His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae (Man Booker Prize Finalist 2016)

By Graeme MaCrae Burnet

Man Booker Prize Finalist, LA Times Book Prize Finalist, New York Times Editor’s Choice, and an American Booksellers Association National Indie Bestseller!

Named a Best Book of 2016 by Newsweek, NPR, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Sunday Times!

In the smash hit historical thriller that the New York Times Book Review calls “thought provoking fiction,” a brutal triple murder in a remote Scottish farming community in 1869 leads to the arrest of seventeen-year-old Roderick Macrae. There is no question that Macrae committed this terrible act. What would lead such a shy and intelligent boy down this bloody path? And will he hang for his crime?

Presented as a collection of documents discovered by the author, His Bloody Project opens with a series of police statements taken from the villagers of Culdie, Ross-shire. They offer conflicting impressions of the accused; one interviewee recalls Macrae as a gentle and quiet child, while another details him as evil and wicked. Chief among the papers is Roderick Macrae’s own memoirs where he outlines the series of events leading up to the murder in eloquent and affectless prose. There follow medical reports, psychological evaluations, a courtroom transcript from the trial, and other documents that throw both Macrae’s motive and his sanity into question.

Graeme Macrae Burnet’s multilayered narrative—centered around an unreliable narrator—will keep the reader guessing to the very end. His Bloody Project is a deeply imagined crime novel that is both thrilling and luridly entertaining from an exceptional new voice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Release date: Oct 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781510719224

Graeme MaCrae Burnet

Graeme Macrae Burnet has established a reputation for smart and literary mystery writing with his highly praised novel, His Bloody Project, which was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. He was born and brought up in Kilmarnock and has lived in Prague, Bordeaux, Porto, and London. He now lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

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Cover Page of His Bloody Project

Praise for His Bloody Project

MAN BOOKER PRIZE Finalist

‘A real box of tricks… a truly ingenious thriller as confusingly multilayered as an Escher staircase.’

Jake Kerridge, Best murder & mystery reads of the Season, Express

‘A gripping crime story, a deeply imagined historical novel, and glorious writing – all in one tour-de-force of a book. An exceptional new voice.’

Chris Dolan Herald, Book of the Year

‘Compelling…a fine achievement from an ambitious and accomplished writer.’

Richard Strachan, The National

‘A historical revenge tragedy and courtroom drama… [are] at the heart of this masterful psychological thriller.’

Ian Stephen

‘Masterful, clever and playful. It is every inch the riveting second novel I had hoped for.’

Louise Hutcheson, A Novel Bookblog

‘Leads you down deliberate and dark dead-ends…Burnet takes great delight in wrong-footing the reader at every turn.’

Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae

‘A magnificent and absorbingly detailed evocation of Highland life in mid-19th century … flawless and so assured.’

J David Simons

Praise for The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau

Selected amongst Scotland’s best 2014 titles by the List magazine Longlisted for the WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD

‘A solid detective story and a compelling character study [make this] a captivating psychological thriller.’

Alastair Mabbott, Herald

‘A character-driven plot that is incredibly engaging. Alluring…the writing is evocative and the characters intriguing.’

The Bookseller

‘True noir… mysterious, funny and intelligent.’

Jen Bowden, List

‘Scenes of caustic intensity and photographic precision…an absorbing and multi-layered read.’

Dundee University Review of the Arts

‘A strikingly singular talent."

Will Mackie, Scottish Book Trust

‘This is a crime novel but it is so much more than that, and whilst it owes a lot to Simenon, it is in no way diminished by that comparison.’

Arnold Taylor, Crime Review UK

‘A brilliantly crafted novel. My favourite of 2014.’

Luke Crabb

Half Title of His Bloody Project

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Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau

Title Page of His Bloody Project

Copyright © 2015 by Graeme Macrae Burnet

First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2016.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Originally published by Contraband Publishing in 2015.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [e-mail].

