#ad thanks to tlcbooktours #partner for the audio of this book & @crookedlanebooks for the advance copy

This was a fantastic listen. I found the story engaging and the narrating was a great listening experience. The story hooked me immediately and I couldn’t stop listening.

Of Flesh and Blood by NL Lavin & Hunter Burke is an absolute blast of a read. I enjoyed it so much. The narration is superbly done and I’d def recommend giving it a listen.

I knew after I read the blurb for this one that I had to read it. And it lived up to my anticipation of it. I can’t wait to find out how it ends.

It’s one of those books I’d tell you to go in blind and enjoy the ride. I’m loving the writing - and idk about everyone else but I can never tell where one author left off and the other picked up. I do always try to tho. Lol.

Recommend

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This one wasn’t for me. The pacing dragged, and the large cast of characters made it difficult to stay grounded in the story. I found myself pushing to finish. That said, fans of slow-burn psychological horror may enjoy this more than I did.

📖 Book Score: 2.5 stars
🎧 Audio Score: 4.5 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Full Cast
📅 Pub Date: June 10, 2025

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

The setting of this work was well written, with good descriptions incorporated throughout. This helped to keep a solid atmosphere during parts of the read that added much to it.

This work is told from many POVs, and includes excerpts from newspapers, the professional notes of doctors, phone calls, and more. The audio narration handles this really well, using many narrators, changing the tone of the audio to mimic phone calls, and it made the listen excellent. It got pretty disjointed though, especially in the first half of the book. It was difficult to really know what was going on, where the author was trying to take the story, and it drastically slowed down the plot. The meandering kept the tension from ever really ramping up as well.

There was honestly just too much going on in this work without it having enough substance or being grounded enough to be enjoyable. It’s more of a very slow, light psychological horror with a mystery element. My thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a really good first novel. It had some chilling parts in the overall plot was very creative with a family member of a deceased, serial killer, researching and writing about the murders. I really enjoyed the Louisiana setting, as well as some of the folklore of the region being incorporated throughout the book. The narrators were great, and while at first, I found the playback of the tapes to be a little disconcerting, it added to the overall dark mood of the book.

In any other place in the world, they have tales of "werewolves" and monsters - but down in South Louisiana, we have the "Rougarou". Having been born and raised here in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, I was eager to dive into this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, N.L. Lavin and the publisher for the ALC and chance to give my honest opinion!

I'll start with narration - Never have I been so satisfied with Louisiana narration as I was with this book. The accents were absolutely on point. The pronunciations were flawless. I loved the tone, speed, and engagement of each narrator. I was captivated by the style of presentation - some "google search results" - some "excerpts" from journals - some cassette tape recordings. I do wish the cassette recordings had been at a better volume as I would have to crank the volume to max just to understand and then be blasted by the narrator when it switched back.

I do feel like this book, while suitable for any horror/thriller readers, will hold more value to someone raised around Louisiana folklore. I grew up hearing my dad tell us stories of the "rougarou" while we sat around the campfire. This book truly embodied all the perfect aspects of that lore and drove it home with an awesome story. It had the right amount of gore and suspense that had me closing the curtains and locking up the house a little earlier than usual. Hah!

I felt there were times the author's social preferences were more prevalent than necessary as it did not add anything to the storyline. Cajuns were, as typical, stereotyped in a negative light. Had it flowed with the plot I could have looked past it a little better - but it seemed forced. Also a little bit of a slow burn start. Very back heavy on the suspenseful and thrilling parts. For these reasons I give it a solid 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley, Spotify books and Hunter Burke, NL Lavin for the audio arc of Of Flesh and Blood
Narrated by Hunter Burke, Bahni Turpin, Darrell Dennis, Cary Hite, Eric Jason Martin, Jude Prest, Raechel Wong, Chris Marroy

Of Flesh and Blood is a medium paced psychological thriller with horror elements and boy does this book keep your attention ! With a mix of characters and told through forensic psychiatric reports. We get an engaging story of the Cajun Cannibal who committed horrific murders and someone who shares the same cursed blood but took a different path. This book has everything, psychological twists, obsession and a rampant serial killer.

Our narrators Hunter Burke, Bahni Turpin, Darrell Dennis, Cary Hite, Eric Jason Martin, Jude Prest, Raechel Wong, Chris Marroy did a fantastic job in keeping both the story and the characters alive. All of them kept the intrigue and pacing of the book perfectly.

4.25 for Storygraph, 4 stars for other review sites.

This debut horror novel combines psychological horror with Louisiana folklore and true crime vibes to create a creepy story. The audiobook is produced well with a full cast of narrators which helped with the numerous characters.

The main character is a forensic psychologist who is completing a case study into the serial killer known as the Cajun Cannibal. Through his investigation into facts for his study, he discovers a possible personal connection to the Cannibal and a possible explanation of a Rougarou.

While there were parts that slowed down in pace in the middle of the story, I still really enjoyed this audiobook.

Rated 4.5 and rounded up to 5.

