First published back in December of 2019, US author Mike Duke’s novella ‘The Yuletide Butcher’ offered up a grisly serial killer thriller with a festive twist.
DLS Synopsis:
The Yuletide Butcher had been prowling the streets on Christmas Night for the last twenty years. Each year, the serial killer would take a new victim. Always a vile and sadistic murder that would be found the next morning by the police.
After nineteen murders over as many years, the local police and FBI still weren’t any closer to catching the killer. Whoever was responsible was meticulous and careful. No slip ups. No incriminating evidence left behind. Nothing to provide any viable leads. Nothing to go on, other than the knowledge that come Christmas Night, the killer would strike again.
There were only two aspects that stayed consistent with the murders. Holly leaves were always placed within one of the orifices of the victims. Secondly, the officers always found the bodies sometime after midnight on the morning after Christmas.
Detective Rick Allen had been on the case of pursuing the Yuletide Butcher for almost twenty years. At first the FBI had thrown a wealth of manpower and resources at trying to track down the killer. Over the ensuing years the FBI’s involvement had diminished consistently. This year, all the FBI provided to Allen was one solitary agent – Michelle Hawks.
Meanwhile, forty-eight-year-old Jack Randall has had enough. His wife, Cheryl, was at it again. Nagging. Taking him for granted. Constantly in his ear and on his back. Jack was well and truly sick of it. Sick of her bullshit. Sick of the sight of their obnoxious teenaged offspring.
Jack Randall wanted out. Away from Cheryl, away from this their family, away for it all. And this Christmas was the perfect time for it. This year, he’d rid himself of them for good…
DLS Review:
What better time to read a festive serial killer thriller than during the run up to Christmas? Essentially, what we have with Duke’s ‘The Yuletide Butcher’ is a messed-up cross between ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ (1988), ‘Se7en’ (1995) and ‘Falling Down’ (1993), only with a fucked-up festive twist to it.
It’s only a relatively short novella, at just over fifty pages in length. As such, the story launches straight into the thick of things, with absolutely no waiting around and no unnecessary padding within any of narrative.
The story’s set over a period of three days, running from midday 23rd December, until 5:30am 26th December. In fact, each chapter is timestamped at a particular point over these three days – taking us almost hour-by-hour through this suspense-filled run up to Christmas and the inevitable discovery of the 20th victim of the Yuletide Butcher.
Like with ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ (1988), we see both sides to this catch and mouse chase. Of course, we follow Detective Rick Allen and FBI Agent Michelle Hawks as they desperately try tracking down the killer before he or she can strike again.
We also follow Jack Randall. Yeah, let’s be honest, the fact that the story also follows him and his ‘Christmas Eve meltdown’ is a bit of a giveaway who the Yuletide Butcher might be. Honestly, this really isn’t a spoiler. It’s kind of accepted as a known plot point from the outset.
As I mentioned, it is only short, and so there’s not a huge police investigation detailed before Randall’s up to his old tricks again. Although, much of the pre-murder build-up follows Randall’s meltdown and subsequent plans. We see him hooking up with a local prostitute that he knows and then making plans to cash out his investments and get the fuck out to some other country, starting afresh and leaving everything else behind.
When the big ‘Christmas Night’ finale arrives, Duke doesn’t disappoint one bit. This sequence of serial killer horror that follows is harsh, gruesome and brutally executed for the full blood chilling effect. Honestly, this one makes Terry Lofton’s ‘Nail Gun Massacre’ (1985) feel like a Disney film in comparison.
For a short, sharp, grim and gruesome Christmas read, you can’t go wrong with what Duke’s brought to the Christmas table. A novella that absolutely delivers the festive holiday horror!
The novella runs for a total of 57 pages.
© DLS Reviews
