Till the Butchers Cut Him Down

Sharon McCone #14

by Marcia Muller

P.I. Sharon McCone has struck out on her own and needs all the clients she can get - even a shady character from her Berkeley days. From the moment T.J. "Suitcase" Gordon whisks her off in his private helicopter, complaining of death threats, her life will never be the same....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Detective, Thriller

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Marcia Muller is an American author of mystery and thriller novels.
Muller has written many novels featuring her Sharon McCone female private detective character. Vanishing Point won the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Novel. Muller had been nominated for the Shamus Award four times previously.
In 2005, Muller was awarded the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master award.
She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and graduated in English from the University of Michigan and worked as a journalist at Sunset magazine. She is married to detective fiction author Bill Pronzini with whom she has collaborated on several novels.

Reviews

[SuperWendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be blunt - this isn't as well-written as the previous book, Wolf in the Shadows. Muller uses some short-cuts to move the story forward that smack a bit lazy. That said, I got sucked into this book like whoa-crazy-pants sucked in. There was something about the plot that just hit my sweet spot. That Sharon's first client post-All-Souls would be an old college buddy of dubious reputation. Sharon is confronted by how much she has changed, while still wanting to be loyal to an old friend, and taking the job because, frankly, she needs the money. And while I normally like McCone to "stay" in San Francisco for her mystery solving - I loved the change up of a Nevada tourist trap and a dying Pennsylvania steel mill town.

No, it's not as strong as the previous book, but this worked very well for me.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another Sharon McCone mystery. In Sharon’s first case on her own, an old acquaintance from the past (“Suits” Gordon) hires her to investigate a series of attempts on his life. Along with her new assistant (and nephew) Mick, Sharon delves deeply into her client’s past as a hotshot corporate “turnaround man”, traveling throughout California and Nevada and as far as Pennsylvania.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was on the book exchange shelf at the local Y and I was looking for a mystery to read. As far as I know, I've not read any of this series before. I did feel a bit lost at times. It was a bit of a shock to read that Sharon and Hy are together but not married.

I agree with another reviewer that Sharon McCone's situation is a bit reminiscent of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone--a female PI who splits off from her corporate employer to go into business for herself but still takes some cases from the former corporate employer. I enjoyed Kinsey more than Sharon (at least as far as this book is concerned).

In this book, Sharon is hired by a friend-from-college to find out who is trying to kill him and/or sabotage his latest turn-around project.

What I liked: Sharon tries to help her nephew; Sharon tries to help her friend-from-the-past; the fact that Sharon's former employer has on-site housing options for those that need them.

What I disliked: Sharon gets put between her nephew and his parents and what each of them wants for him; Sharon and Hy are in an intimate relationship without being married--as I think are TJ and Anna; drugs; the situation in Monora, PA; the secrecy of Hy about his whereabouts and business, especially to the woman he supposedly loves.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping tale! Sharon McCone comes to the aid of an old friend from college days. Once a shady purveyor of questionable and illegal goods, "Suits" has become a legendary "white knight" rescuing major corporations from bankruptcy. He asks for Sharon's help when he decides that someone is trying to kill him. Sharon's investigation uncovers many of his secrets, and her life is jeopardized when she's mistaken for someone else. I like the way her relationship with Hy Ripinsky is portrayed, and the way it develops despite the fact his absence from her life is a bigger part than his presence. Sharon's nephew Mick also becomes her assistant in this installment, more through his plans than hers!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCone has finally gone into business for herself. Her first client, T. J. Gordon is a man she has known since college but not seen for the past fifteen years. He is a turnaround expert now and fears that someone is undermining his current project. The investigation leads to deaths, mystery and a very satisfactory conclusion. It is, as are all of Muller's novels, well written and well plotted. McCone and her compatriots are characters worth knowing and mature with time and each successive novel. It is well worth the time spent reading it.

[Katherine Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another early Sharon McCone.

[Diane Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Discarded Library book ... quick summer read

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sharon McCone no longer works for the legal cooperative where she started her career. She has opened her new private investigations company, and her first employee is her high-school-aged nephew, Mick.

Her first client is T. J. Gordon. When she knew the guy from her college days, McCone knew him as “Suits” Jordon. He buys troubled companies, flips them, and resells them. He’s looking at a piece of land he could develop on San Francisco’s waterfront. He has come to Sharon because he’s sure someone has tried to kill him repeatedly.

She takes the case, but not long after she does, Suits vanishes. But even before he vanishes, a terrible explosion rocks his house, and his wife, who looks a great deal like McCone, dies in the blast. Suits tries to buy McCone off by sending her the check in the amount they had agreed on. But McCone and his wife, Anna, had become friends during the brief time they spent together, and McCone redoubled her efforts to track down the woman’s killer.

I enjoyed this more as we surged to the end. And what an ending it is. Stil, McCone’s character leaves me disquieted. Not so much so that I refused to download the latest book in the series, but still, there’s something about her—her politics, her prickly way of dealing with people, I don’t know. Kinsey Millhone is a humanitarian compared to this woman.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best McCone mysteries I have read. Sharon decides to become an independent PI, and her first client (named "Suits") is an acquaintance from college who believes someone is trying to kill him. He is now a corporate turnaround consultant with many enemies. Sharon, with the help of her teenage nephew, Mick, who wants to be a PI himself, tracks down anyone who might have information about Suits and who might want to kill him. She goes to Pacifica, south of SF, to Mendocino, north of SF, to Lost Hope NV, to Menora PA, then back to SF, following leads and unraveling the mystery of who has a motive to kill Suits. The characters are well-developed, the settings are interesting, and the story line is complicated but resolved satisfactorily (except for Anna - what were her motives???).

The title refers to a remark made by Suits on page 83, "The butchers're trying to cut me down." Sharon interprets this (page 129) to mean Suits' enemies (butchers) are trying to kill him (cut him down).

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

PI Sharon McCone is striking out on her own, even though she will continue to use her office at All Souls, and her first case is a doozy. A character from her Cal Berkeley days shows up on her door step and asks her to look into various death threats and sabotage he has received.

A socially awkward man both when she first met him and still in the current day, McCone isn't sure she wants to take on the case that T.J. 'Suitcase' Gordon asks her to do. Now a turnaround man or corporate troubleshooter, Gordon is difficult to crack when she asks questions about his business and the threats. In some respects she's not even sure what he is saying is true - that is until there is a deadly explosion.

Now she is facing a race to fill in the blanks that may lead to the who and why an enemy has become a killer.

This series of books will never be my favorite but its slowly growing on me. Its a good read.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual topic for this series because it centers on the brutal techniques used by a "Turnaround" specialist, Suitcase Gordon, aka Suits, who takes on failing companies, including a steel mill in Pennsylvania.

Written almost 30 years ago, the novel has a lot to say about the people in the dying steel towns of the Rust Belt, It describes a situation similar to Bethlehem Steel, wherein the third generation of owners failed to invest in new technologies and ran the business into the ground. Labor union demands played into it but were not the main factor. Plot is complex but intriguing. Suits did what he had to to make the company profitable for his clients, but did he make a mortal enemy in the process?

Reading it in 2023, when the fallout from the financialization of the US economy has yielded a bitterly divided nation, I may be reading more into this than Marcia Muller intended. Nevertheless....

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful entertaining listening 🔰😀

Another will written romantic thriller adventure mystery novel by Marcia Muller book 14 in the Sharon McCone Series with lots of interesting will developed good 👍 and bad 👎 characters are making Sharon's life full of adventure. The story line is set in San Francisco where Sharon is setting up her own agency when an old friend shows up with a case. The case leads Sharon from San Francisco to Oakland to Smuggler Cove to Nevada to Pennsylvania and back as Sharon tracks down clues to solve the mystery. I would recommend this novel and series to readers of mysteries. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening to books 📚2021

[Gail Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmmm. Not sure that I read this one back when I was first reading this series. The mystery starts when an old college acquaintance hires Sharon, and it takes her to Nevada and Pennsylvania. It has all the familiar folks -- Sharon, Mick, Rae, Hy, Charlene and even Charlotte -- but I don't remember Suits and Anna at all. I was definitely interested in who was trying to kill Suits or Anna or Sharon.. but even more interested in the developing relationships with the repeating cast of characters. It is fun to see how these evolve!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I couldn't help but think of the Kinsey Millhone books by Sue Grafton...the single female PI who has split off to go out on her own from her employer. But Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone character is interesting and this case with her old friend "Suits" in which she's got her nephew working with her is a bit different. It kept my interest!

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this thriller is what hooked me on Marcia Muller 15 years ago. This book answers questions of other books I remember from years ago. One unanswered question is why didn't I read this one back then? Glad I am reading the entire series in order this time.

[Mhd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than straight 3-star but not enough to round up. No veteran mystery fan will miss the twist. And I so dislike unlikeable clients. Otherwise, it's not so bad. I'll keep going with the series...if I don't have other books immediately available.

[Nicole Kellett · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Till the Butchers Cut Him Down” is book 14 of Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone Private Eye series. She is a strong female character and I enjoy her books because of this - they are still releasing new books in the series.

[Debbie Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 2007

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read one of these. It is fun watching the detective getting info by fax and using phone booths.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much I enjoy Marcia Muller.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharon McCone agrees to take a case for an old friend and gets in much deeper than she bargained for. As the series progresses, the plot are becoming more involved and thrilling.

[Jean Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly good airplane book until the very end and it got rushed and confusing.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully complicated plot, interesting characters. I love the way the main character changes and develops.

[Barbara Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading Marcia Muller for years but in no particular order. Whenever I see one of her Sharon McCone series books at a book sale that I haven't read, I buy it. I still have one more in my TBR stack. The reason is that they always are entertaining and I like McCone.

Till the Butchers Cut Him Down is the first one I've read that disappointed me. I'm not sure why. I still like McCone and I find her life interesting. I enjoy her trials and tribulations with her nephew Mick. This story is set when McCone first opens her own business, renting an office from her previous employer, All Souls Legal Cooperative. Her sister has sent Mick to stay with her because they aren't getting along. He's 17 and a computer wizard, which is convenient because McCone has decided to finally enter the computer age. Her boyfriend Hy is off on mysterious business in this one and she's wondering if they will last.

