Reviews

His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet

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molmcintosh's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

jocockwell's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

So far I like this book including its detailed and colourful descriptions, however, I do find it mildly hard to follow which is why I picked it up and sat it down again over the course of my goodness - a couple of years! I hope to finish this book in 2022 and update my review.

elizabthreads's review

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

idi0twind's review

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3.0

low 3

indoorswoman's review

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challenging dark informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

xander1894's review

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3.0

A small crofting community in the Highlands provides the backdrop for this compelling tale of the brutal triple murder of a local constable and his family. The book takes the form of a collection of found documents which describe the case from various viewpoints. The first half is narrated by the accused, Roddy Macrae, in the form of an account of his youth and events leading up to the murder written from his prison cell. This is followed by an account by criminologist James Bruce Thomson who, at the request of Macrae's solicitor, investigates the case and attempts to ascertain the mental state of the prisoner. The final section consists of a report of the trial and ultimate verdict.

The book builds upon the evocative setting and characters described in the first half to present the reader with considerations to ponder as the trial progresses in the second half. Issues surrounding Roddy's possible motivations and state of mental health, the reliability of narrators, and Victorian attitudes to criminal psychology lead the reader to rethink their previous assumptions about the case.

The is an enjoyable book with an interesting historical and geographical setting, and an account of the hard life faced by Victorian crofters. It also gives a sense of some of the early theories of criminal psychology which are pretty unpalatable by today's standards.