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

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I hate to give The Butcher and the Wren such a low rating because I think it has great potential, but it's just not quite there. Dr. Wren Muller is a Forensic pathologist in Louisiana. She is seeing cases she has not seen before. The serial killer leaves clues about this his next body drops. However, seems oddly familiar.

People look for patterns that aren’t there because they are scared shitless. They can’t handle that they are just as likely to be scooped up by a totally normal-looking psychopath as the victims were, so they make this crap up instead.” On a more personal level, she differs from me in her ability to let herself feel her emotions and feel them hard. I tend to push emotions away immediately while in work-mode, and it was important to me that she be strong, but real as well. I love how she can both experience her emotions authentically and focus on her bigger picture of speaking for the dead. 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

The RRP is the suggested or Recommended Retail Price of a product, set by the publisher or manufacturer. The writing is a lot of telling and not much showing. It's choppy in most places with bouts of info-dumping and repetitive descriptions of the hot NOLA weather. Too many short sentences one after another can take the reader out of the story. It could benefit from a lot of appositives and basic reworking to look more presentable to the reader, but this is just my opinion since most readers wouldn't mind. The Butcher and the Wren is already one of the buzziest titles of the Fall. If you somehow haven’t already heard about what the big twists of the story are already, do your best not to find out until you get the chance to experience Alaina Urquhart’s debut for yourself.” - Lacy Baugher Milas, Paste Magazine If I could give one big mark, it's definitely that the readers would LOVE to see Wren develop, or do anything outside of work. Since we don't see Wren as an actual person with interests or personality traits, we need to see more interactions. Even in the one scene where she goes out to get drinks with her friends, I was left feeling incredibly *cringe* at the topics of conversations and overall vibes of the scenes. (read below)

Set in the alluring and sultry Louisiana, New Orleans, surrounded by the swamps and bayous, historic landmarks, jazz, music, food, heat and humidity, tarot card readings, and of course, ghosts, the dead, the cemetery, and a serial killer, all set the mood. 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 As an autopsy technician by trade, the author offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue with expertise. THE BUTCHER AND THE WREN is the perfect addition to the author's portfolio with her Morbid Podcast — an author to watch. I cannot wait to see what comes next, and my fingers are crossed for a series. #CoverCrush As a proud Weirdo, I was so excited to have the chance to read this novel from one of my favorite podcasters, and it did not disappoint. I cannot wait to read what happens to Wren and the gang. MO: So, I’m a big fan of Bones, but I know that entertainment can get things wrong. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to fictional autopsies?

I know some people have issues with her descriptions of Louisiana. Having family there and being very familiar with the state, I do see these points. BUT it's really hard to write in a climate that's not your own, so I do give her props to writing in a setting she is not familiar with). Moving on...

In deep Louisiana, a serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation is completing his most ambitious project yet. The media call him 'The Butcher' - and, so far, he's proved impossible to catch.Some of the sentences are so beautifully and intricately constructed they sound like poetry. Alaina is able to simultaneously give believable voice to a cold, calculating, rage-filled, torturous serial killer and a smart, determined, eminently capable forensic pathologist. Her two real-life careers as an autopsy technician and the host of a true crime podcast allow her to infuse both sides of the story with a feeling of authenticity that draws you into their world.

There ware so many things in this plot that make no sense. How did Jeremy have enough time to bury Emma, then dispose of another body under the stage, and then the police had enough time to find the stage-body and get to the coffin in time?? Why was Wren the one digging with a shovel when she literally had cops with her who were using their bare hands?? Why was Wren allowed to go to Jeremy's house after he literally broke into her home and made it personal?! Why were the cops twiddling their thumbs in the last scene so he could escape and I would be tortured with the possibility of a sequel to this??! I want to preface this by saying a HUGE thank you to Zando for this #gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review! I practically cried when I received this beautiful book mail last week. I have wanted a copy of The Butcher and the Wren ever since hearing about it on Morbid a few months prior. 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. 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. Dignity is key in both my work as a true crime podcaster and as an autopsy technician. For example, I always try to part the victim’s hair in a way that allows me to make the necessary cuts without damaging their hair. Just like the person on my autopsy table is a human being who has people who love them, the people we discuss on Morbid are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, and friends. Gallows humor has a place in the death industry, to allow workers to cope with the sometimes suffocating sadness that comes with the job, but it can never be in relation to the victim. While on the podcast, I maintain a more fact-based/clinical tone to avoid having the stories of real victims feel like exploitative entertainment, in my fiction, I allow myself a bit more creativity in my narrative style.A Psychological thriller that takes you in the mind of the killer, and the ME who desperately wants him caught. The Louisiana bayou holds many deadly creatures, including a killer who is set on taunting authorities and making no mistakes. However, Wren Muller is on the case and she has yet to fail at solving a case. As their stories intertwine however, Wren must face the demons of her past or else she will let down those who can no longer speak that lay on her table in the morgue.