This was quite an interesting read. It's written like a diary, giving the reader a first-hand look inside the author's mind. There are some very graphic and disturbing scenes inside, and I admit a few times I almost stopped reading. Horrifying scenes aside, this was well-written, (which is why I'm giving it a 4 and not a 3), and if you've ever wanted an unfiltered look inside the mind of a serial killer, you've found it. If you have a (very) strong stomach, and you're a bit true-crime obsessed, then you'll likely find this quite the enjoyable read.

This book was not what I expected after reading the synopsis. Very little is told of Doc’s years as a paramedic during 9/11 and the COVID pandemic, but is more focused on his childhood. The book ends within his teen years. It is all over the place time wise. I believe Doc died from COVID, but this could have been edited into a better experience by arranging it into a cohesive time line. Let the book flow from beginning to end.

When I started this book I had no idea the level of detail and darkness of this book. I thought it was going to be a memoir of a paramedic however it was much darker than this.
It reminds me of Silence of the Lambs style of book or American Psycho.
This was difficult to read at times but it was interesting to read.
I am still unsure if this book is fiction or non fiction.

I requested to read this book via netgalley based on the front cover - but what I read, couldn't have been further from what I expected it to be at all.

It was a very dark, gritty read, and I have never read anything like this before. At times the character actually made me feel sick, and I did debate more than once whether I should just give it up.
I am glad I persisted though, as it was a good read although it was a bit all over the place with regards to keep switching from the past to now, to then even further in his past.
Very hard reading and I do feel this may need a trigger warning for some, who like me was expecting a memoir of a real life paramedic and in fact got a paramedic who raped patients - including dead ones 😳

Fast paced book and I really enjoyed it. Good story line and I think people are gonna love it. I would definitely read again and recommend

i wasn't sure if this book really was fiction or based on true life, it was a good read, a bit graphic but keeps you reading.

I received this book on July 5 and it was archived on July 6.. I have been reading and reviewing Netgalley books steadily, but 24 hours was not doable particularly when I had no idea the turn around was so short. My apologies.

I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this but nothing could have prepared me for what I just read. It wont be for everybody and certainly not for the faint of heart. This story will evoke feelings in you that if you're like me you never knew you had.

The writing was excellent but the story itself made me pure sick at times and oh man the main character was one of those type characters who you loved to despise and I did with a passion. Not only for the sickening hateful things he did but how thru his place in society he was able to get away with doing them so easily.

American Slaughterhouse is one of those stories that will sit with you long after the last page and will make you wonder if things like this really could and does happen in real life today? I can honestly say I don't doubt much anymore nowadays. It wasn't even a year ago that I never would have thought I'd be having to wear a mask everywhere I went!

When I started to read this book I thought I was going to enjoy it but the further I progressed through the book I realised that this book wasn't for me. I managed to read to the end but I did have to put it down, read another book then come back to it as I wasn't enjoying it. I got very confused throughout the book especially by the ending. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

A story designed to invoke strong feelings...very strong. The death of a well respected paramedic from the covid 19 virus uncovers his personal diary that is full of secrets that no one would have believed possible for a man whose actions were always considered noble. As the truth comes out, the whole world is shocked by his descriptions of the behaviors he kept so well hidden.
This is not your typical psychological thriller. This is not a book to read while in a room full of people, you will want to concentrate...and take a breather every couple of chapters. Shocking is not a strong enough word for his actions...but there are so few people of this caliber that there really is no word strong enough. Again, this book will invoke strong feelings. And keep you talking about it for weeks.

I started this book with interest due to the premise of hearing firsthand account of an EMT from NYC. Unfortunately, the story quickly becomes appalling and the writing style is awful as well. I really tried to find a redeeming feature of this book but wasn’t able.
The story is a traumatized man who has had a rigid upbringing and then goes off to serve in the military after 9/11. He regards others as objects meant for his scorn or entertainment. Zero empathy or conscience. He has no redeeming qualities as a person. I’m sure that was the point. My problem with this is that it was poorly written and seemed to be a means to degrading all sorts of people who are different from him rather than actually explore PTSD or other social issues related to the trauma the character has suffered. Therefore, not only could there be zero reason to have any compassion for him, there is all the reason to just not waste time listening to his ravings.
Awful and don’t recommend.
#AmericanSlaughterhouse #Netgalley

When an EMT commits rape and murder, I was ready for a nice crime thriller from the antagonist’s point of view. Doc Cage was a war veteran, so I initially assumed that he suffered from PTSD which could have led him to commit this type of crime. That was not the case here; he was a misogynistic sociopath way before he went to war. In fact, the wars facilitated his ability to commit crimes against women.

I do enjoy a gritty thriller about an anti-hero, and I don’t necessarily have to like or even care about the character. However, such a story needs to have a good plot. That is what is missing here. Instead, there is too much reflection which does not lead to any self- discovery.

