His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

Though it will have just as tragic an end. There is a long-standing feud between Roderick’s father and the Mackenzies, and Roderick’s unrequited love for Flora Mackenzie is a lot less graceful than any sort of “Romeo and Juliet” scenario. In fact, we are treated to a long lead-up to the eventual crime, getting to know the tensions in the small community of Culdie. He does not shy away from the events of the murder. The account of Roddy himself is where things get interesting. He’s a character that the eyewitness accounts seem to have very little sympathy for. We also meet one of our victims, Lachlan Mackenzie. We also find out more about his strange, religious father In fact, we discover he’s quite bright, for all his eccentricities. And of Roderick himself - who by all accounts is a quiet, odd character, but not one that all people expected to go on a murder spree. There follows a series of eyewitness accounts of the events leading up to the murder. In almost excruciating historical detail. It explains the historical background of the memoir of seventeen-year-old Roderick Macrae, and the topology and nuance of relationships in the remote community where the murder took place.

The novel opens first with a preface from the “editor” of the piece. Three people are murdered in a small Highland community, and the accused murderer has written a deposition that says that he is unequivocally guilty.īut is that really the case? He does not shy away from the events of the murder “His Bloody Project” is a fascinating piece of historical literary crime fiction - a really well done “why-dunnit”. It was only a baffled review from one of my friends, who swore blind it was non-fiction, which really cinched it for me. The Man Booker shortlisted novel was one I’d seen around for years, and picked up and put down several times in second-hand shops.

One of my favourite reads of 2020 was a uniquely Scottish tale from Graeme Macrae Burnet, “His Bloody Project”. Sign up to our Weekly newsletter Subscribe to our magazine for more great content

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet