The Butcher and the Wren

I can't remember how this suspense story about a serial killer in Louisiana came on my radar, but I thought it was the perfect creepy book review to post on Hallowe'en! This short 250ish page book was written by the co-host of the Morbid true crime podcast. 

This book had a great premise, but its execution left a lot to be desired. It felt like readers are dropped into a story that has already started without them and we're not given background or motivations for either main character. We know next to nothing about Wren, the forensic pathologist or the killer's motives, background or the damage that created this sadistic murderer. The story is pretty much all telling and not nearly enough showing. 

There is a twist, but it wasn't explained well, and I actually stopped reading to try to figure out if the twist made sense within the story. I'm still not sure. There's a quick, anticlimactic showdown which requires readers to suspend disbelief and the book leaves skid marks it ends so suddenly! This left me feeling frustrated and with the sense that the book was missing the last few chapters.

This book had potential up the wazoo but suffered from clumsy storytelling and underdeveloped characters. It was a big miss for me.   

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Alaina Urquhart

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Zando

First Published: September 13, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: 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

Something dark is lurking in the Louisiana bayou: a methodical killer with a penchant for medical experimentation is hard at work completing his most harrowing crime yet, taunting the authorities who desperately try to catch up.

But forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is the best there is. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of historical crimes, and years of experience working in the Medical Examiner's office, she's never encountered a case she couldn't solve. Until now. Case after case is piling up on Wren's examination table, and soon she is sucked into an all-consuming cat-and-mouse chase with a brutal murderer getting more brazen by the day.

An addictive read with straight-from-the-morgue details only an autopsy technician could provide, The Butcher and the Wren promises to ensnare all who enter.