After listening to the first in this series I really enjoyed it and was looking forward to book two. This starts weeks after the first novel and it is important to read the first, first because they are directly related.

A cat and mouse game with Wren on the hunt for Jeremy, following him across state and county lines. Will she find him before he can hurt too many more people?

So glad for Vol 2. Does not disappoint. Duel perspectives. Cliff hanger warning- book 3 is promised.

I absolutely LOVED this! I loved the first one but this one is better. I hope that Alaina continues to write because she is amazing at it!

WOAHHH! This was better than the first book IMO! Thank you so much netgalley for the ALC. I really appreciate it!

Im truly unsure if a second book was required and now a third book will come out (as it doesn't like wrap up)
I will say the POV of the Butcher was better than Dr. Wren in terms of making me care ...but still done in a choppy manner.
I love a serial killer but it didn't feel inventive or refreshing . It felt more like when a toddler wants to dress themselves for the first time and you are about to leave when suddenly you see your child. And they are wearing snow shoes, a bathing suit , 6 pony tails and a scarf. You don't know where they went wrong but you just don't have time to figure it out.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Mystery/thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I enjoyed this one due to its dark and creepy nature but what I liked the most was getting to see inside Jeremy’s mind

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Multiple POVs
Cat and mouse thrillers
Medical examiner x serial killer
Dark atmospheric setting
Chilling and gruesome scenes
True crime
Unexpected twists
Being inside the mind of a serial killer

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
I wasn’t a fan of the ending of the first book but now that I know there was a second book I don’t mind the cliff hanger as much

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
A little slow at times
Another cliff hanger ending


Overall I really enjoyed the audiobook and recommend the narrator

3.75⭐

OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK! If you know Alaina through Morbid, this book is such her voice. Its dark, mysterious, and just a wild ride. The twists and emotional ride of this book was just crazy. I will be candid that I dont reallyyyy remember everything that happened in Butcher and the Wren (book one) but this book helped me remember a bit. I think this book was more serious, and had darker and harder to read scenes, and the craziness with Jeremy and his (maybe?) friend had me so curious about what would happen next.

Melissa, if you liked this book so much, why does in not have a higher rating? Well...thats cause it just wasn't the book for me at the time. Being in Jeremy's POV while some of the death and torture occurred was very heavy and I found myself taking breaks. AND THEN , I may have rated it a tad low cause I just was unhappy/ bitter by the last death. It wasn't so much murder mystery in this book and how behind Wren is in the plot versus the deaths occurring was just a funky dual POV to bounce between.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alaina Urquhart, and Dreamscape Select for the audiobook. The narration by Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich was fantastic. This gripping cat-and-mouse game between a serial killer and the one that got away is compelling. As a follow-up to the first book, this sequel was an excellent continuation, and I can't wait to see if there's more to come!

The butcher game by Alaina Urquhart

This was a graphic novel about detective Wren who are searching for a serial killer that they have looked for in the past.

While I love a good thrill ride this one seemed rushed and lacking. It was tough to get through and even though I admit it was dark and brutal in nature. I put down and picked this one up trying to get in the mood but it just wasn’t as expected.

Thank you NetGalley and dreamscape

Okay, so I love going into books blind, but I may have over rotated on that, as I didn't realize this was the second in a series and I haven't read the first one. Don't judge me! I love Zando as a publisher and they always publish amazing books.

That said, I love how Alaina wrote the book in a way that I was absolutely able to follow what was happening and understand our characters' motivations.

Narrators Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich did an amazing job keeping me interesting in the book and I'll definitely find the first book and get up to speed!

Not sure where my original review for this one went but, it was a thrilling ride, and honestly i considered this one fast paced.

I don't dabble in the thriller only area much anymore, it seems like the same old story written over and over again, but this one got my blood pumping .

It was a good quick little slasher, i listened to it vs reading it and the narrator was okay, little too nasal for me and got annoying, and i tend to prefer either one voice and slightly pitched to change characters or it there are multiple, don't over act it.

I think i would have preferred reading this digitally or in hard form, vs narrated.

I think there will be a third book, so i assume that's why we still have some questions, not a big deal, just, make sure you get the last one written !!

So i did not read the first book, but even so, I found this book a bit boring. I got past maybe the first few chapters, and it was yawn worthy. Maybe I'll give book 1 a try before I reread

#netgalley #TheButcherGame

If you’re looking for a fast paced slasher to read over the spooky months, look no further. The sequel to The Butcher and the Wren picks up on the same cat and mouse chase we were left with in the first instalment and cranks up the suspense and gore.

Short chapters keep the story moving but it does end on a cliff hanger - which I didn’t love. Apparently this will be at least a trilogy, so hopefully the third book wraps up some loose ends.

I didn’t love the narration of this audiobook. The female narrator was okay, but the male narrator used the cheesiest tone. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I’d read a physical copy.

Thank you @netgalley the publisher and author for this free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! The first book left off on a cliff hanger and I couldn’t wait to get back. The author did not disappoint!! It was exactly what I was wanting from this story. In terms of the audiobook, I was not the biggest fan of the narrator for Wren. There were parts throughout the book where I felt like the narrator made Wren sound more pretentious than I remember her being in the first book. It wasn’t the way the parts were written, but the tone in which the narrator said them. For the most part, it wasn’t an issue and I thought the voice fit well but every now and then I would be taken out of it. The narrator for Jeremey, I thought was perfect! A fitting voice for his character and his inflictions when he spoke during certain scenes were chilling. The ending of the book was a huge shock I was not expecting! I don’t know how I am going to be able to wait for the first book!!


Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for his advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Butcher Game is the second installment of the Dr. Wren Muller series. It revolves around the relationship between a forensic pathologist (Wren) and a dangerous serial killer (Jeremy) who's fixated on her.

I must start this review by saying that this kind of detective stories isn't my favourite genre (I'm more into murder mysteries). So don't be offended when I say that The Butcher Game wasn’t the book of the year ... BUT, I did enjoy the writing and the plotline that made it a clever, entertaining and suspenseful thriller.

The author did a great job of creating our friend Jeremy. I liked his twisted mind and the fact that while he was the stereotypical psychopath, he wasn’t the parody of one. Wren however felt a bit bland, not a very compelling character that you'd root for.

🎧 Audiobook : 4/5 The dual POVs were narrated by a man and a woman who both did a good job.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for providing this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Alaina Urquhat shines again in this super creepy, atmospheric, heart pounding, gory thriller. This could be read as a standalone, however, I highly recommend reading the first to be able to really understand our two many characters and some continuing plot points from the first book. Jeremy is cunning, pathological, psychotic, and brilliant. I loved seeing how his twisted mind worked and seeing Wren unravel it all. The Salem setting was a fantastic addition and makes this a chilling fall thriller!!

Recommend if you enjoy:
Small town murder investigations
Serial killer stories
Dark and gritty thrillers
Cat and mouse detective stories
Medical examiner main character
Gory and graphic scenes

The Butcher Game
Dr. Wren Muller#2
Alaina Urquhart
Narrators: Sophie Amoss, Joe Knezevich
Publisher: Zando
Audiobook
ASIN B0CY3LRGV

In The Butcher Game Dr. Wren Muller continues her pursuit of Jeremy Rose the Serial Killer also known as The Butcher. Jeremy is obsessed with Wren possibly because she was a target that got away. She suffers from nightmares where she re-lives her experience with Jeremy. He captured her, then released her so he could hunt her. An old friend of Wren that works with the Salem, Massachusetts police force contacts Wren about a murder that has similarities to The Butcher. Jeremy sets a trap for Wren and draws her in. He is determined to murder her. Jeremy teams up with a friend from his past and coerces him to help.
This is the second book in the Dr. Wren Muller series. While book #2 can stand alone, I suggest you read Book #1 first to get the backdrop information. The Butcher Game picks up where The Butcher and the Wren left off.
Wren is a medical examiner/forensic pathologist, she is smart, thorough, and brave. Jeremy Rose, The Butcher, is warped, cunning, demonic and brutal. Philip is intelligent and capable of manipulating others. The plot pulled me in from the first page. The ambiance in this tale had me looking at shadows and listening for footsteps. The atmosphere feels threatening as if Jeremy Rose was about to jump off the page and grab the reader. Terror slowly builds and increases the more you read. This tale is told through alternating points of view: Wren the medical examiner and The Butcher. Do not expect a conclusion to the story, instead it sets the stage for the next book in this series.

NetGalley provided a copy of this book for review. My reviews are ALWAYS my personal opinion.

The first book was gripping and this one followed suit. Dark, disturbing and twisty as only the best serial killer stories can be.
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The Butcher and the Wren left me needing more of Wren’s story. Was glad to see her working on recovery buy back at it. The Salem setting was delightfully creepy and getting Jeremy’s POV added to the story!
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Thanks to NetGalley, Zando for an eARC and Dreamscape Media for an ALC. The audio was well done and eerie.

This was the sequel I have been most anticipating and Alaina Urquhart did not disappoint!

WOW.

I was hooked from page one and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The way the chapters are organized had me confused for a moment but once I settled into the story I had no problem with it.

I still just feel so SHOOK I am having a hard time writing a review. SO GOOD. SO ENTERTAINING. LOVED IT!

Just like its predecessor, this was a dark, disturbing + graphic read, that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The book picks up straight where the first book ended and because of this I’d highly recommend reading them in order to understand + fully appreciate the plot.

This has all the elements you want in a serial killer thriller—— it’s graphic, it’s eerie, it’s morbid + it’s full of twists and turns. The writing is SO atmospheric—— between the perfectly creepy Salem setting, the nail-biting game of cat + mouse and the downright brutality of our killer, this had me sufficiently creeped out and not at all keen to listen to it on my pitch black drives to work.

I LOVE having the character perspective of the killer in a book and although I felt it took away some of the intrigue in the first book, it worked really well in this one. Jeremy is a truly horrifying character: he’s ruthless, twisted, cruel + remorseless (I know.. duh, he’s a serial killer) but he really is chilling. Although he is fascinating in a macabre way, Wren holds her own in her characterisation and is a bit of a badass, with a fascinating procession + an intriguing back story.

Finishing on another cliffhanger that gives me hope for book three, this was a real page turner + I’d highly recommend the audio format for its flawless narration which only added to the eerie overtone of the plot.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
🍁 Small town murder investigation
🍁 Dark, gritty vibes
🍁 Dual POV inc the serial killer’s
🍁 Cat & mouse detective thriller
🍁 Graphic
🍁 Medical examiner MC
🍁 Twisty

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 + 𝑍𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐼𝐺 (@𝑟𝑒𝑑ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙), 𝐺𝑅 & 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ.