Alaina Urquhart is an autopsy technician and the creator of a very popular podcast in the United States, Morbid, devoted to true crime. Her first novel, From the Shadows, He Will Emerge, has just been published by Fleuve Noir editions, in which all her skills and experience as a forensic specialist can be found.
Louisiana, its French past, its cotton plantations, the bayous, the mysteries of voodoo, and a methodical and particularly sadistic serial killer who makes it his hunting ground. He kills in a cold, calculated manner, chooses his victims at random, and taunts the local authorities of New Orleans. Despite being highly knowledgeable in her field, forensic pathologist Wren Muller faces failure for the first time as the victims pile up. She decides to immerse herself in the investigation to stop the ‘butcher of the bayou’.
From the very first chapters of this thriller, the reader is plunged into the sweltering marshes of Louisiana, meeting both the killer and the one who will track him. These initial chapters set the tone for this fast-paced, action-filled crime novel where the tension escalates. The author, Alaina Urquhart, alternates chapters focusing on the investigation, mainly through Wren’s perspective, with those centered on Jeremy, the murderer, providing two sides of the same story.
From the Shadows, He Will Emerge is a rather classic but thrilling thriller, and the author offers an unexpected twist in the second part of the novel. Her writing makes the reading quite addictive, although one might regret a lack of detail in some descriptions, which could have enhanced the oppressive atmosphere of the thriller.
From the Shadows, He Will Emerge by Alaina Urquhart, with its chilling cover, twisted serial killer, and resilient heroine, will appeal to genre enthusiasts for a chase that promises to be intense!
