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 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.
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Desmond Kurtshaw grew up in foster care abused, lived on the street worked hiss way up to being the outstanding actor he is today living in Beverly hills. He is damn good at his craft, but he a violent darkness that he keeps inside, drinking Bourbon keeps it from coming to the surface. One night he sees a woman hit her child, and he snaps, the violent urges he keeps at bay comes out and after that there’s no keeping it in.
Six years later he’s still doing what he does best, acting and killing those that deserve it. He’s great at both talents leaving no clues behind for the police. Now he has a new acting gig playing non other than his dark self “The Silent Butcher”. He is excited to be playing himself on TV because who else could do it better. The network has hired on an officer to help keep the show authentic and Desmond finds it entertaining to become friends with her and be kept in the loop of what they have and don’t have on his secret pastime.
I can see why this book gave a lot of people ‘Dexter’ vibes but besides the fact that they both are vigilantes, killing those who don’t deserve to walk the streets, they have drastically different outward personalities. Desmond is not your friendly next door neighbor guy who you can ask for a cup of sugar. Desmond is handsome and a smug asshole who knows he’s the best and acts like it. I will admit though his bluntness made me chuckle one more than one occasion.
“So fierce, Detective. There’s so much sexual tension between us, you really should just let me ravish you. It may help dislodge the stick that’s firmly stuck up your perfect ass.”
Aspects that negatively affected me where the fact that its ONLY 100 pages. I wanted more especially from a book that isn’t labeled a novella. It sort of just ended on what I guess could be a cliff hanger but could have just been the middle of the novel. Also, I got how attractive Desmond is the first few times it was brought up but him being constantly surrounded by insanely hot people and randomly thinking about having sex with them felt unnecessary.
Played is my first Candace Dowds novel, and I was impressed and it definitely surprised me in a good way, I am looking forward to the next book, to see what Desmond gets himself into.
4/5🌟
OnceUpon_A_BookDream 