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Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Erin Seaward-Hiatt

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-1921-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-1922-4

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Preface

Statements by Residents of Culduie

Map of Culduie and the Surrounding Area

The Account of Roderick Macrae

Glossary

Medical Reports

Extract from Travels in the Border-Lands of Lunacy by J. Bruce Thomson

The Trial

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Preview of Graeme Burnet's next book: Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau

The quern performs best when

the grindstone has been pitted.

Highland proverb

Preface

I am writing this at the behest of my advocate, Mr Andrew Sinclair, who since my incarceration here in Inverness has treated me with a degree of civility I in no way deserve. My life has been short and of little consequence, and I have no wish to absolve myself of responsibility for the deeds which I have lately committed. It is thus for no other reason than to repay my advocate’s kindness towards me that I commit these words to paper.

So begins the memoir of Roderick Macrae, a seventeen-year-old crofter, indicted on the charge of three brutal murders carried out in his native village of Culduie in Ross-shire on the morning of the 10th of August 1869.

It is not my intention to unduly detain the reader, but a few prefatory remarks may provide a little context to the material collected here. Those readers who prefer to proceed directly to the documents themselves are of course free to do so.

In the spring of 2014, I embarked on a project to find out a little about my grandfather, Donald ‘Tramp’ Macrae, who was born in 1890 in Applecross, two or three miles north of Culduie. It was in the course of my research at the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness that I came across some newspaper clippings describing the trial of Roderick Macrae, and with the assistance of Anne O’Hanlon, the archivist there, discovered the manuscript which comprises the largest part of this volume.

By any measure, Roderick Macrae’s memoir is a remarkable document. It was written in the gaol at Inverness Castle approximately between the 17th of August and the 5th of September 1869, while Roderick awaited trial. It was the existence of the memoir, rather than the murders themselves, which turned the case into something of a cause célèbre. The memoir—or at least the most sensational parts of it—was later reprinted in countless chapbooks or ‘penny dreadfuls’ and provoked great controversy.

Many, especially among the literati of Edinburgh, doubted its authenticity. Roderick’s account revived memories of the Ossian scandal of the late eighteenth century, in which James Macpherson claimed to have discovered and translated the great epic of Gaelic poetry. Ossian quickly assumed the status of a classic of European literature, but was later found to have been a fake. For Campbell Balfour, writing in the Edinburgh Review, it was ‘quite inconceivable that a semi-literate peasant could produce such a sustained and eloquent piece of writing. … The work is a hoax and those who extol this most pitiless murderer as some kind of noble savage will in time be left red-faced.’* For others, both the murders and the memoir attested to the ‘terrible barbarism which continues to thrive in the northern regions of our country [and which] all the efforts of our dedicated presbytery and the great improvements† of the past decades have failed to eradicate.’‡

For yet others, however, the events described in the memoir provided evidence of the injustice of the feudal conditions under which the Highland crofter continued to toil. While taking care not to condone his actions, John Murdoch, who was later to establish the radical newspaper The Highlander, saw in Roderick Macrae ‘a figure driven to the edge of his reason—or beyond—by the cruel system which makes slaves of men who wish only to eke an honest living from a borrowed patch of land.’§

