The Butcher and the Wren: A Novel

Alaina Urquhart

Sep 2022 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich

About this audiobook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I felt the storey and characters could have developed a bit more. Character conversations were sometimes unnatural. But I am looking forward to another book and what is next for these characters.

Alaina, you did such an amazing job! I have only been a listener for a few months, but I was immediately enamored. When I found out you wrote a book, I was all in. I could not wait for my commute to listen more! It was so good, I found myself listening in the driveway or outside work before actually going inside! I loved the characters and the way the timelines unfolded. You are so talented! If you learned these skills from Aaron Sorkin's MasterClass, then sign me up, girl! As your basic early-thirties true-crime addict, I hereby certify this literary first-born of yours to be captivating, satisfying, bone-chillingworthy and worthy of all the praise! I am impatiently awaiting our next slice of storyline of The Butcher and the Wren!

Mind blown! Finished in 1 day😳 From the time I listened to the example until the silence announced the end, I was hooked. I sat in my art room and listened to it on my diffuser speaker, where I also listen to Morbid. Enthralled, even at points pausing my own art. I also brought it with me when I ran an errand, that literally only took half an hour. I could have paused and listened when I got back... but I couldn't! Thank you for the fantastic, sucked me into the story like I was one of Wrens noobs, observing from the sidelines, kind of "read". I'm so looking forward to #2 <3 -Rachel H~Late in arrival, but caught up listener to Morbid. LOVE THEM WEIRD LADYS <3

About the author

Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the chart-topping show Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. As an autopsy technician by trade, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue. Alaina hails from Boston, where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost puggle named Bailey. She is about 75 percent coffee, and truly believes she and Agent Clarice Starling could be friends.

Before writing her first psychological horror novel, she received degrees in criminal justice, psychology, and biology. When she isn't hosting Morbid, she hosts the Parcast original show Crime Countdown, and a horror movie podcast called Scream! Her days are usually spent either recording or eviscerating. The way she sees it, when she hangs up her microphone for the day, it's time to let the dead speak.