Butcher, Baker

The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer

By: Walter Gilmour, Leland E. Hale

Narrated by: James Fouhey

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

The horrific true story of serial kidnapper, rapist, and killer Robert Hansen’s reign of terror 

As oil-boom money poured into Anchorage, Alaska the city quickly became a prime destination for the seedier elements of society: prostitutes, pimps, con men, and criminals of all breeds looking to cash in. However, something even worse lurked in their midst. 

To all who knew him, Robert Hansen was a typical hardworking businessman, husband, and father. But hidden beneath the veneer of mild respectability was a monster whose depraved appetites could not be sated. From 1971 to 1983, Hansen was a human predator, stalking women on the edges of Anchorage society - women whose disappearances would cause scant outcry, but whose gruesome fates would shock the nation. After his arrest, Hansen confessed to 17 brutal murders, though authorities suspect there were more than 30 victims. 

Alaska State Trooper Walter Gilmour and writer Leland E. Hale tell the story of Hansen’s twisted depredations - from the dark urges that drove his madness to the women who died at his hand and finally to the authorities who captured and convicted the killer who came to be known as the “Butcher Baker.”

©2011 Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Must read!

I been anticipating the release of this book. I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and the Knik River/Jim Creek were my high school stomping grounds for partying and off-roading, so the details the author described in this book about Alaska are spot on, this book is well written and captivating all the way through for you true crime fanatics. If any of you are curious about the scenic beauty of Alaska where these horrific crimes took place, YouTube "Jim Creek Alaska or Knik River off-roading."

I had no idea about the full extent and details of the evilness of Robert Hansen and his crimes that were committed in that area until now. Definitely worth the credit and highly recommended. Good job author 5stars!

Great entry for serial killer true crime

This is a really good entry for Audible's serial killer true crime offerings. It's not as good as some other audiobooks here, but it is interesting if you're looking for something that's a fairly fast listen.

So, why isn't it as good as some others here? Well, a lot of the book seems to be a somewhat clinical recitation of Hansen's crimes, and the investigations into said crimes. There isn't anything that really speaks to the urgency of the situation, or the horrors that his victims faced. This book needed more first hand accounts from the families. Also, the narrator, while not bad, was mostly monotone throughout. The only time he was able to stretch himself was when he was speaking as the killer, which didn't happen often.

All in all, this is a good (but not great) audiobook.

Snore

sadly, it's well researched but poorly paced. The narrative is all over the place, making it hard to follow, and even harder to care. Shame as it seems like a fascinating case.

The narrator is atrocious

I'm surprised by the positive reviews of this book. If you are looking for a narrator who will lull you to sleep with the driest monotone and complete lack of inflection, this book is for you. I don't even know how you take a case this interesting and make the book feel like it's intellectual cardboard. Please save yourself the agony of this narrator's voice, lest you become a victim too when you die from boredom.

couldn't follow

couldn't follow the story line. Maybe I got bored with it and that was the reasoning. would have returned for another title but unable to...

Overall a solid tru-crime, finally something new!

I enjoyed this as I learned many new details about a case that had been more mystery to me before. supposedly the most prolific SK from Alaska, Bob Hansen fit the well known profile. The "family man" and local business owner, seemingly the perfect representative citizen of which any ambitious town would be proud to claim. Hidden behind the facade of the all-American business owner and family man, he held an evil obsession with breaking all of society's rules... including the most heinous crime of all. He had the perfect system worked out over years of honing his craft. Offer a young, beautiful dancer or escort big money for a quick "job" then kidnap, bind, and rape the victim. The insidious plan had a second act, if all worked according to the plan, whereby he would secret them away to his hunting grounds deep in the Alaskan bush with his plane, and ultimately release the victim only to quickly track her down like human prey. Bob Hansen is truly one of the most horrific mass murderers or serial killers of the modern age. I only wonder if his predecessor Israel Keyes used Hansen as a muse or role model...

If you are a fan of the genre, you will enjoy this book. The reason I didnt give it 5 stars was because it somehow lacked the "urgency" or dare I say "thrill of the chase' that some of the greats have had, like Anne Rule's Stranger, or M W Phelps book about "Happy Face"
Aside from that personal opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I will read it again, and as I said in the title, FINALLY SOMETHING NEW! I'm always excited to see new tru-crime come to audible!

Master Storytelling

Superb narration. You will not forget you read this book. Scrambling now to buy any other books from this author and narrator.

Terrible narrator

The overly dramatic narration really took away from this book. It's probably a great book, but I had to stop listening a quarter of the way through because the narrator was very annoying. I've listened to other books that were narrated by the same guy. He's generally overly dramatic, but this one was just terrible. It really took away from the story.

Zzzzz... Zzzzz...

well performed but it was a 4 hour story squeezed into 9 or 10 hours.

Butcher Baker

Very interesting and the person reading the book did an outstanding job really enjoyed listening to this book.

Butcher Baker

not very interesting too drawn out for me cudnt wait to finish reading had too cut short