Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Butcher and the Wren

For a first novel this was good. I appreciated the attention to medical details concerning the procedures of the medical examiner. The plot was slow to start though and

The twist with the timelines not being the same was not done as effectively as it could have been and ended up just being confusing.

Additionally, while it’s important to portray these killers as the horrible monsters they are, rightfully so, I wish that we were able to see more of Jeremy as a character instead of almost a caricature of a bunch of serial killers mixed together. The draw with writing from a killers perspective, I feel, is to empathize and grapple with the moral quandary of seeing a part of yourself in someone so evil, ideally then, we are faced with the fact that those monsters are people, and because we are human we have the potential (no matter how remote) to become the monster. It creates more tension to have that moral grey area and I didn’t feel that at all in this novel.

The ending was also sped up quite a bit which threw the pacing.

But ultimately this thriller did have me checking the locks on my doors before bed so well done on creating the feelings of tension and fear. I hope there is a second book as I want to get to know these characters more!

Content Warnings

erinpatrick12's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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semeyers's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Unfortunately, this book is just not good. At all. There are some genuine moments of suspense and some visceral descriptions of the crimes, but these were not enough to lift the overall book past a 1-star review. Luckily, it's a quick read.

This book was clearly minimally-if-at-all edited and it could have used a heavy handed editor and more guidance. My copy had several spelling errors ("vile" instead of "vial", for example) and grammatical errors throughout. The descriptions were over the top and often clunky, falling flat with how much they tried to pack in. The chapters themselves were hard to follow at times, characters were often in one room, then suddenly a completely different place in the next paragraph. The characters were flat. No personality, no hobbies, no background, no development, no arc. I really didn't feel a connection with any of them and the Butcher was not a very compelling villain - he has no M.O., no consistency, and is over the top edgy. The most we learn about Wren's personality and background is she likes her hair in messy buns and her grandma left her a vintage ring. That's it.

The author has also never been to New Orleans and relied heavily on stereotypes and basic descriptions. Fleur-de-Lis are featured, there are bayous and cypress trees at every turn, there's a fortune teller, and if I had to hear one more description on how hot and "thick" the air was, I may have lost it. I also did not love the medical procedure spiels and serial killer name drops/info dumps. Neither of these added much, if anything, to the story and just seemed like the author wanting to insert her own knowledge.

The 7-year jump did not confuse me, I thought it was done okay, but it was easy to spot the twist coming. My issue is that the 7-year jump is not enough time to make the twist believable

You're telling me that in 7-years, the Butcher has fallen totally out of the memory of the police/media? Not a single cop is still on the force that remembers? The media doesn't think to draw comparisons? Also, in 7 years, Wren has not only finished med school AND a residency, but she's managed to became lead pathologist in a major US city? No.

. Had 20, maybe even 15, years passed? Okay, I'd buy it.

Once I learned that this book was written with a movie deal in mind, it all made sense. The characters don't need to have much emotion on the page, that can be added on the screen with actors. The sudden jumps in place for the characters are camera cuts. I think this will work better as a move than it did as a book.

I was surprised to see the relatively high review, until I noticed many of the 4- and 5-star reviews are from fans of the author's podcast.

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lolamosk's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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