The Butcher’s Son

From this adrenaline-powered thriller’s opening chapter, set in a seedy Boston bar, McKenzie (Speak the Dead) catapults the reader into a complex and gripping story that revolves around Ian Quinn, the owner of a child protection service called Children First in Portland, Ore. Ian was abandoned by his father when he was just a young boy, so he’s startled to receive news that his father has just died and left him an inheritance of sorts: the keys to his grandfather’s old butcher shop and a note bearing the cryptic message: “Sorry for everything, son, but it’s your burden now.” The fast-moving plot throws out new questions and fresh possibilities at almost every turn. What happened to Ian’s sister? Why did his father disappear? What kind of man was his grandfather? How has the death of his daughter, a murder victim, changed him? The answers lead to an ending that packs a surprise punch. Witty dialogue, two-fisted (when necessary) action, and emotional depth lift this thriller well above the genre average. [em]Agent: Amy Moore-Benson, AMB Literary Management (Canada). (Sept.) [/em]