His account of his time in Sarajevo was interesting, but his thoughts of his time during high school and Mexico were tedious and self-indulgent.

It’s too bad because the story is well-written with graphic descriptions, but there’s just enough storyline for me to recommend this.

Raw, brutal and very graphic is how I would describe this book. The main character had a troubled pass that shaped his future. He was a paramedic, he had been there on 9/11 and has a family but unbeknown to a lot of people he is a sadistic killer.
The book is not for the faint hearted, if you don't like blunt, raw and gruesome writing then its not for you. It held a lot of mixed emotional for me and I really cant say I loved it or hated it. I like the diary style writing and the living in the now vibe.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3456974019

3 STARS. The entire time this week I was reading Doc Cage's <i>American Slaughterhouse</i>, the second of the first two titles by new transgressive small press Audax Books, I kept thinking of the old joke about how Nihilists and Absurdists ultimately say the same exact thing in conversations, the only difference being the tone of voice in which they say it. (NIHILIST [glowering through the smoke of their clove cigarette as they apply another layer of mascara around their eyelids] "The universe is a meaningless void and individual human lives are worthless blips." ABSURDIST [sipping a craft beer in a t-shirt while laughing and shrugging] "The universe is a meaningless void and individual human lives are worthless blips!")

That tells you everything you need to know about the difference between this book and the other of the first two titles by this press, Calvin Loch's <i>Incel Mantis: Diary of a Redpilled Man</i>, which I had a chance to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3438765235">review earlier this summer</a> and was really delighted by. In the former case, Loch understood -- like Jim Thompson, Chuck Palahniuk, and Douglas Coupland have also understood* -- that these kinds of stories about serial killers, told from the viewpoint of the killer themself, need to have a pretty hefty dose of over-the-top outrageousness in order to go down smoothly with most readers; because fiction about serial killers is an inherently absurd thing to begin with, and most readers would generally prefer to lightly float on top of the story as a disinterested witness, not get dragged down into the muck where our raping, homophobic, racist anti-villain lives themself. After all, the creepy glowering goth dude with the clove cigarette has a right to exist, but we all know how excruciating it is to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnT2dilYpJE">get trapped in the corner of the party with him</a>.

Ultimately <i>American Slaughterhouse</i> will have its fans, and these fans will be very satisfied with this book, which is why it's still getting 3 stars from me despite not personally liking it. But to be clear, those fans are the tiny minority of alt-right boogalooers who refer to Tr*mp as their "God Emperor," exchange their Qanon manifestos at 8chan, and consider Fox News to be "just not conservative enough." That makes the book an ultra-niche one for an ultra-niche audience, and not something with a larger and more cross-stream appeal like <i>Incel</i>. The "Supreme Gentlemen" of the world will like this book just fine; but if you'll forgive me for saying so, I myself prefer to laugh and drink my way through the Apocalypse.

*And of course this is to say nothing of the growing number of lesbian and transgender writers in the transgressive genre, from Kathy Acker to Lynn Breedlove and more, all of whom seem to understand this need for absurdity even better than the straight white males who get a lot more attention and accolades. But that's a whole other story for a whole other time.

What an eye opener !! The main character seemed to be a family man who died of covid 19. He served in Afghan after 9/11 and Also various other countries that had troubles, this book had me feeling mixed emotions at times I had to put the book down, it shows how a damaged childhood can and prob will affect your adulthood, and even tho I found it hard to read at times I did enjoy reading it

Very intreseting story about the life of a first responder. Its a very real story. Its raw and about things that really happen. Its not only on tv you see those things. It can happen to you to. It was hard to read sometimes. But i would recomend it very much.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy!

The diary idea is great. It bounces all over the place, but flows nicely. Content is crude and horrific at times, be warned. If someone talking about Hoping their kid commits suicide by twenty or a vivid description of someone pleasuring himself with the death corpse of a minor isn’t something you can stomach...then I suggest you pass this book. It goes deep into the troubled mind of an individual broken down by society on so many levels.

I would have given this book a higher rating if it wasn't for its use of covid. I don’t think using it smack in the middle of a current pandemic is worth it. There were other infections diseases that could have been used. it makes this book seem like it’s craving ratings and takes away from its actual writing and story.

American Slaughterhouse: Confessions of a 911 paramedic is a very wild read. Unrestrained, brutal, graphic. It severely messes with your head and makes you think. Utterly unputdownable as, as twisted as it is you feel compelled to keep reading.

Very controversial.

I couldn't put it down. It reels you in, grips you.

It's sickening, but you must keep reading. Not something I would normally read, but I did.

It's sick and twisted. Messed up and somewhat out there.

Worth a read, but be warned, it's not for the faint hearted or queasy!!

The book was great. It was interesting to look deep into the life of a 911 paramedic who went through hell in life.
Antonio "Doc" Rivera or Cage which ever one you were reading about had one hell of a life be it from war or his home life it was not a life I would wish on anyone.
But it just shows what happens to ones mind in the end.