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.

I loved this novel. The storyline was interesting, the twists were unexpected, and the way it was written helped add even more interest for me. When I started it, I second guessed that I was reading a fictitious book because it felt so real. The mixture of media in there was great. I think the narrators were perfect as well.

Reminiscent of True Detective, Of Flesh and Blood is a crime thriller following the investigation into the Cajun Cannibal in Louisiana. With heavy down south atmosphere, we follow along in this case as a team tries to solve a serial killer who is known to also eat their victim.
Lots of good twists and turns. I highly recommend the audiobook! The narrators do a great job and I particularly love the sections where is is demonstrating voice recordings from one of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Spotify Audio for this ARC!

A really good book. Very exciting and I also am a huge fan of horror novels. I have never read from this author before but I definitely will read more within the future.

I have always been interested in the peeling back of the human psyche (I took my share of psych classes in college for fun), especially when it has deviated from the so called norm. Is it a product of genes, environment, or something else? And that is why I enjoyed listening to this story. The first section gathers the story of the Cajun Cannibal from witnesses and makes up what Dr. Vincent Blackburn researched for his dissertation. I loved the bits that were the tapes Henri made, and then the statements of the witnesses (you have the clicks of recording and the narrators sound like it would be if it were a police recording) which made it feel real. And that would be horrible and fascinating enough but then you get the slow unraveling of Vincent as he continues his research for a book and his new ideas about what might have happened back in 2008. Unreliable narrator, possible supernatural killer (or is it all in his head) and even more bodies showing up, despite the alleged Cajun Cannibal being killed. It made for a thrilling read and I enjoyed it very much.

So, if you fictional police procedure that sounds real and then diving into horror and possible madness down south, then you will enjoy this. I really liked the way it was done as an audiobook, with a cast of narrators bringing the characters and the story to life and keeping me hooked to find out the truth!

A big thank you to Netgalley for providing access to this ARC. It was quite a rollercoaster ride.
This read is exactly what I think of when a psychological mystery thriller comes to mind. If you're looking for something that reads like a true crime documentary with sprinkles of folklore and a lot of mystery and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. I have to say that at some point, I was a little confused as to what was going on, and all the characters that were involved made me listen more intently to be sure to keep up with the plot. I eventually caught on again. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the multiple narrators do such a good job in conveying emotion, and at some point, had me so invested by just the way the story was being told. Perfect casting. Some of the characters weren't as involved and present as I expected them to be, which was just something that is holding me back from giving it a higher rating. Simply personal opinion.

The fact that this read leaves the reader to wonder about the overlap in psychological disorders and folklore was something I liked, as someone studying psychology and disorders. There are some really fun discussions to be had, and this could be such a fun book club read.

ALC - released June 10th
This story tied together nicely once you get to the end. The audio took me a really long time to finish so I missed publication day! If you believe or have the faintest interest in scary stories or the lore of the Louisiana rougarou, this book is great! Are they real? Interesting take that they may be infected.
I found part one interesting and good story building but got scattered with all the people and storylines. With formats like police reports and autopsy reports to very faint tape recordings I often had to adjust the volume. Part two gathered me back in shortly but still found myself losing focus and not paying attention. Part three won me over honestly. I was able to stay in the story and keep up, even increasing the speed to my normal 2.5.
Thank you for the ALC!

Wow, this was an amazing horror novel, I loved the crime element this had to it oh and the psychology element too! This was my type of horror novel for sure it used mystery, crime, psychology and folklore to tell the story and those are all things I love especially as a student getting their BA in Criminology! I would highly recommend reading this!

This is a fantastic serial killer (s?) story set in (mostly) Louisiana and it has a crackling authenticity to the locations and beliefs of the people in that area. The Cajun Cannibal is scary as hell, and there are so many scenes set in rugged, rural areas where you can feel the isolation and imminent danger oozing through the text. I listened to this as an ALC and let me tell you, it is brilliantly performed and produced, as the book is a mixture of journal entries, taped recordings, news reports, and other documents, the quality and level of the audio purposefully changes, and the large cast delivers fantastic readings all around.

There are a lot of mysteries that unravel as the book goes on and I don’t want to spoil anything, but there is way more to the Cajun Cannibal than anyone thought. There is a scene at the very end of this book that was painful in its suspense, ending of The Silence of the Lambs level stressful, and I loved every tension soaked second.

If you are a fan of DARK serial killer stories, this is an absolute must read.

Thank you Spotify Audio for my gifted ARC!

Whoa.

Of Flesh and Blood is the type of book I crave. The parts of Louisiana that have always interested me. The voodoo, the rich history in all its ugliness and heritage, the culture, the urban legends. The things that go bump in the night. I absolutely loved this.

While the audio did get confusing at times with the switching up with mixed media, the storytelling was refreshing and kept me on my toes and thoroughly creeped out. It was lush.

I highly recommend this one if you want a creepy mystery to make the hair raise on the back of your neck.

I loved this one! All the things I love in a horror novel: southern mythology, paranormal crime, epistolary journals, documents and recordings, unreliable narrators, cryptid/werewolf/evolutionary glitches, generational trauma, multiple POVs.

Dr. Vincent Blackburn is related to the Cajun Cannibal, a serial killer turned suicide from - decade ago. But as new murders occur, Blackburn loses himself in paranoia and delusion. His unraveling is so cleverly handled, so engrossing, I was enraptured. Could not look away. A great murder mystery, a solid character study , a gory horror book.

This was a full cast audiobook, including one of the authors, Hunter Burke, which I always appreciate. Easy to follow and well-done.

Thank you Spotify Audio for my free copy of Of Flesh and Blood by Hunter Burke and N.L. Lavin — available TODAY 🎉 happy pub day, my dudes!

» READ IF YOU «
🩸 are looking for a paranormal crime horror story
🐺 can’t get enough of scary folklore creatures
🦞 have ever been to Louisiana (THE FOOD, Y’ALL!)

» SYNOPSIS «
Do you have any relatives that are…um, kind of embarrassing? Well, so does our MC, Vincent. He’s a forensic psychiatrist researching his relative, an infamous serial killer dubbed the Cajun Cannibal. But—the killer died years ago, why are new slayings popping up after a decade of peace? Did the wrong man take the fall for all those deaths?

» REVIEW «
Y’all, I had a great time with this book. It has everything I want—dark vibes, supernatural creatures, horrific murders, small-town secrets, and relatable characters. Vincent is a hot mess, and I adore him. The gore! The monsters! The lies! Perfect.

It’s also a debut! From two authors that lend their respective expertise to the story, which is probably why it worked so well for me. The narrative is very cinematic, which I love in my horror novels, and the multimedia style was fun and added some extra layers. I found myself heavily invested the whole time. And the audio narration is absolutely stellar!!

If you’re looking for something that will make you long for the swamp but freak you out too much to book the trip, this book is for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I actually didn't "read" this book per se. I listened to the audiobook. It was my second time listening to an audiobook. Which, considering the subject made it perfect.
A cannibalistic killer terrorized a parish in Lousisiana in 2008, killing and consuming 8 people.
Now a decade or so later, the killings have started again.
Considering the Cannibalistic Cannibal killed himself 10 years prior, they have a copy cat on their hands.
Dr. Vincent Blackburn, a forensic psychiatrist will stop at nothing to find the killer. Putting himself in danger and becoming obsessed.
Listening to the audiobook didn't take away from envisoning the scenery.
You feel the oppresive humidity of the swamp. The eerie and tense moments are chilling.
The set up makes it very atmospheric.
Dr. Blackburn is a good nuanced character.
I didn't think the narration was very good. Which is weird considering the narration I listened to was one of the authors. A creepy, twisty, thrilling book like this needs a certain kind of narrator. Doesn't have to be Vincent Price.
Thats aside, this is a great Halloween (or anytime!) read. Perfect for those of us that love horror and true crime folks.

I really liked this creepy book about cannibalism, science, and folklore. The story is unnerving, and the rougarou is a fun cryptid to consider, so the reader suspends disbelief a little, not knowing where the author will take them. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to listen!

I listened to this novel on audiobook, and overall, the audio production was fine. One thing I really appreciated was that the narrators didn’t overdo the Southern accents, which is a pet peeve of mine, so it felt natural and not distracting.

As for the story itself, I found it to be..... just okay. I have to admit, a lot of my lukewarm feelings probably come from my own misunderstanding. I went into the book thinking it was based on a true story, and I held onto that idea far longer than I should have. SMH.

Because of that, some parts struck me as unrealistic or even a bit ridiculous, which made me question the author’s honesty about it being true. I finally googled it and realized it was a work of fiction, and I'll admit that I maybe would have enjoyed it more if I’d known that upfront. Haha.

