The Butcher’s Prayer
by Anthony Neil Smith

Rodney Goodfellow watches his friend kill a man, and then volunteers the unthinkable – to carve up the body with his butcher’s knives in order to get rid of the evidence. But the victim’s girlfriend escapes halfway through the butchering, sending Rodney and the triggerman, Charles, on the run.

Charles is unhinged, flying high on meth. When it’s clear that escape isn’t a realistic possibility, he chooses chaos. He goes back looking for a little revenge, with Rodney and the girlfriend first on his list.

Hosea Elgin is a fallen preacher turned police detective…and Rodney’s brother-in-law. When he realizes Rodney is involved, he’s sickened, but he’s got to keep searching for his fugitives. He weighs loyalty to his job against loyalty to his family.

Rachel Goodfellow is Rodney’s wife and Hosea’s younger sister. She worries that Rodney might come looking for her in his time of need. He’s the father of her two children. Could they ever be a family again? Will her love for him overcome her revulsion, or will she be the one to turn him in?

And what about Hosea’s father, a Pentecostal pastor, and older brother, the pastor’s right hand man? Would they choose family over justice and give Rodney refuge in spite of Hosea?

Hosea and his partner are on the prowl, trying to find Rodney and Charles before they can kill again, but he never expects his own family to stand in his way. Ties are strained, faith is tested, and there has to be a breaking point.

5 out of 5

I’m a huge fan of noir fiction – but it’s an easy genre to miss the mark in. This absolutely hit it out of the ballpark. There was plenty of tension, a colorful cast of characters, and a plot that keeps you turning pages. I was impressed by how dark and compelling the story was, truly embracing the meaning of noir. The author has a unique voice, and puts his own twist on the genre. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future, if this is any indication of the caliber of his work. Perfect for those looking for a somewhat gritty, and very dark read.

June 8th, 1996

Forgiveness was out of the question. Not after what he’d done.

No matter he’d been filled with the Holy Ghost, spoken in tongues, washed in the sweet blood of the Lamb.

Rodney Goodfellow was fucked.

Four in the morning. He fled the scene in his pickup soon as they saw the girl had escaped. He left Charles behind, let him find his own way out.

Blood on Rodney’s clothes. His butchering tools abandoned in Charles’ garage on a vinyl boat cover, the work they’d done once the meeting went bad.

Rodney’s truck was steamy, no A/C. His glasses fogged up. He rolled down the window. The June air on the Mississippi coast rushing by at seventy miles per hour was as cool as it was going to get all day. Most of his sweat was from fear, though.

They were coming for him. Bet the call had already gone out: Rodney’s name, description, make and model of the truck. Armed and dangerous? He was neither, but that’s what they’d tell all those cops out there, itchy with adrenaline.

Supposed to go different. Supposed to be a simple negotiation.

Charles’ fault. Charles had pulled the trigger. Charles had ended the man’s life. All Rodney did was…

So, yeah, no forgiveness. God himself was like, “Dude, sick.”

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Anthony Neil Smith is an English professor and crime novelist, born and raised in Mississippi, now teaching at  Southwest Minnesota State University. The Butcher’s Prayer is his fifteenth novel. He loves cheap red wine and Mexican food.

You can visit his website at http://www.anthonyneilsmith.com or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.