The Butcher and the Wren cover art

The Butcher and the Wren

Dr. Wren Muller, Book 1

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Butcher and the Wren

By: Alaina Urquhart
Narrated by: Joe Knezevich, Sophie Amoss
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £11.20

Buy Now for £11.20

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE CHILLING SERIAL KILLER THRILLER FROM THE CO-HOST OF CHART-TOPPING PODCAST MORBID

WREN WAS NEVER AFRAID OF THE DARK.
UNTIL SHE LEARNT THAT SOME MONSTERS ARE REAL. . .

In deep Louisiana, a serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation is completing his most ambitious project yet. The media call him 'The Butcher' - and, so far, he's proved impossible to catch.

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.

As body after body pile up on Wren's examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.

How far is Wren willing to go to draw the Butcher into the light. . .?

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.

'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

© Alaina Urquhart 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Crime Fiction Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Crime Murder Mystery Exciting
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

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)
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)
Impressively detailed in its analysis . . . Captivating, with lacings of the occult. 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
A chilling page-turner with a massive twist in the middle that's sure to give you goosebumps
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 pulsepounding 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 host's debut novel (KAIRA ROUDA)
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)
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)
Not for the faint-hearted
A read-in-one-sitting kind of book (Sarah Gelman)
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)
All stars
Most relevant
Gripping story, told with real vibrancy and soul. Gave me actual goosebumps at times. I've been looking forward to this book since I knew it was coming and it did not disappoint.

The story clearly came from a place of genuine understanding, and I was captivated by the descriptions.

I thought the performance was well done, and easy to listen to. Can't wait for the next book!

Exceptional debut novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I couldn't stop listening to this book and I am SO excited to see what more Alaina has in store.

Gripping!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved every second of it can’t wait for the next one come on Alaina we’re waiting x

Fantastic book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

At first I wasn’t sure on the styles of writing but after a few chapters I was hooked and really couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

Great twist

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I don’t think there’s anything that I disliked and this is definitely a book that I could read over and over again. I loved the attention to detail. I was hooked off to chapter 3 from listening to the morbid podcast then reading the book was just amazing and don’t know how to express how good this is. This is literally the only book review I have ever done But from one of your weirdos Elena this is incredible.

I morbidly loved this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews