Slaughterhouse

** Content warning: This book discusses suicidal feelings. ** It's the anniversary of the date he lost his family and Jack doubts he'll ever find those responsible. Depression has taken hold, and he pulls out his Beretta for the last time. As he fingers the trigger, Ray shows up with the identity of the man who'd killed himself in Jack's house weeks before, leaving a note simply saying, "I'm sorry." Jack soon finds himself dragged into San Francisco's underbelly and his life threatened at the hands of the city's deadly Chinese gang, the Jade Dragons. When things become more dangerous, Jack must keep pushing forward, even knowing it could mean his death because the gang's leader, Li Zihao, may have the answers Jack's looking for—who destroyed his family and what happened to Leah. Is Jack ready for the truth? Jack has coped through previous holidays, but this one feels different. It's been four years since he lost his family, and clues to finding those responsible have dried up. Hopelessness has him so tightly wound that he's often driven out of his claustrophobic apartment before the ever-present black dog of depression drags him to a place where there's no coming back from. Jack wants to be left alone with his sorrow, but when he's offered double his fee by the wife of one of the city's most elite families, how can he refuse? She wants him to follow her husband, Franklin, as she suspects he's cheating and needs photos to get around the strict prenup. Franklin leads Jack across the city to The Majestic Lounge, the Castro District's most popular gay nightclub. By the time he finds Franklin, Jack is forced to break up a heated argument between him and club owner, Chad Lucas. Lucas approaches Jack the following day, wanting to hire him for added security during the club's popular annual Drag Queen Extravaganza. The event's usual excitement is marred by the deaths of several of Lucas' friends that authorities are calling suicides. Lucas convinces Jack something more nefarious is going on and agrees to the job. Does the city have another serial killer on its hands, one who's targeting the LGBTQ community? Can Jack find a witness? Surely in the crowded nightclub, someone must have seen something. The Texter Fallen San Francisco homicide detective, Jack Slaughter, closes the door on the home where his perfect family has been brutally snatched from him. Moving across the city, he works as a private investigator to fund his own investigation into what happened to his family—who killed his little girl, Zoë, and where is his wife, Leah? Every three month for the last three years, Jack receives a simple text telling him where he can find his missing wife. There's a body at each location, but none of them are Leah. Jack hates missing person's cases, but they're his bread and butter. He only takes the case to find Carl Boyd's missing wife because the details of her disappearance closely match Leah's. He hopes by finding Bonnie Boyd, he'll find his own wife. The Butcher Following the leads in the Bonnie Boyd case, Jack discovers someone has been killing women all over the city for the last three years, a fact Jack's ex-partner and still best friend, Ray Navarro, has neglected to tell him. The city has a serial killer and officials haven't been able to find a single lead on the person they've dubbed The Butcher. Could Bonnie Boyd's disappearance be linked to The Butcher? More important, was Leah one of The Butcher's victims? Could he have gone so far as to murder a child? With every clue Jack weaves together, the more his own life unravels. The Texter Fallen San Francisco homicide detective, Jack Slaughter, closes the door on the home where his perfect family has been brutally snatched from him. Moving across the city, he works as a private investigator to fund his own investigation into what happened to his familywho killed his little girl, Zo, and where is his wife, Leah? Every three month for the last three years, Jack receives a simple text telling him where he can find his missing wife. Theres a body at each location, but none of them are Leah. Jack hates missing persons cases, but theyre his bread and butter. He only takes the case to find Carl Boyd's missing wife because the details of her disappearance closely match Leahs. He hopes by finding Bonnie Boyd, he'll find his own wife. The Butcher Following the leads in the Bonnie Boyd case, Jack discovers someone has been killing women all over the city for the last three years, a fact Jacks ex-partner and still best friend, Ray Navarro, has neglected to tell him. The city has a serial killer and officials havent been able to find a single lead on the person theyve dubbed The Butcher. Could Bonnie Boyds disappearance be linked to The Butcher? More important, was Leah one of The Butchers victims? Could he have gone so far as to murder a child? With every clue Jack weaves together, his own life unravels even more.