With that said, the story wasn’t bad. It had its moments and might actually be better appreciated by readers who approach it (as they should) as fiction rather than memoir. It’s definitely not the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s not the worst either. If you’re looking for a Southern-flavored story without heavy-handed accents and don’t mind a bit of melodrama, this might be worth a listen.

📖 Book Review: Of Flesh and Blood by N.L. Lavin & Hunter Burke
⭐️ 4/5 stars

Available June 10, 2025

Thank you to #netgalley, @nlavinstagram , Hunter Burke and @spotify audiobooks for this ALC for my honest review!

This one had slow burn monstrous vibes written all over it. It reminded me a lot of Seed by Ania Ahlborn with that creeping sense of dread and unraveling darkness.

We follow a psychologist who starts digging into a case that hits close to home—his cousin was accused of a string of brutal murders. But the deeper he digs, the more the truth starts to twist… and the bodies keep stacking up. It’s a story that quietly claws at you until it completely sinks in.

The audiobook has multiple narrators, which worked great for the different POVs. Each voice added depth and atmosphere. My only gripe? The volume on the tape recordings. They were so quiet that I had to turn the audio way up—only to get blasted when the narration switched back to full volume. A little jarring, but not enough to take away from how compelling the story was.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good monster tale. It’s eerie, gripping, and just the right kind of unsettling.

I must be honest that this book started off slowly. The main character, Dr. Vincent Blackburn, begins to research the case of a distant cousin who was known as the Cajun Cannibal for an article in a semi-scientific journal. As Dr. Blackburn researches, he gets more and more drawn into the case, and it goes from being a scientific pursuit of the truth to an all-out obsession on his part.

While it started slow, as Vincent becomes less and less the level-headed scientist and more the obsessed Rougaru hunter, the story really picks up the pace and suspense! Listening to the last hour had me on the edge of my seat, terrified of what was to happen next! I loved it!

Additionally, the cast of narrators of this audiobook did a masterful job of helping to build the tension and suspense as the story went along. I've always been intrigued by cryptids like the Rougaru and how they tie in so deeply to Louisiana culture and folklore, and the narrators for these characters did an outstanding job of making them sound authentic.

If you love a classic, suspenseful horror story set in the South, this is a book you should read. While I listened to the audiobook ARC, I'm guessing it would be equally as good in print.

I want to express my gratitude to Crooked Lane, Spotify Audiobooks, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Of Flesh and Bone delivers on the Southern Gothic and cannibalistic horror that I feel is hard to get readers to immerse themselves into. I found myself making EW! faces several times, which is a good thing! The audio book, especially, was fantastic because of the cast of narrators. They were absolutely wonderful to listen to giving you a dose of Louisiana accents.

The story itself pulls you in with descriptive, cannibalistic murders and a backdrop of eerie, haunted backwoods. I did feel that the beginning of the book was a little all over the place and hard to keep track of. Once it got going and found it’s footing, however, I was sold. It is super creepy and reads like a true crime with southern folklore.

Highly recommend to those that enjoy creepy, Southern goth horror books!

Thank you NetGalley, Hunter Burker and NL Lavin for the ARC and opportunity to review.

Equal parts mystery and folklore, Of Flesh and Blood is a tribute to the mystique of Louisiana swaps and Southern legends. Having a dog who was terrified at the mention of the Rougarou it was a running joke that our Boo was personally familiar with the creature. Who were we to doubt she had seen it with her own eyes creeping around during the balmy nights that hang heavy like Spanish moss on the ancient oaks.

This novel effectively invokes the often claustrophobic atmosphere of the swamp and the sense of something predatory lurking in the darkness. My critique with Of Flesh and Blood lies with the length at which the story is stretched out. Had it been edited to a shorter version the novel would have been more impactful and less of a slog at the end.

Imagine reading a true-crime memoir drenched in Southern heat, family secrets, and old Cajun folklore—that’s exactly how Of Flesh and Blood feels. From the very first page, I was pulled into this eerie, slow-burning story that made me question what was real and what was legend. Lavin and Burke don’t just tell a horror story—they explore how trauma passes through generations, how obsession can quietly unravel someone, and how the past always finds a way to bleed into the present. This book isn’t just dark—it’s immersive, unsettling, and strangely beautiful.