I love Alaina, truly. She is a wonderful podcaster, human, advocate, etc. I cannot imagine the time and energy that went into this book. While Wren usually has a genial relationship with Police Detective John Leroux, she is a bit annoyed when he laughs off this observation. Frustrated, she tells him: And indeed, The Butcher isn’t some D&D-playing, heavy-metal-listening social outcast skulking around in the shadows. He looks like an ordinary guy, and is even perhaps a little more charismatic than the average Joe. He has an ordinary job and skillfully hides his heart of darkness from most of the people he interacts with. In this, he’s like many of the other real-life serial killers that Wren and her colleagues discuss over the course of the novel, as they seek to stop him from killing again.

The only thing that defines Wren is that she’s a medical examiner and a workaholic. I wasn’t particularly rooting for her. Let's introduce you to Dr. Wren Muller, an over-worked forensic pathologist in the New Orleans area. Every time the sliding doors echo within the examination room, Wren scrunches her shoulders. Maybe a new wing to the Medical Examiner's office will be necessary if they don't catch "this guy"....."this guy" being the latest serial killer who's left his mark for some time now. The detectives have no leads except for the aftermath. No physical evidence or DNA. Just victims. Feisty and well-planned each time. 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 MO: Your protagonist shares your career. What are some differences between you and your main character? The author also insists on mentioning other, famous serial killers throughout the book – everyone seems to be a true crime fan in this story – which is offputting. I was half expecting a plug for the author’s podcast to appear, but thankfully she stopped short of this.Alright, let's pause here. It's obvious that this book was perhaps lightly massaged rather than properly edited. The sad irony of publishing a book that already has an eager and willing audience is that editing isn't necessarily a priority: the publisher knows that it will make money regardless of -- ahem -- talent or technique. I think they actually did Urquhart a disservice by agreeing to publish this mess; she has the writing skills of a ninth grader who just discovered true crime, and with her first book selling so well, it's unlikely that she'll make the effort to improve. 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 True-crime podcast cohost Alaina Urquhart showcases her propensity for the macabre in chilling cat-and-mouse thriller.” - Sabienna Bowman, Popsugar From the popular true-crime podcast MORBID, co-host and creator Alaina Urquhart comes an edgy killer thriller debut, THE BUTCHER AND THE WREN —bloody good!

A serial killer novel like none you have ever read, The Butcher and the Wren takes a cat-and-mouse chase between two instantly memorable antagonists and turns all the conventions of the genre upside down. Dark, twisty, full of authentic detail, it'll have you listening to the night in an entirely different way Neil Nyren, Booktrib Wren is a fascinating character, You will root for her to the end. The serial killer is evil, ruthless, and chilling. Move over, Joe there is a new psycho in town. A short book, which I read in one sitting. Morbid podcast fans and crime junkies will devour! A mix of crime, psychic, and medical thrillers. As body after body pile up on Wren's examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.

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Lobotomies were mentioned so many times as Jeremy's interest but the potential to build up on this was lost. IMO if his whole MO was attempting a successful lobotomy, this whole book would make much more sense. That would be why he was going to medical school, why he tried to paralyze Emily and other victim and why there was a body with a botched lobotomy in his freezer. Try and tell me that isn't a stronger plot?!