From the author of KILLING THE BEASTS comes the second novel in a compelling new series set in Manchester, starring detective Jon Spicer
'The Butcher of Belle Vue' has struck again. Like the first two victims, the third has been partially skinned and dumped on waste ground, her muscles, tendons and ligaments exposed to view. Only this time, her face has also been removed.
Jon Spicer and his new partner, Rick Saville, are on the investigating team. The case is waiting for its first breakthrough when a woman approaches Jon insisting that she heard 'The Butcher' claiming his third victim in the next-door room of a run-down hotel in Belle Vue. But all she has to back up her story is a business card that she recovered from the empty room the following morning - it's from a local escort agency and the name 'Alexia' has been scrawled on the back.
Jon's investigation takes him into the twilight world of Manchester's escort agencies and the unscrupulous cosmetic surgery industry, ultimately forcing him to confront the propensity for violence that is inherent within each of us - even within himself.
Chris Simms is married with four children and works as a freelance copywriter. His acclaimed novel KILLING THE BEASTS was selected as a Best Crime book for 2005 by SHOTS magazine. His second novel PECKING ORDER was selected as a Best British crime novel by Deadly Pleasures magazine. Chris Simms lives in Marple, near Manchester.