Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a really great read. A very evocative setting in the bayous of Louisianna. Great writing and characters with plenty of twists and suspense. I highly recommend this one!

I love a fast-paced thriller and the fact that this one is less than 300 pages meant that it was bound to be a quick, action-packed trip. That’s certainly what I got!

A clever, sadistic killer is operating in the Louisiana bayou and it’s the first case that forensic pathologist Wren Mullers has struggled to solve. While the killer is having fun teasing the police and committing a string of horrific murders, the bodies keep piling up and Wren is about to become embroiled in a vicious chase.

The killer is known by a couple of different names, mostly Jeremy or Cal. He has a love for torture and inflicting slow death, which makes him a special brand of evil. He seems so nonchalant about what he’s doing, which showed me that he’ll keep killing without a care in the world until he’s caught. Perhaps even after too.

There are moments where Jeremy shows his sick sense of humour and it’s easy to see how he can blend in to normal society. He isn’t impressed by notorious serial killers and seems determined to carve out his own identity as an infamous murderer with a fondness for medical experiments. It’s truly spine-tingling stuff but his hauntingly ‘normal’ voice makes it even scarier.

For Jeremy, it is all about gaining and relishing in the power that he has over his victims. This is one reason for him taunting the police and instigating the chase. Knowing that he was lurking out of sight watching two of his victims try to get away from him created such raw suspense that I was completely hooked throughout one particularly bloody scene. He is completely unpredictable which makes him a nightmare for the police but a fantastic subject for a thriller.

The Butcher and the Wren is a short, sharp stab of a book that will leave you wanting so much more. I don’t know whether there will be a follow-up but I really want this shockingly crazy ride to continue.

The Butcher And The Wren is a read that shows you an insight into a serial killers life and mind in a short 250 pages.
The book is set in Louisiana bayou around a serial killer nicknamed “Butcher”. Wren works in the criminology department and is a medical examiner do unfortunately gets to find out what the poor people go through when they have been captured.
I’m not going to spoil it for anyone but I thought it was a decent read, the serial killer was described exactly how I’d want him to be with a kind of love and hate him personality. Wren was a brave and decent leading female and the storyline was quick, at times scary and had a few twists along the way.
This book I’ve noticed has mixed reviews but for me it was a book I wanted to keep picking up and read. A decent storyline that will have me avoiding woods for quite some time.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph and Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a phenomenal read and one that has kept me awake far too late. I was so desperate to read this one. I definitely forced myself to stay awake in order to finish this one. I have devoured page after page in just one sitting.

This is a book that has it all- drama, tension and suspense. I have felt my pulse racing on occasions. This is a book which is completely unpredictable- the events play out with twists and turns that I definitely haven’t seen coming.

I have loved Wren, she is just a wonderful character you can’t help but love. The journey through this has been a rollercoaster. There are dead bodies and missing girls. Jeremy is the perfect “love to hate” individual.

Urquhart writes in a way that you feel as though you know the characters and the setting. This is a pulse racing and completely addictive. I’m literally craving more already.

The ending of this is a complete cliffhanger and I could scream. This being purely because I know I have a wait ahead to see what is going to come next. This is a superb literary masterpiece which will have your heart pounding out of your chest.

This book deserves to be a bestseller and I have devoured this . It’s a book worthy of all the stars and one I will definitely be recommending.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book.
I had trouble reading this due to missing sentences and missing letters but go there in the end.
This is a murder mystery thriller, with a bit of a difference
I like the writing style and loved the story, I really like Wren. But .... how could you finish like that, there has to be another book, it must be a series please.
I would definitely recommend, but am giving 3 stars due to the missing sentences and letters, otherwise it would have got 4.
I want more from this author please, I don't do podcasts!

This is a psychological horror novel par excellence, from the very title you think of the killer, the Butcher, as something heavy, solid and very much flesh and blood.

His name is ascribed by the newspapers, making him an unknown quantity to Wren,creating an aura of myth and fear even beyond the murders he is committing.

As readers, we are permitted an insight into his psyche and I felt tainted by the experience, becoming more agitated by the worry you feel for his 'guests',drugged and kidnapped women and men who he then hunts,kills and displays in the Louisiana region.

