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 With her encyclopedic knowledge of humanity's darkest minds, and years of experience examining their victims, forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller is the best there is. The longer the Butcher's killing spree continues, the more determined she is to bring him to justice. And yet, he continues to elude her. 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 a kid, he took out books at the library on lobotomies. He became entranced with medical procedures of Dr. Freeman. We hear about his earlier time in a lab and his lab partners. Perfect for fans of Dexter, a cat-and-mouse game battle of wits, told from the POVs of a notorious evil serial killer and a determined medical examiner on a mission to bring him down.

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. AU: I love watching autopsies in television shows and movies. Though I’m a firm believer in suspending my disbelief for the sake of storytelling, I can’t help myself from occasionally yelling out, “That’s not how they really do that!!” He blends in. Based on his profile Wren believes he was able to convince most of his victims to leave with him willingly. He is interested in causing chaos from afar, not becoming entrenched in it himself. Molly Odintz: You’re an autopsy technician. Tell us a bit about your job and how it intersects with your life as a podcaster and writer.

If you've ever wanted to actually get inside the mind of a serial killer, look no further Paste Magazine Urquhart] uses all aspects of her familiarity with crime, corpses and the practices of forensic pathology to write convincingly about the showdown between a serial killer and an ME. Her setting is especially absorbing, from the haunting darkness of the bayou at night to the rising fears of the characters’ fellow parishioners…. I found that mid-book twist delightfully astonishing—and I’m hoping to read more from her.” - Doreen Sheridan, Criminal Element

Alaina Urquhart's debut novel is incredibly accomplished. Set deep in Louisiana, you can almost feel the heat and humidity. A grisly serial killer, a tenacious medical examiner, and a few amazing twists make this a searing, unputdownable book Samantha Downing, Sunday Times Bestselling Author Dark and twisted, The Butcher And The Wren is a gripping game of cat and mouse in the Louisiana bayou that will leave you wanting for more! Alaina Urquhart is a fresh new voice in crime fiction and I can't wait to read what she writes next LAURE VAN RENSBURG, author of Nobody But Us The MC, Jeremy, is the serial killer. I actually really enjoyed his character because he had a funny personality and we got to see him go through a range of emotions in almost every chapter. We also got a tiny tiny glimpse into his childhood, which of course helped his character arc. CAPTIVATING. T he reader might want to shut their eyes, but the joust between the killer and the pathologist makes that impossible' DAILY MAILAnd 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 entertainment industry is hell-bent on convincing viewers that morgues are high-tech space labs with touchscreen computer walls. They are not. Sure, they all have that classic stainless steel and clinical white clinical aesthetic, but the reality is far messier and lower tech than shown onscreen. Remember, the morgue is a place where body fluids spray around, especially while opening a skull or severing a spinal column. I think Silence of the Lambs did a nice job of striking this balance—and especially portraying the solemn feeling of an autopsy.

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. With the help of police detectives and others in her office, Wren tries to stay one step of Jeremy, but can she stop him before she becomes the next victim? 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 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.”

Retailers:

Urquhart does a fantastic job distinguishing between the voices of her two narrators, in both their tone and style of language. The fast-paced story and constant suspense keep you hooked, making it very difficult to put the novel down once you start reading it.” - Alexis Enderle, The Tufts Daily MO: This is your debut novel, and it’s got a killer hook. Tell us a bit about your new novel, and the cat-and-mouse game that drives the plot. Not only that, but she embarrassingly didn't read enough about the city on Wikipedia to know they don't bury bodies there as it's below sea level. Dig too far down, graves become soggy and fill with water, resulting in floating caskets. This is why cemeteries in NOLA have above ground tombs - it's legit part of why the city is so darn spooky!!!