I’m a man who has two sides. The first side is sarcastic, devious, and self assured. That side can’t be rattled. But then there’s my dark side, the side that kills.The police are desperate to find ‘The Silent Butcher’ who’s killing people across Hollywood. The Silent Butcher is the name they’ve given my dark side, the side that kills for comfort.Yet, here I am, playing myself on a stage for the … on a stage for the world to see. They’ll never suspect that the man playing the killer is actually the killer they’re hunting.
Irony at its very best – Desmond.
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A serial killer who’s an actor playing himself on television. As far as covers go, that’s a pretty good one, and having an investigating detective on set for accuracy doesn’t hurt either. Think Dexter with flair and a bit more specificity where victims are concerned. Desmond is charismatic, sexy, a smooth talker, and a ladies man – and he knows it. He’s incredibly arrogant, which makes for some interesting time inside his head. The point of view goes back and forth between Desmond and Detective Samantha Holloway, and things move at a rapid clip as the Silent Butcher claims another victim. This is a book about a serial killer, so it certainly has its dark moments, but there’s an interesting contrast between that and lighter, even humorous scenes as Desmond interacts with others. Then we get an intriguing twist and cliffy, which definitely left me wanting more. I’ll be interested to see where this story goes in the next part.
3.5 stars!!
This is book one of the “Played” series (I believe). It doesn’t end in a cliff hanger but it doesn’t really have an ending so book two is a must.
This book had such a great story line that once I started I devoured it. I really enjoyed all the characters and the different views from the main good guy and the main bad guy. This would have made for a hell of a full length novel but with it being as short as it is it was basically spelled out for us. I felt kind of force fed. But there are so many unanswered questions that I am hoping the next book just takes off!!
This is a shorter book aka a novella and it read as such so if you enjoy that kind of thing this is a must in the suspense world!!
** I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.**
It’s captivating I could hardly put it down.
I loved it because I couldn’t guess the plot twists! I cannot wait to read the next book.
Desmond Kurtshaw is a famous actor who unfortunately lost his parents in a car accident when he was a child, this left him in the foster system where he suffered at the hands of many different people. Taking revenge forms a part of his adult life but years later acting the part of the ‘Silent Butcher’ takes on a whole new meaning.
Desmond really is a twisted character, one who freely admits he has issues. He certainly has a healthy regard for his own appearance and sex appeal. He is definitely a ladies man who has no intentions of forming any type of relationship, well it would be difficult seeing as he has a secret life! Detective Holloway sums him up well-“No one could ever love Desmond Kurtshaw as much as Desmond Kurtshaw loves himself”.
This is quite a strange little story, we know who the murderer is, why he does it and his method but it’s not until the end do we get a glimpse of how he gets away with it. That ending sure is a good twist! I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I love when an author keeps herself out of the genre box and that’s exactly what this author does. This well written dark read is wonderfully written and executed. But she doesn’t stop there. It’s undoubtedly a series so be prepared for a cliffhanger but nope it doesn’t stop there either. The detective on the case is another part of the story with the workplace and co-workers. It’s an all around story with flashbacks that keep the story in full on action mode where you don’t want to miss anything. I can’t wait to see the additional twist and turns before it all comes to a head. One thing for sure is this author is gonna make it worth while.