Wren implies someone flighty and little without substance , a small bird easily crushed and in this David vs Goliath pitch it is her unique skill set, empathy for the victims and dogged determination that makes her the heart of the story.

The two intersecting narratives drive the suspense as the chapters are short and swap between killer and hunter.

I love the notion of a medical examin34 with criminology chops who will not let those who come to her table rest nameless and unremembered.

Wren's entire focus is on restorative justice and the environs of Louisiana not only provide the wide open spaces where the Butcher can hunt,they provide the markings which will, we hope, lead her to her quarry.

You feel almost like a voyeur following this mystery with deep horror layers of how easy it is for someone to disappear. The dedicated police forces whose team work drives the hunt is so good, the darkness and despair that is felt when they find a victim against a clock and agenda that they are putting together like those blind men,with parts of an elephant, is just the perfect counterpart to the bone deep coldness of the Butcher for whom people exist as a plaything.

So well plotted that I am eager for more,I really enjoyed this thrilling and relatively quick read , Wren is a nre leading character who I hope to see more of in the future!

I had high hopes of this. But sadly I just struggled.
Part of me wonders if my main struggle was due to the formatting. Since there was maybe multiple sentences missing at the beginning of every chapter. Which in turn meant I lost my place a little and struggled to understand what was going on.
After that I just couldn't fully get into the story as I was missing parts.
Maybe a reread with a final edition is needed as the story is usually something I'd like and there was moments where I thought I could enjoy it.

The Butcher And The Wren
Alaina Urquhart

In Louisiana a serial killer known as the Butcher is on the loose and so far has been impossible to catch, However forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller is determined to find this killer and put a stop to any more victims.

The advance write up of this book really caught my attention and I thought I would love this book as I normally do, however unfortunately for me there was just something missing.

I found it very hard going to get into and didn't feel it read easily so took me a while to feel I could start enjoying the story. I didn't feel it gave you much information about the charcters so you never felt connected to them.
There was a major twist half way which then seemed to up the pace of the book and I started to feel like I was starting to enjoy it for it to come to a very aburpt end.
The ending maybe this way to make way for a follow up book, but seeing as the book was a relatively quick read I think it could of been finished in one.

I would like to thank netgalley, Micheal Joesph random house for the chance to read this book before it's publication date.

I don’t listen to any podcast, let alone a crime one, but after reading this book, I have to make some time for it because it can get addictive quickly.

The story is interesting with a fast-paced action and dual narrative, one from Dr Wren Muller, a forensic pathologist and the other from the killer, Jeremy himself.

I always loved having a narrative from the villain pov in any thriller that I’ve read and I loved we got his in this story. It added so much more concept and nuances to the overall story.

It is a quick read with many twists, some predictable and some unexpected. The graphic descriptions of the bodies are expected, I guess, since it is a morgue autopsy and the main character is seeking clues about who’s the serial killer that is hunting the city.

There’s a lot going on in such a short story and there’s a lot that I think still needs to be answered, so I’m hoping for a sequel as that ending was great but left me wanting much more from these characters and story.

If you are a fan of true crimes stories, this one is for you.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

I was definitely intrigued by this book - as it's written by an autopsy technician and true-crime podcaster, I had high hopes that Alaina Urquhart would know her stuff.

I can confirm - she does.

This is a gruesome and fast-paced crime novel that focuses - in alternating chapters - on Dr Wren Muller, forensic pathologist, and the Bayou Butcher, a serial killer plaguing New Orleans. In the claustrophobic heat and inhospitable swamps of the area, the Bayou Butcher hunts his prey and sets out an elaborate game for the New Orleans Police Department...a game that Dr Muller needs to help them play.

As anticipated, Urquhart draws on her own extensive experience within the autopsy suite to bring her story to life - the pathological investigations are detailed, often stomach-churning, but also interesting and apposite. Indeed, I much preferred the chapters focusing on Dr Wren Muller as they furthered the investigation and constructed a character with empathy, intelligence and strength. I wanted there to be more of Wren and less of Jeremy (the Bayou Butcher's real name that somehow doesn't match how I saw him at all - not a spoiler by the way as he features in the first chapter!) The serial killer chapters were disturbing and creepy - as intended by the writer, of course - but sometimes a bit too uncomfortably sadistic and awful.

