I hope it is only the beginning of what fans can expect from author L. Stephenson.
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2023I love the Slasher genre. My favourites are Friday 13th and Scream so when I read the blurb to this one I was more than excited. This is truly as close to a movie slasher you can get in book form and while it is gruesome, bloody and visceral it works so well with the genre. The plot is tightly woven and keeps us guessing till the end.
The thing I really liked was the writing style but more than this the characters. It’s easy to argue in the slasher genre that characters are often not fleshed out (pun not intended) or given too much of a personality past the basics – what’s the point? They won’t survive so there’s no need right? Well Stephenson breaks the mould and makes the characters believable, fleshed out and human. They have personalities and you can easily get attached despite telling yourself not too.
Tied to that is the way that our Slasher is given a why? and also given a sort of distorted humanity. We know why and what is motivating them. Of course, I am not saying this means they have the right to go around on a massacre but it does explain WHY which I do feel, as a fan of the genre, sometimes leaves you a little flat. I still love the genre though! But Stephenson takes it that extra mile and to me that made it perfect. As always no spoilers but that ending was also just beautiful and perfect.
I will say if you are not one who can stomach the gruesomeness you expect with a slasher it won’t be for you. Stephenson evokes the blood bath and crime scenes to perfection. It might make your skin crawl but in the best possible way for this genre. Stephenson was a new author to me but I will be checking out their other works since I am in love with their writing and the way they build characters and bring them to life right off the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2023“I decided to change what I saw in those boys. By cutting and mutilating them, they became something else entirely. We all went under the surface, but none of us came back. We are just what's left. We’re the goners…”
When I was younger, I would stay up late on the weekends and catch a Slasher movie on cable. It was basic cable so the movies were heavily censored, but affective none-the-less. I felt like I was witnessing something I wasn’t supposed to see. At the same time, I couldn’t turn my head away. The set-up. The suspense. The different creative kills. All with the same outcome. Brutal.
This was of course before I discovered I actually enjoy reading. I’ve read many genres under the horror umbrella, and unfortunately the most disappointing happens to be the Slasher novels. Not because they’re poorly written or not suspenseful, but mainly due to not being able to recreate that feeling I once had witnessing something horrific, for my pleasures of entertainment.
Until now.
L. Stephenson is giving us his view of how the Slasher genre has affected him through his lifetime, in the form of “The Boatmore Butcher.” This is an organically grown A-1 quality of a trilogy combined to make one helluva slash-tastic novel.
I’ve read many forms of this story from the original entry, The Goners, to part two and wrapping it up with the finale, and it’s been fun seeing how it has grown and developed into a must read for all fans of horror and suspense.
Parts of the story gives you that adrenaline rush, making you feel your heart in your neck, while sweat forms over your brow. Other parts pull at your emotions as you read innocence lost in a split second. You literally find yourself yelling at the pages, “Don’t go in there!” and “The killer is right there!”
"You're not one of my boys. Back under the surface you go."
It’s all fun, in that sick and psychotic way, that makes family members whisper behind your back and question if they should seek help for you, or for themselves, before it’s too late.
Stephenson delivers the proper dose of blood and suspense that reels you in from the start, and will have you questioning your own sanity by the time the final words are read.
What you are getting with this novel is years of work and fine-tuning and polishing, delivering a heart- splitting, emotionally draining, ball kickin’ gut wrenching story from an expert on the world of Slashery. Yes, I just made that word up.
On the Island of Boatmore, no one is safe, and no one is innocent. Everyone has secrets and guilt, and only the true Butcher decides who survives.
Top reviews from other countries
- EmmaReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars
I need a nap!! I’m exhausted - positively destroyed! This book IS a roller coaster of a ride. Going along at a moderate, thrilling pace and then BAM it takes off, your stomach drops and you are looping the loop to wild times!! And those times go hard! It was so exciting! Don’t be fooled when the author lulls you into a peaceful sense of safety because at any given time, shit is about to go down!
When it’s a crime thriller, it’s a crime thriller and when it’s a slasher oh boy it’s a slasher. Best of both! Go get it. Why? Because I said so!!
- David SReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Horror Island! Brilliant.
As an avid traveller, I’m always curious about the locations a book might be based on. In the case of The Boatmore Butcher and the island town of Boatmore, itself – I think I will leave it to the imagination! The things that happen there are macabre and demented. This book is positively ghastly…but bloody brilliant!
- S. C. HayesReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read!
Stephenson clearly loves the slasher genre. And elements remind you of dark crime thriller movies from the 90s. This, I think, is where he excels. And when it comes to his graphic descriptions and menacing depictions of human brutality, he handles this with precision, care, and without embellishment.
You'll be torn: in some moments, you'll want to launch the book across the room in abject horror, yet simultaneously, you'll be glued to the page and won't be able to stop reading...
A particularly refreshing note was how the story never had some overblown 'end game' finish. The climax was befitting of 2 broken-down enemies. Quality through and through.
Definitely worth the read!
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Suspenseful Horror + Page Turner
A Good Suspenseful Horror
Couldn’t put it down! Read it in just 2 days. Suspenseful at times. Horrific in others! What a ride! This was the perfect treat for Halloween season!
- Luke p allanReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice one!
I bought this one because the cover reminded me of the Hannibal books. Not quite Hannibal Lecter but I’d still hate to meet this guy in a dark alley! I like my serial killers and this was a decent one, so I think I’ll be checking out more of this guy’s stuff when he brings it out.