This novel follows Vincent, a forensic psychiatrist drawn into a chilling investigation that blurs the lines between true crime and folklore. As he digs deeper into the case of a notorious killer known as the Cajun Cannibal, Vincent begins to question everything he thought he knew - especially as rumors of the mythical Rougarou begin to surface.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While there are a few minor flaws - mostly in pacing during introspective sections - the overall story is immersive and compelling. The writing is strong and easy to follow, even as the plot grows increasingly complex.

Of Flesh and Blood does a fantastic job of blending psychological thriller elements with Southern Gothic horror. The atmosphere is rich and murky, drawing readers into a world of fetid swamps, twisted secrets, and monsters both human and possibly supernatural. As Vincent’s investigation spans years and the lines between reality and myth blur, the tension escalates in all the right ways.

If you're a fan of detailed, layered mysteries with a dash of the macabre, this one is well worth your time.

This book is a great example of a book I would have struggled with in print form, but loved in audiobook. This was done so well.

This is an enrapturing story about family ties and uncovering the past to protect the future, told in a unique way. I thought the large cast was perfection. We have a multi-layered mystery full of robust characters, a deep-rooted and intertwined backstory, and the search for truth and justice.

Dr. Vincent Blackburn is a forensic psychiatrist whose work has led him straight to a killer who shares the same bloodline as him. He becomes more and more caught up with the story, the murders, the history behind it all, risking losing his family and his sanity in the process. I thought this was well written. I enjoyed the vast and varied characters. I had a great time listening to this one.

My ‘read’ of this book was in audiobook form. I enjoyed the performance as the voice actors provide depth and variety. The storyline has multiple timelines/periods which can get confusing but the different voices help clarify the timelines. For the first half of the book keeping the characters and their relationships straight was challenging. By the second half of the book it took less time to ‘get back into’ the story.

A brief summary of the story is that Cajun folklore meets psychiatric science. In the Louisiana bayou, there are gruesome murders that they originally chalk up to bear attacks. Looking closer, the reader learns that is not the case. Suspects are identified, investigated, and crossed out. The folklore of the Rougarou (similar to a werewolf) is introduced and weaved throughout the story. The doctor from the beginning of the story realizes that he is a descendant of the Cajun Cannibal and starts to investigate. This is where science is introduced. Is the killer a crazy monster or is it caused by an infection? The evidence is compelling, but doesn’t end there. There are twists and turns but it all comes together at the end.

Now for what I thought. I enjoyed this read and gave it a 3.75/4 out of 5. I was immediately brought into the story from the opening when our character was going to commit to a university and mentioned Boston University, which is one of my alma maters. Of course he doesn’t go there, much to my sadness but that was a minor thought. It held my attention every time I set the story to play, however, it wasn’t so compelling that I couldn’t walk away from it. In a very complex story with a lot of characters, the authors do a good job keeping you guessing and wrap up all the loose ends. You are constantly questioning who is crazy or if they are actually crazy. The second half of the book picks up and moves quickly. If you like mythological creatures, serial killing, psychological thrills, and solving mysteries, you will like this book and I recommend it.

Thank you Spotify Audiobooks for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This audiobook definitely kept me hooked into story of the CopyCat cajun killer. I feel like with the different perspectives of police reports and tapes, made me feel like I was in the middle of an actual investigation. The story did have some points where it felt a bit to me like it was dragging and a bit scattered. Part three kept me engaged again to where I was interested again.

TW/CW: Language, alcoholism, death of child, drinking, drug addiction, child abandonment, blood, violence, animal death (not graphic), cheating, toxic family relationships, abusive relationship

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
In 2008, a serial killer known as the Cajun Cannibal brutally murders and consumes the flesh of eight people in a small Louisiana parish. With law enforcement closing in on him, he takes his own life before he can face the inside of a courtroom.

Ten years later, when forensic psychiatrist Dr. Vincent Blackburn discovers he and the Cajun Cannibal are more closely connected than he realized, he begins a case study into the sociopathy behind the killer’s grisly deeds, only to find a torrent of small town politics, interracial family dynamics, and whispers of the supernatural muddying once clear waters.

When copycat killings start anew, Vincent is thrust into the center of it all, putting his life, his family, and his own sanity at risk. As monsters—both figurative and literal—begin to manifest, Vincent discovers that untangling the truth from the lies is only the beginning of his nightmare.
Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Audiobook is fantastic and so animated
2. Characters are interesting
3. Love the atmospheric settings
4. Tone of the book
5. Writing style was good

What I Didn't Like:
1. Middle part slowed down
2. Some parts of the books characters would ramble
3. At times too many characters

Final Thoughts:
The ending came too fast and felt rushed. One minute we are going on and on about everything happening to almost pushing aside the ending like it did not matter. I would have loved a more flushed out ending.

After everything that Vincent has seen he's convinced it's him being off meds doing this to him but that simple solution doesn't fit. I understand he's trying to be with his family again even lying. Other people have seen what he saw.

This book had so many elements to it. I enjoyed reading it. Following around the characters while they were trying to solve a murder but also with the crypto mystery of a creature in the woods was so interesting.