The plot is well-constructed and manages to pack in some genuinely surprising twists along the way. I liked that, even though we saw a lot of what Jeremy was up to in the chapters featuring him, there were still a lot of things that were unexpected. Most of these twists worked brilliantly, although one left me wondering how it was set up and there were no answers, I liked the ending and hope there is more of Dr Wren Muller to come.

This is quite a short book and I'll admit that I raced through it with bated breath to find out what happened - surely the sign of a good crime thriller.

I'd recommend this to fans of crime fiction who aren't deterred by some really gruesome scenes and being a little bit too close to a serial killer! It's an interesting take on crime fiction from inside the autopsy lab - and Urquhart's work on her podcast 'Morbid' has clearly given her plenty of material to construct a terrifying and plausible killer who can stalk the streets without attracting suspicion.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Forensic pathologist, Dr Wren Muller, is called to a scene which turns out to be a body dump. The injuries on the body of a young woman & the nature of the site are reminiscent of a recent case where the body of another young woman was found. Both had obviously been tortured & had suffered a terrible death, & after the autopsies, Wren is convinced that New Orleans has a serial killer on its hands.

This was a difficult book to rate. On one hand, I thought the plot was good, it was fast-paced, & the chapters from the point of view of the killer were very chilling, however, the main character doesn't seem to have a personality. They were a complete blank - in fact I couldn't tell you much about any of the 'good guys'. Is it ironic that the character with the most depth was the killer?

It's an okay read, but there were several issues including the above. The ending seemed over & done with far too quickly, although it could be that there's a second book or even a series. Also just one more little thing - the overuse of the word 'smirk'. A smirking smile is a particular thing & the use of it in the wrong context is jarring.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

With an interesting premise for an addictive serial killer thriller, this ultimately failed to deliver for me. The characters, especially our 'Butcher', is underdeveloped and lacking in any real motivation behind his actions, which hampered my enjoyment of the story. There also nothing really unique about any of them. I've read this story, seen this killer a hundred times before.

The writing also wasn't to my taste and could have done with some work to make it flow better. It felt very cumbersome to get through at times.

There's potential here - the author clearly knows a lot about true crime, but the characterisations needed a lot of work to make the story stand out from the overdaturated thriller market.

A fast paced, dark, and twisty story that doesn't spare gory details and brought to very dark places. It's told by the POV of the killer and of the pathologist.
It's tense and always kept me on the edge. I have to admit I didn't like being in the mind of the killer and the switch was always unexpected and suddent.
I found it gripping and well plotted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A debut novel from what I believe is a successful crime podcaster, however, I wasn’t aware of her. It was a short quick read, took me a couple of hours, and it was a good book. Told from the POV’ of Dr Wren Muller, a forensic pathologist and ‘Jeremy, ‘the killer’. The killings and some the autopsy details are described in a pretty graphic manner, you have been warned!

Briefly, in the Louisiana bayou a killer is taunting the police as the body count rises at an astonishing rate, but Wren is determined to find him. She has never failed yet. But this time she’s up against a killer who enjoys the game. He doesn’t just kill them. He plays with them. But why? What is his end game?

This is definitely going to compared with the television series Dexter, but that’s no bad thing. The writer clearly knows what she is talking about ‘forensically’ speaking and it was well done. The ending was good and there was a great twist but I’m guessing that cliffhanger is leading on to a second in the series. I hope so. I found it an enjoyable read.

I was halfway in when I wanted this to be a series!

Wren is one of the most developed characters I have read in a while and the character thrives in the book.
The writing is both intelligent and thoughtful and gives you space to work out what you think is coming next, an underrated thing in books.

I loved it and even though I had not listened to the podcast I am now interested in it.

Please let there be another.

The Butcher and the Wren promised so much but, for me, fell apart in the last third. So that's why it's a 3.5 star rating for me.

