In Jennifer Hillier’s The Butcher, Edward Shank’s public persona as a heroic police officer falls away as the violent reality hidden inside it is exposed. The book shows how a badge, a leadership title, and long-standing community trust can hide predatory behavior. Edward uses the authority from his long tenure at the Seattle Police Department to commit and hide decades of crime. Instead of disappearing from the public eye so as to continue killing, he steps further into it, using his notoriety as a shield while he uses his insider knowledge to further his crimes.

From nearly the beginning of his career, Edward builds his heroic persona on a lie. He begins his career as the Butcher as a calculated bid for promotion, knowing that if he were to capture such a notorious serial killer, he would rise through the ranks. He killed his victims to plunge Seattle into panic so that he could rescue the city and hand them the killer. His plan works perfectly, and he admits that his killing of the supposed Beacon Hill Butcher, Rufus Wedge, in 1985 “had almost single-handedly made his career” (7). As he anticipated, the city’s praise transforms him into a “hero and Seattle legend” (7), and the medal and acclaim that follow lift him into the chief’s office.