“Urquhart has crafted a thriller that is necessarily graphic but not exploitative. The crisp detail, the narrative brevity and the blade-sharp connections between the pathologist and the killer all bode well for future installments.” —Sarah Weinman, New York Times
“A read-in-one-sitting kind of book.” —Sarah Gelman, CBS Mornings
“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
“The Butcher and the Wren is perfect for fans of Dexter. Pitting a brutal serial killer against a determined medical examiner, the story is a pulse-pounding race against time. And the details the author weaves in due to her unique background as an autopsy tech heighten the realism and the suspense. Fans of Morbid will love the co-host’s debut novel.” —Kaira Rouda, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Favorite Daughter and Somebody’s Home
“Can a medical examiner outsmart a serial killer? The Butcher and the Wren will keep you waiting for an answer until the last bloody page. Prepare to be disturbed. A deliciously dark debut.” —Rea Frey, bestselling author for Not Her Daughter and Secrets of Our House
“Looking for the perfect way to kick off your spooky season? Well, you can end your search now as the co-host of the wildly popular true-crime podcast Morbid, who is also an autopsy technician, is offering up a twisted tale of a serial killer terrorizing the Louisiana bayou. Told from the dueling perspectives of a notorious murderer and the medical examiner who is desperate to catch him, this cat-and-mouse thriller will give your goosebumps chills.” —Tierney Bricker, E! News
“The Butcher and the Wren is set in New Orleans and south Louisiana and follows forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller as she tries to crack the case of who is committing a series of murders . . . before they can strike again . . . Urquhart is a trained autopsy technician and brings her first-hand knowledge and investigative know-how to her writing. Hit up your favorite local bookstore and pick up a copy!” —Ashley McLellan, New Orleans Magazine
“True-crime podcast co-host Alaina Urquhart showcases her propensity for the macabre in chilling cat-and-mouse thriller." —Sabienna Bowman, Popsugar
“Impressively detailed in its analysis, as you might expect from someone who spends their life conducting autopsies, it leaves little to the imagination, but is captivating, with lacings of the occult amid the deaths. There may be moments when the reader might want to shut their eyes, but the joust between the killer and the pathologist makes that impossible.” —Daily Mail
“Another true crime podcaster brings their flair for the macabre to the page with The Butcher and the Wren. Co-host of the chart-topping Morbid podcast, Alaina Urquhart treats fans of pulse-pounding novels to a thrill ride pitting a notorious serial killer in a battle of wits against the medical examiner determined to bring him down.” —Books-A-Million, “Our Favorite Debut Authors”
“A psychic thriller that will have readers on edge from the first page to the last . . . Perfect for those who love: watching Silence of the Lambs.” —Ashley McLellan, Louisiana Life
“Set in the ever-moody and hauntingly beautiful city of New Orleans, The Butcher and the Wren tells the story of a meticulous serial killer and the distinguished forensic pathologist, Dr. Wren Muller, set out to stop him. After researching countless horrific true crime cases over the last several years, we have no doubt Urquhart will knock it out of the park with this one. This is the perfect book to pick up if you want to 'Keep it weird.'” —Brett Nicole Hayden, The Everygirl
“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