With all of this going on, the last thing she needs is for her first client to be a man out of her past who is anything but likeable or easy to get along with. T. J. Gordon is known to her as "Suits," shortened from Suitcase because when McCone was in college he traveled around with a ratty old suitcase and sold pot. Now he's a multimillionaire who takes companies in big trouble and turns them around, usually successfully.

The story is set in California, a place fittingly called Lost Hope, Nevada, and a former steel town in Pennsylvania called Monora. Then there is Suits' mansion and guest house on the northern California coast. Maybe that's the problem. It jumps from place to place, Suits is a very jumpy person with absolutely no consideration for others, and I was simply uncomfortable reading about him. The story didn't hold my interest like Muller's novels normally do.

This is not to say that it's bad. Not at all. It just didn't fit my mood or something, but you may really like it. I always recommend Muller for a good read, even if like me you read the series out of order.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 3 out of 5]

P.I. Sharon McCone will turn down a job with a shady corporation like RKI, but shady individuals seem to attract her on some level. In this case it's a man she knew from her college days, T. j. "Suitcase" Gordon. He is now a multi-millionaire, earning his money by turning around failing companies through ruthless employee firing and selling of assets. Somewhat a cross between corporate raiders and HR 'Angels of Death', Suits goal is to save companies. As you can imagine, since upper management is as ruthlessly pruned as as the regular workers, Suits has a lot of powerful enemies. Now, he is in San Francisco with a plan to revive the city's moribund port, contaminated and abandoned, when a series of accidents occur that almost kill him each time. In college, he loved McCone from a distance, with the exception of a single party. She literally got drunk one night and woke up next to him in bed, embarrassed and regretful. She forgot him, but he's never forgotten her. He wants to hire her to find out why someone is pushing him in front of traffic, and she takes the case despite not liking him. Perhaps she is curious about a man who despite his wealth has apartments with no furniture or goods, but more likely she wants a distraction from the decisions she is facing in her personal life. As usual, her boyfriend Hy has disappeared on a trip around the world (spying? black ops?) and annoyingly her 17 year old nephew Mick showed up on her porch with the idea of working for her as a P.I. Trainee.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#15 in Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series. Sharon's life went through a sea change in the prior series entry Wolf in the Shadows (1993) and her new attitudes in the present novel. A very satisfying series entry as Muller adds depth to her engaging character (and her enigmatic romance with Hy Ripinsky.

Sharon McCone series - McCone has just left the All-Souls Legal Cooperative and opened her own business when an eccentric friend from her UC-Berkeley days, who now specializes in rescuing failing corporations, asks her to find out who is sabotaging his efforts to save a San Francisco shipping firm and threatening his life. T. J. "Suitcase" Gordon reports some odd accidents, but McCone suspects that the obsessively private man may also be paranoid. She meets Gordon's wife Anna, who could have been her sister, but then an explosion destroys the Gordons' secluded northern California home, leaving Anna dead. With Gordon in reclusive mourning, Sharon investigates two of his past projects, one in a revived Nevada ghost town and another at a moribund steel center in Pennsylvania. Unearthing possible revenge motives and another murder victim, she draws the killer's malevolent attention to herself back in San Francisco.

[Carl R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of amusing stuff in this one. Muller gives us a San Francisco setting with excursions up the coast (Mendo, Garberville, Elk, et al) and out to Nevada and American Rust Pennsylvania. PI Sharon McCone makes a formidable opponent for the bad guys, being a smart, tough woman who can play hardball with anyone. Her romantic life is less believable, consisting mainly of an
attraction for an absentee lover named (of all things) Hy, who is always flying around without notice or explanation. He does put in a couple of fortuitous appearances to lend her a car when she needs one and to bounce ideas off of when she has no one else to talk to.

There are a lot scruples conflicts here, too, moral compromises, that make the reader, perhaps a bit uncomfortable. The copyright date is 1994, so no one has cell phones (she does have a car phone, which she has a hard time using.) which helps create communication complications that don’t exist now. Faxes come in on thermal paper and are all curly and blurry.

Anyhow, Till the Butchers Cut Him Down was an amusing excursion, and I’m off into something else.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was somewhat of a transition book in the metaplot, as it features McCone setting up her own agency and trying to come to terms with her relationship with her beau, Hy. I was afraid that the latter plot wasn't going to be finalized, but it came to a good end (if a cliffhanger, as Hy offers to talk about his secret background just as the book ends).

The actual mystery concerns a college chum who looks McCone up and asks for her help dealing with harassment he's been experiencing. It starts off really slowly, as McCone just treads water dealing with new harassment as it appears. I wasn't loving it much. Then there's an explosive conclusion to the first part of the book and suddenly McCone is on her own and investigating and all is at it should be.

This book was rather interesting for the fact that it sent McCone across the United States, which I think was a first, though it was still bookended with plenty of good San Francisco background. There was also quite a nice investigatory thread once things got going.

Overall, a good book, as I've found generally is the case for Muller.