Books

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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!”

“True-crime podcast cohost Alaina Urquhart showcases her propensity for the macabre in chilling cat-and-mouse thriller.”

“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.”

“Will totally horrify you and spark fear of the dark. Not for the faint of heart.”

“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.”

“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.”

“If you like Patricia Cornwell and have watched Dexter with undisguised glee (and a sped up heart rate), this one is for you.”

“[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.”

“Urquhart’s hands-on experience as an autopsy technician and her endless hours of research into hundreds of killers for her podcast feed into this chilling narrative resulting in a book that will haunt you for weeks. It’s a perfect book for the start of the spooky season.”