Published: Dec. 09, 2010
Words: 82,409 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452413655

Short description

A newly divorced nurse, her son, and their Rottweiler named Lucy-Fur just moved into the house where 'Buxly the Butcher' killed his family. Young Michael and the babysitter, find themselves forced to uncover the truth of what happened, because the ghosts of those victims are on the haunt, and not everyone is who they seem. Even the dead!

Extended description

The Butcher's Boy won the Silver Medal at the "2011 Readers Favorite Awards" for Horror-Fiction

A Paranormal/Chiller by Michael Robb Mathias

Thirty-one years ago, Buxly the Butcher went to trial for killing his entire family. He was found guilty, and sentenced to die for those crimes. Now, Janet Hale, a recently divorced nurse, has purchased the house unaware of the brutal murders that took place there so long ago. (Read more) The Butcher's Boy won the Silver Medal at the "2011 Readers Favorite Awards" for Horror-Fiction

A Paranormal/Chiller by Michael Robb Mathias

Thirty-one years ago, Buxly the Butcher went to trial for killing his entire family. He was found guilty, and sentenced to die for those crimes. Now, Janet Hale, a recently divorced nurse, has purchased the house unaware of the brutal murders that took place there so long ago.

From the moment she, her eleven-year-old son, and his overprotective Rottweiler move in, bad things start to happen. A strange man is caught lurking in the back yard, and the only neighbor turns out to be a crazy old widow. But not everything is going wrong. During the move, Janet meets a handsome charmer. She likes him enough to start dating again, leaving a sitter to watch over her son.

When Michael, and his dog, Lucy-Fur, learn firsthand that their home is haunted by one of the victims of the Butcher's grisly act, Michael scours the internet and the local library to find out what happened back then. Maggie, the sitter, brings over a Ouija board and they soon find out that there is more than one dark spirit on the haunt.

Can Lucy-Fur protect her boy from the angry ghost that wants to possess him? Can Michael fight through the madness and terror to find out what really happened? If he does, maybe the tormented souls can be put to rest and his mom can keep the house that she seems to love. If he fails, he just might become one of them. With the help of Maggie, and a burned out house painter, Michael is going to try. The problem is, not everyone is who they seem... even the dead.

This isn't your average haunted house novel.

The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb... Take a slow ride into terror!
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Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

thriller, horror, suspense, murder, ghost, haunted house, scary, killer, chiller, legal thriller, terrifying

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Reviews

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Review by: Linda on Aug. 21, 2012 :
Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes


How would you deal with sadistic ghosts possessing your house and those you love? Michael is an eleven year old boy who has this problem and he’s compelled to discover why they are in his house. He does research and learns that a gruesome murder was committed in his new home. Michael is aided by his faithful dog, the fierce Rottweiler Lucy, his kind baby-sitter and a recovering handyman. They decide to hold a séance to communicate with the ghosts and find out why they are there and how to get rid of them. Bit by bit the story unfolds.

The Butcher’s Boy was written by M. R. Mathias under the pen name of Michael Robb. M.R. Mathias has written a total of six books, five fantasy and one horror. This book falls into the horror genre, and it contains many paranormal themes. It is told as a third person narrative from many different characters point of view, but primarily from that of the central protagonist, Micheal.

The Butcher’s Boy catches your attention from the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat for a wild and scary ride. A variety of things happen in this book including possession, murder, kidnapping and redemption. I really liked all the characters, especially Michael. They were well developed and I thought their actions and reactions were realistic. The ending was exciting but brutal and I thought maybe a bit cheesey.

This is a standalone book with a well thought out plot that builds to a crescendo. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading scary, gruesome books.

For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Sandy on Dec. 12, 2011 : (no rating)
They set the scene up for you and present to you the grisly details of what went down and now we move forward into the present-day. Don't get me wrong, what went down surrounding that house was not a typical, everyday family event and it was in no means something to be forgotten. Someone had to be blamed for that event but after all was said and done in the courtroom, were the dead really safe in their wooden boxes and were they all tucked in tight? In the end, Janet just wanted a good deal on a house and her son, Michael was trying to find his roots again after the divorce. Little did both of them know, their world would be shaken with seances, mysterious deaths, and floating objects. The drama takes off right from the beginning and does not end until the reader is totally sucked in till the end. The characters all take an active role in the solving the mystery and I enjoyed all the different elements from the courtroom, to the house scenes, to the park, to the ending - there was a good flow and I didn't feel lost. I think the title could have been more creative but it fit it's purpose here. It was a creative idea and I enjoyed it- I'm glad I read it. I didn't think there was a lot of gore considering the action that was occurring in the book but that's my opinion.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Misty Rayburn on Oct. 17, 2011 :
Thirty-one years ago, Buxly the Butcher was tried for murdering his family. He was found guilty and sentenced to die for those grizzly acts. Now a newly divorced nurse has bought and moved into the house, completely unaware of what happened so long ago.

