The Butcher and the Wren: A chilling debut thriller from the co-host of chart-topping true crime podcast MORBID

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Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the chart-topping show Morbid: A True Crime Podcast . As an autopsy technician by trade, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue. Alaina hails from Boston, where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost puggle named Bailey. She is about 75 percent coffee, and truly believes she and Agent Clarice Starling could be friends. It's been years since the Gray Man's first mission, but the trouble's just getting started in the latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. This book opens with the reader knowing the villain and murderer right from the start. Jeremy/Cal is a twisted individual. His methods of killing and torture are truly horrifying. Wren Muller is the medical examiner that has to do all of the autopsies on the Bayou Butcher's victims. The media has dubbed him the Bayou Butcher because all of his victims are tortured, and eventually murdered in the Louisiana Bayou. Urquhart] uses all aspects of her familiarity with crime, corpses and the practices of forensic pathology to write convincingly about the showdown between a serial killer and an ME. Her setting is especially absorbing, from the haunting darkness of the bayou at night to the rising fears of the characters’ fellow parishioners…. I found that mid-book twist delightfully astonishing—and I’m hoping to read more from her.” - Doreen Sheridan, Criminal Element

AU: I love watching autopsies in television shows and movies. Though I’m a firm believer in suspending my disbelief for the sake of storytelling, I can’t help myself from occasionally yelling out, “That’s not how they really do that!!” From the co-host of chart-topping true crime podcast Morbid, a thrilling debut novel told from the dueling perspectives of a notorious serial killer and the medical examiner following where his trail of victims leads I never said it was his sole intention. I just don’t like my abilities being tested by some gutless asshole who thinks he’s Hannibal Lecter or something.”

I was concerned to learn that the author has written this book without visiting New Orleans and I think the story does suffer from this. Throughout the story there’s nods to NOLA but these seem very stereotypical – swamps, the heat, visits to a mystical woman who does Tarot readings on Bourbon St, a longwinded explanation of the NOLA cemeteries and the list goes on. None of these elements serve to add atmosphere to the story, and this could really be set anywhere. Urquhart paints a tense and dangerous world for us right from the start and delivers it all with a skilled and evocative hand.” - Aaron Mahnke, creator of the Lore podcast and author of The World of Lore series

Another read in one sitting for me, The Butcher and The Wren is massively addictive and has definitely filled that "serial killer thriller" void for me. As body after body piles up on Wren's examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.As much as I love #morbidpodcast I wanted to love this book instantly, and I hate to admit that it was hard for me to get into, BUT the twist?! HOLY CRAP Y'ALL. Thank goodness the ending left room for a sequel #needtoknowwhathappensnext However, this book was an insane let down for me. I rate it 2.5 stars, but am rounding up to 3 in the name of Goodreads.

Wren: I didn't necessarily like her but I did like that she was a strong woman and a forensic pathologist, not a police detective.To me, this felt more like a beta read. Which would make for a GREAT novel because the bones are there and there is SO much to work with/ add on. But since this almost the final copy, I am not sure how these plot holes, flat characters, and underdeveloped storylines will be fixed in time of pub date? Before writing her first psychological horror novel, she received degrees in criminal justice, psychology, and biology. When she isn't hosting Morbid, she hosts the Parcast original show Crime Countdown, and a horror movie podcast called Scream! Her days are usually spent either recording or eviscerating. The wa Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the chart-topping show Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. As an autopsy technician by trade, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue. Alaina hails from Boston, where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost puggle named Bailey. She is about 75 percent coffee, and truly believes she and Agent Clarice Starling could be friends.