Goodreads #1 Horror Book to Read in 2026 *
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"The New Testament à la Cormac McCarthy." –Kirkus Reviews
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Haunting visions drive a grieving butcher to hunt down an obese, pre-ministry Jesus to prevent an age of fire and ash.
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But when the Butcher ‘adopts’ a dead newborn, his hunt for the son of Nazareth takes a personal and horrific turn.
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How does one choose between personal redemption and world-wide salvation?
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From Bethlehem to Jerusalem to Nazareth, familiar events and figures are reimagined with a modern sensibility, building to a gut-wrenching conclusion.
A heart of darkness story that explores: fathers and sons, grief, zealotry, and choice.
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ADVANCE PRAISE:
“Unique and unforgettable. A visceral and immersive work of historical horror - masterfully done.” –A.C. Wise, Out of the Drowning Deep, & Wendy, Darling
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"David Scott Hay is a street preacher for the apocalypse and he's written his own Fresh Testament, filled with grisly visions no amount of bleach will ever rinse out from your eyes." –Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
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"Enthralling, gut-wrenching, and bloody, The Butcher of Nazareth is destined to become a literary classic.” –Pedro Iniguez, Bram Stoker Award nominee and author of Fever Dreams of a Parasite
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“The Butcher of Nazareth offers a rare and uncompromising vision—an apocalyptic gospel where faith is questioned, history bleeds, and humanity must answer for what it dares to believe.” –BookLife
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“David Scott Hay has not just written a dark gospel; he has penned a devastating and brilliant meditation on the costs of faith, the weights of choice, and the terrible, beautiful paradoxes at the core of human destiny.”
–Jim McLeod, Ginger Nuts of Horror
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“Strongly imagined and relentlessly told, David Scott Hay’s THE BUTCHER OF NAZARETH stabs a dagger of horror into the murky years which preceded Jesus’ ministry.” –IndieReader 4.5/5 stars
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“DSH’s writing is witty, smart, and precise.” –Chicago Sun-Times
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“DSH has a taut, bristling writing style stacked with compelling ideas.” –New City Journal