The transition to a new life for Janet and her son Michael seems to go well. Janet meets a handsome charmer and decides she likes him enough to start dating again. She leaves Michael with a babysitter. Fueled by tales of the house being haunted, Michael and his babysitter begin doing research and the deeper in they get, the more they find that no one is who they seem.

I have read a lot of thrillers in my time so it’s really hard to get me engaged to the point where I get the chills. This book did it! Michael Mathias’ use of description, storyline and plot twists take you on a dark ride where you just HAVE to know what happens next. The night I first started it, I didn’t want to put it down for that very reason. What more could you want? It’s suspenseful, you don’t want to pull away from it and it’s gory! All things anyone who loves a great horror novel looks for. I’m really glad I picked this one up and chose October to read it. It was perfect for Halloween and now I’m looking for something to beat it!

Thank you to Michael Mathias for the review copy, it in no way influenced my review.
Michael Mathias was a Booster for The Top Shelf for the month of October. That in no way influenced my review.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Lisa Cruz on Sep. 07, 2011 : (no rating)
I was freaked out from reading the first few pages. Very well written and always kept me guess on who was doing what and why! Glad I took a chance on this type of book and look forward to more...FREAKY to say the least!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Erik Gustafson on May 28, 2011 :
Wow that was a creepy ride! Really liked the ghastly plot twists and characters. A very different perspective on ghosts that really worked well!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: lynda lutz on May 08, 2011 :
I enjoy the horror/suspense and gore of this book. It is not just shock effect, it adds to the depth of the story. I will be reading this author again.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Pippa Boreham on March 10, 2011 :
Right from the first page I was completely hooked. The Butcher Boy is an amazing piece of horror/suspense. Michael Robb’s treatment of the supernatural is so picturesque you feel like you are there in the midst of the action, it makes ones heart beat faster. The gore is blood chilling but Robb's handling of it tasteful, the characters are well formed and the twist totally fantastic. This author knows his craft.

5/5
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Tracey Alley on Feb. 25, 2011 :
If you're looking for something light hearted then I definitely can't recommend this book. The Butcher's Boy grabs you from the first page and does not let go until the wonderfully shock ending. It's a pulse pounding, page turner. The characters are so realistic and the inclusion of Lucy the dog is a touch of sheer genius. If you enjoy paranormal ghost stories you will LOVE this one. I'm not usually a fan of horror but Michael Robb takes you on a roller coaster ride that is unbelievably chilling.
Highly, highly recommended
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: J.C. Phelps on Feb. 21, 2011 :
This book didn't take long for me to read because I was totally engrossed in the story. The Butcher's Boy is the perfect mixture of paranormal, horror and gore. It grabbed me from the very beginning and held on until I reluctantly read the last pages of the book. The story is told from the point of view of different characters but the flow between them was done very well and felt perfectly natural as I was pulled along. I definitely recommend this book!
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: Dawn Judd on Feb. 21, 2011 :
Of course I love a good ghost story, but this is so much more than that. The ghosts of the past aren't the only mystery entangled within the story and it doesn't take long to figure out that something is amiss. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I realized there was so much more to it. Truly a brilliant piece of work.

P.S. The product placement of The Royal Dragoneers was a hoot! Thanks for the laugh Michael!
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: readingfanatic1 on Dec. 09, 2010 :
4.5 out of 5 stars.

You know a book is good when a particular scene will play in your mind repeatedly. I remember watching the Shining and seeing Jack Nicholson dragging his leg through the maze with that ax. It was not the gore, the surprises, or the story that was memorable; it was that particular scene and the methodical slowness in which Jack dragged himself through the maze. It scares me to this day.

The Butcher’s Boy has that same quality to it. Certain scenes keep playing in my head making this book very memorable and very scary.

The Butcher’s Boy is not a book of immediate horror and gore, but a slow building up of the terror. I was concerned at the beginning, fearful for Michael and fearful for the dog. Yes, the dog. I have a thing against dead dogs. I expect humans to die in horror books, but do not kill the dog.

The basic story is a divorced mom, her son and their dog move into a house that was the sight of some very horrific murders (ok, I know, what murders aren’t horrific?). You think you know what is going to happen and that this book will be like so many other horror and supernatural books about scary homes. However, it isn’t your classic scary home ghost story. The author puts some twists in the story that made it refreshing and pleasantly surprised me.

My only complaint was Michael sometimes didn’t act like an 11 year old. At times, he came across adult like and it seemed the author forgot he was only 11.

Overall, an excellent story. Be prepared for some gore especially near the end.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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