About this deal
He is a good man, a brilliant corporate executive, an honest, handsome family man admired by men and desired by women.
As a true crime podcast fan I have, of course, listened to the author on Morbid and she brings her trademark insight to this clever and absorbing novel. I was concerned to learn that the author has written this book without visiting New Orleans and I think the story does suffer from this. Throughout the story there’s nods to NOLA but these seem very stereotypical – swamps, the heat, visits to a mystical woman who does Tarot readings on Bourbon St, a longwinded explanation of the NOLA cemeteries and the list goes on. None of these elements serve to add atmosphere to the story, and this could really be set anywhere. The only thing that defines Wren is that she’s a medical examiner and a workaholic. I wasn’t particularly rooting for her. 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.” - Daily MailRating 3.5. This was an enthralling read, reminding me of a Criminal Minds and Bones episode. It's been a long time since I read a thriller from the prospective of the killer and investigator. I enjoyed the writing style that keep the story moving but I just wish it was a bit longer. 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.
He blends in. Based on his profile Wren believes he was able to convince most of his victims to leave with him willingly. He is interested in causing chaos from afar, not becoming entrenched in it himself. However, this book was an insane let down for me. I rate it 2.5 stars, but am rounding up to 3 in the name of Goodreads. This novel follows our main character Wren, a forensic pathologist, who ends up doing more detective work instead of staying at the morgue where her ass belongs. She examines the bodies of people that will killed by the so-called "Bayou Butcher", Jeremy who provides the secondary perspective in this novel. As a kid, he took out books at the library on lobotomies. He became entranced with medical procedures of Dr. Freeman. We hear about his earlier time in a lab and his lab partners. Wren is a fascinating character, and you will root for her to the end. The serial killer is evil, ruthless, and chilling. Move over, Joe there is a new psycho in town. A short book, which I read in one sitting. Morbid podcast fans and crime junkies will devour! A mix of crime, psychic, and medical thrillers.AU: I love watching autopsies in television shows and movies. Though I’m a firm believer in suspending my disbelief for the sake of storytelling, I can’t help myself from occasionally yelling out, “That’s not how they really do that!!” Set in the alluring and sultry Louisiana, New Orleans, surrounded by the swamps and bayous, historic landmarks, jazz, music, food, heat and humidity, tarot card readings, and of course, ghosts, the dead, the cemetery, and a serial killer, all set the mood. Alaina is a first-time author and the press that published this book is smaller. As I was reading, there were several times I felt myself thinking, "this is definitely her first book." And that's not a bad thing! I do think that Alaina's skill will definitely improve with each book she (hopefully) publishes, and I'm excited to see her grow as a writer. With the help of police detectives and others in her office, Wren tries to stay one step of Jeremy, but can she stop him before she becomes the next victim?
Urquhart has crafted a thriller that is necessarily graphic but not exploitative. The crisp detail, the narrative brevity and the blade-sharp connections between the pathologist and the killer all bode well for future installments.” —Sarah Weinman, New York Times Some of the sentences are so beautifully and intricately constructed they sound like poetry. Alaina is able to simultaneously give believable voice to a cold, calculating, rage-filled, torturous serial killer and a smart, determined, eminently capable forensic pathologist. Her two real-life careers as an autopsy technician and the host of a true crime podcast allow her to infuse both sides of the story with a feeling of authenticity that draws you into their world.Alright, let's pause here. It's obvious that this book was perhaps lightly massaged rather than properly edited. The sad irony of publishing a book that already has an eager and willing audience is that editing isn't necessarily a priority: the publisher knows that it will make money regardless of -- ahem -- talent or technique. I think they actually did Urquhart a disservice by agreeing to publish this mess; she has the writing skills of a ninth grader who just discovered true crime, and with her first book selling so well, it's unlikely that she'll make the effort to improve. 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 If you like Patricia Cornwell and have watched Dexter with undisguised glee (and a sped-up heart rate), this one is for you.” —Belfast Telegraph The MC, Jeremy, is the serial killer. I actually really enjoyed his character because he had a funny personality and we got to see him go through a range of emotions in almost every chapter. We also got a tiny tiny glimpse into his childhood, which of course helped his character arc.