It pulls no punches straight from the get go. Jeremy (the Bayou Butcher – sound almost familiar Dexter fans?) is one evil S-O-B and the descriptions of his actions are pretty gruesome from the start. It's a story that doesn't shy away from gory detail and the actual first two thirds storms along at an intense pace with short snappy chapters and you just revel in the horror on the page. Pathologist Wren Muller's scenes are likewise very descriptive and as the clues build up you begin to wonder what connection, if any, there is between the two.

And so Part One ends (a few pages to early – but that's just my opinion) and then comes the inevitable – and completely out-of-the-blue – twist. I didn't see it coming (and still don't) but others might and will revel in it. I was just dumbfounded and found myself saying Huh?What?How? out loud.

The pace doesn't slow down in the last third – in fact, if anything it seems slightly rushed with the Butcher and the Wren heading towards what seems to an inevitable meeting of minds.

Without spoilers, the ending didn't work for me. Others may well disagree.

All in all though, the first two-thirds of this are fantastic and everything I want from a horror/thriller book – its the third act that lets it down.

And just because Silence of the Lambs is mentioned quite a few times in the narrative (Wren fascinated by the human body and what happens after death because of the movie) doesn't mean this should be likened to it.

The Butcher and The Wren is a short debut book and its pacing makes it feel very much like the first few episodes of a limited series TV event – complete with a few tunes you can add to a playlist. Others may be thrilled at how it all pans out. I wasn't convinced.

My thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and Net Galley for the early ARC.

Serial Killer Chiller…
A veritable game of cat and mouse ensues in this serial killer chiller narrated from the points of view of forensic examiner, Wren, and the killer. Thus far the serial killer labelled ‘The Butcher’ has proven elusive but can Wren, with her brilliant mind and forensic techniques, outsmart him or her? Disturbing and chilling in equal measure, a promising debut from the co-host of the crime podcast Morbid.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advance copy of The Butcher and the Wren, a psychological thriller set in New Orleans.

A serial killer is working in New Orleans. His murders are violent, leading to the moniker The Butcher, and every one is different. He becomes a bit of an obsession for forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller. How far will she go to catch him?

I found The Butcher and the Wren to be a mixed bag with things I liked and things that didn’t appeal. I like the plot premise, the various things that happen in the novel and a couple of good twists, but I wasn’t so keen on the execution.

It is told alternately from Wren and the killer’s points of view. These are not identified, so the reader has to adjust accordingly every few paragraphs. It’s not confusing, but it’s disorienting to have to continually adjust perspective.

It’s not a long read and packs in a fair amount of bodies and discovery scenes, so this comes at the expense of characterisation. There is quite a lot about the killer’s thoughts, but no real emotion or reason for his actions. At the same time the other characters, Wren and the detectives she works with, are not fleshed out. There is little hint of their likes and dislikes or how they run their lives, so it’s difficult to identify with them. It makes the novel more a litany of events than an absorbing read.

The novel ends in a cliffhanger, paving the way for a potential sequel. I don’t think I would be interested enough to follow up, but that’s personal taste. The Butcher and the Wren is a solid read.

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. A gripping thriller that starts on simmer and builds to a boil. Dazzlingly clever, twisting and constantly surprising. An unputdownable rollercoaster of a read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for the digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was on my highly anticipated list. From the co-host of the true crime podcast Morbid @morbidpodcast I was expecting great things!

And I don't think I was let down. Written from dual perspectives of the serial killer, The Butcher, and medical examiner Wren we got an insight to both the murderer's mind and how and where the the clues took the detectives.

Forensic psychologist and medical examiner Wren has a brilliant mind, she has a shit ton of historical case knowledge and has never been left scratching her head with an unsolvable case. Until now.

As bodies start piling up in her morgue she is stumped. A cat and mouse game begins and Wren becomes a central part of the investigation as The Butcher becomes more and more daring.

I found this an addictive read that I finished in one night. I was hooked from the beginning. Anyone who knows me will know that the descriptive details straight from the morgue and corpses will have sold the book to me. The more disturbing the better!!

One thing I will say is that the small formatting glitch from Netgalley did hamper my reading experience slightly. Because of this I would have preferred to read a physical copy.

I think this could be right up your street if you are a fan of cat and mouse challenges, have a morbid curiosity and love films like Silence of the Lambs! Give it a go.