Presenting The  Butcher’s Blessing by Ruth Gilligan. Reviewed by The Literary Voyeur for In the Stacks.

The Butcher's Blessing is a brand new literary thriller by Irish author, Ruth Gilligan. Told in a series of flashbacks, the events of this novel take place on the borderlands between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland in 1996. It is during this time of unprecedented Irish economic growth that traditional Irish agricultural practices collide with the greed that comes from modern financial opportunities. At the center of this tale are “The Butchers,” a select group of eight men who roam the countryside, upholding the ancient practices of cattle slaughter. Impacted by their arcane rituals are the families of the butchers, a photographer who is determined to document their practices, and a band of criminals intent on making the most of the rising Irish financial tide, but it is the horrific violence inflicted on one of the butchers will haunt each of them for years to come.