The Butcher and the Wren
Ratings35
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings35
Average rating3.4
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.
Featured Series
2 primary booksDr. Wren Muller is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2022 with contributions by Alaina Urquhart.
Reviews with the most likes.
The writing is incredible, getting almost 1/3 of the way through the book and realizing certain connections are different. There's certainly the horror elements too, with some graphic deaths.
I definitely appreciated the protagonist working cohesively and openly with her team.
I wish I appreciated the ending as much.
I really like that Urquhart brought her insider knowledge to the story. Being an autopsy tech probably helped quite a bit. Beyond that, I wasn't too impressed. Having that knowledge, I would have hoped she'd maybe described certain situations better. Honestly, I'm OK with the clinical writing that some did not enjoy, but maybe setting up scenes could have been done better.
I could write a laundry list of complaints, but the only thing I really want to touch on is how badly Urquhart relied on cliches and tropes. For someone who runs a true crime podcast, I had hoped she hadn't used so many as a crutch. For instance, the myth of the genius serial killer is used here. He's smarter than everyone, he always has a plan (until he doesn't), he somehow kills dozens of people in a short amount of time without being caught, etc. Everyone else is one-dimensional and, honestly, pretty bad at their jobs. And that culminates into a poorly done sequel hook for no reason. I'm not tagging that as a spoiler because the book is already titled as “The Butcher and the Wren, #1) on Goodreads. I won't give away details, but another one of the most-used tropes of all time here.
This sort of book reflects poorly on the true crime fandom to be perfectly honest. It turns fascination of the human mind and a wish for victims to be brought to justice into cheap torture porn and exploitation.
Not the best pacing, and a twist that I sort of like yet think would have worked better had this been a sequel book. Butcher and the Wren is unfortunately far too reliant on superior pop culture references to the point it became very tedious to get through the author's constant desires comparisons. I swear Silence of the Lambs is brought up at least 10 times. By the time things start to pick up, the book is nearly over and by the time the ending arrives, it over far too quickly and extremely underwhelming.
