Shirley Jackson meets Never Let Me Go with the wild west setting of Westworld in this suspenseful small-town horror novel of oppression, heartbreak, and buried anguish.
“Immersive, original, and unflinching . . . A satisfying, blood-spattered exploration of justice and vengeance.” —Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and The Return
When Lady Mae turns 18, she’ll inherit her mother’s job as the Butcher: dismembering Settlement Five’s guilty residents as payment for their petty crimes. An index finger taken for spreading salacious gossip, a foot for blasphemy—no one is exempt from punishment.
But one day Winona refuses to butcher a 6-year-old boy. The leaders, known as the Deputies, come to Lady Mae’s house, and, right there in the living room, murder her mother for refusing her duties.
Within 24 hours, now alone in the world, Lady Mae begins her new job. But a chance meeting years later puts her face to face with the Deputy that murdered her mother. Now Lady Mae must choose: will she flee, and start another life in the desolate mountains, forever running? Or will she seek vengeance for her mother’s death even if it kills her?
Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Andrew Michael Hurley’s Devil’s Day, The Butcher is a page-turning horror dystopia infused with melancholy, humanity—and society’s maddening acceptance in the face of horror.