Some parts felt weighed down by rambling but I can over look them. I felt like I was watching a movie. This book would make a great TV show.

I've really been enjoying "true crime" style fiction, and with a Cajun Cannibal (or is it a Rougarou??) serial killer plot I knew I'd be hooked.
You get a little bit of MC Vincent's family and professional background, including his familial connection to Henri, the Cajun Cannibal, but then you dive right into the story, so make sure you're paying attention because you don't want to miss any of the details.
The full cast narration made for a great audiobook listening experience. Especially with the way this story is laid out via the MC’s case study notes, interviews, recordings, articles, investigation reports, etc.
You first get taken through the 2008 timeline of killings and the death of Henri. and then it jumps to 10 years later when killings start up again and Vincent goes down an obsessive hole of trying to piece everything together.
There was a lot of information and nuance to take in with this style of story, but I found myself getting lost in some of the details and the addition of Vincent's own personal life struggles bogged the story down for me, making it feel longer than it needed to be.
Still, and overall enjoyable listen with most questions answered by the end!

I wanted to like this book SO much, but I had such a hard time getting into this book.
The story telling for this book really didn't work for me in audio form. I felt like this would be easier to understand had I immersive read the book. I loved how the narration was executed; it was just hard to follow, and I didn't enjoy it. I did not finish this book, but I am still intrigued and would like to finish the story once I have a physical copy to read as I listen.
Thank you, Spotify Audiobooks, for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
With a full voice cast bringing each character to life, this audiobook delivers a haunting and immersive experience. It follows a forensic psychologist investigating a series of brutal murders in Louisiana. But as the case unfolds, one question lingers: was the killer a man—or something far more sinister? Through gripping case files and chilling witness accounts, the line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. A must-listen for fans of psychological thrillers with a supernatural edge.

This was good. It was a bit slow. Kinda predictable but kept my attention. The narration was great. Full cast.

i requested this book on netgalley because it sounded interesting (and let's be real, i'm a sucker for a cool cover lol) and i enjoy when a police procedural type gets personal. it's got a lot going on — an alleged serial killer known as the cajun cannibal, a forensic psychiatrist investigating an urban legend, and a pretty steep descent into madness (or is it?!) — but i don't know, this one really didn't hook me.

this is one of the few instances where listening to the book made the experience worse. the audio was hard to follow for a while because the production of the mixed media/case study stuff was not super clear. i appreciate a full cast narration, but this one felt way too cluttered and confusing.

it's marketed as horror, but...that didn't come through for me. that's probably on me, i'm just so desensitized to cannibalism and gore in fiction at this point that i was hearing descriptions and going "...okay?" nothing felt creepy or scary or tense, even though the main narrator's dramatic delivery was working overtime to convince me otherwise. don't get me wrong, i didn't hate this book. it was...fine. i just had higher hopes for more. i'm positive that there will be plenty of good reviews for this one, unfortunately it just didn't work for me.
 
thanks to spotify audiobooks for the audio copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a psychological horror where the true terror isn't the Cajun Cannibal's gruesome murders but the unraveling mind of the psychiatrist obsessed with understanding them. While serial killings provide the backdrop, it's Dr. Vincent Blackburn's descent into professional fixation that truly captivates—his clinical interest in sociopathy transforming into something far more personal and disturbing as the narrative progresses.

The psychological journey feels unnervingly authentic as Blackburn peels back layers of the case, each revelation drawing him further from objectivity and deeper into a labyrinth of connections he never anticipated. His obsession becomes increasingly distractive, almost self-destructive, yet serves as the very mechanism that ultimately exposes the shocking truth behind the murders. The twist blindsided me completely—one of those rare moments where I suddenly saw the entire narrative through a different, more disturbing lens.

Initially, the shifting voices within chapters disoriented me. Once I adjusted to this narrative technique, the full-cast performance elevated every chilling moment to something visceral and immediate.

Production-wise, the recorded "case evidence" transitions seamlessly into the main narrative, creating this disturbing sense that you're reviewing actual archival materials rather than fiction.

"Of Flesh and Blood" isn't merely about serial killers—it's a disturbing descent into obsession that reveals how thin the line between studying madness and succumbing to it really is.

Special thanks to TLC Bookstours, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing the free audiobook for review, though all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thank you Spotify and TLC for the review copy! This is a well done multi POV/multi actor audiobook the drew me in with an interesting plot and premise. At times the plot and pacing waver a bit for me, the book felt a bit uneven, but the audio and plot ideas and themes are strong!
💬 Read If You Like:
– Slow-burn thrillers with a Southern Gothic twist
– True crime podcast vibes
– Narratives blending forensic psychiatry, generational trauma, and dark lore

Of Flesh and Blood kicked off with promise—moody, intriguing, and well-voiced by a solid full cast. But the back half really lost steam for me. Too many characters muddled the plot, and I found myself confused more often than engaged.

The voice actors did a great job with what they had, but the story itself felt clunky, especially for a horror narrative. By the end, I was more exhausted than thrilled.

Great production, solid performances—just wish the plot held up its end.