As to the authenticity of the document, it is not possible, a century and a half later, to provide a definitive answer. It is without doubt remarkable that anyone so young could produce such an eloquent account. However, the idea that Roderick Macrae was a ‘semi-literate peasant’ is a product of the prejudice which continued to exist towards the north in the affluent cities of the Central Belt. The curriculum of the nearby Lochcarron primary school from the 1860s records that children were instructed in Latin, Greek and science. Roderick could have expected a similar education at his school in Camusterrach and his memoir attests both to this and to the fact that he was an uncommonly gifted pupil. The fact that Roderick could have written the memoir does not, of course, prove that he did. For this we have the evidence of the psychiatrist, James Bruce Thomson, whose own memoir attests to having seen the document in Roderick’s cell. Sceptics could (and did) aver that Thomson never actually saw Roderick write anything, and it must be admitted that, were the memoir to be submitted to a modern trial, the chain of evidence could not be wholly verified. The idea that the memoir was actually written by another hand (the chief suspect being Roderick’s advocate, Andrew Sinclair) cannot entirely be dismissed, but it requires the convoluted thinking of the most outré conspiracy theorist to believe this to be the case. Then there is the content of the document itself, which contains such a wealth of detail that it is scarcely plausible that it was not written by a native of Culduie. Furthermore, Roderick’s account of the events leading up to the murders did, with some minor exceptions, largely tally with the evidence of other witnesses at the trial. For these reasons, and having examined the manuscript first-hand, I have no doubts as to its authenticity.

In addition to Roderick Macrae’s account, this volume also includes the police statements of various residents of Culduie; the post-mortem reports on the victims; and, perhaps most fascinatingly of all, an extract from J. Bruce Thomson’s memoir, Travels in the Border-Lands of Lunacy, in which he recounts his examination of Roderick Macrae and a visit he made to Culduie in the company of Andrew Sinclair. Thomson was the Resident Surgeon in charge of the General Prison for Scotland at Perth, where those deemed unfit to stand trial on grounds of insanity were housed. Mr Thomson put the opportunity this position afforded him to good use, publishing two influential articles—‘The Hereditary Nature of Crime’ and ‘The Psychology of Criminals’—in the Journal of Mental Science. He was well-versed in the new theory of evolution and the still-nascent discipline of Criminal Anthropology, and while some of the views expressed might be unpalatable to the modern reader, it is worth bearing in mind the context in which they were written, and that they represent a genuine effort to move beyond a theological view of criminality and reach a better understanding of why certain individuals come to commit violent crimes.

Finally, I have included an account of the trial, drawn from contemporary newspaper coverage and the book A Complete Report of the Trial of Roderick John Macrae, published by William Kay of Edinburgh in October 1869.

It is not possible, almost a century and a half later, to know the truth of the events recounted in this volume. The accounts presented here contain various discrepancies, contradictions and omissions, but taken together they form a tapestry of one of the most fascinating cases in Scottish legal history. Naturally, I have come to my own view of the case, but I shall leave it to the reader to reach his or her own conclusions.

A note on the text

As far as I have been able to ascertain, this is the first time Roderick Macrae’s memoir has been published in its entirety. Despite the passage of time and the fact that for some years it was not stored with any great care, the manuscript is in remarkably good condition. It was written on loose sheets and at some later point bound with leather strings, this being evidenced by the fact that the text on the inner edge of the pages is sometimes obscured by the binding. The handwriting is admirably clear with only the most occasional crossings-out and false starts. In preparing the document for publication, I strived at all times to be true to the sense of the manuscript. At no point did I attempt to ‘improve’ the text or correct awkward turns of phrase or syntax. Such interventions would, I think, only serve to cast doubt on the authenticity of the work. What is presented is, as far as possible, the work of Roderick Macrae. Some of the vocabulary used may be unfamiliar to some readers, but rather than overburden the text with footnotes, I have opted to include a short glossary at the end of this section. It is also worth pointing out that throughout the memoir individuals’ real names and nicknames are used interchangeably—Lachlan Mackenzie, for example, is generally referred to as Lachlan Broad. The use of nicknames remains common in the Scottish Highlands—at least among the older generation—probably as a way of distinguishing between different branches of the most widespread family names. Nicknames are commonly based on professions or eccentricities, but they can also be passed on from one generation to the next to the point where the origin of the name becomes a mystery even to its holder.

I have largely restricted my editorial interventions to matters of punctuation and paragraphing. The manuscript is written in one unbroken stream, save perhaps for moments at which Roderick took up his pen from one day to the next. I took the decision to introduce paragraphs for the sake of readability. Similarly, the text is largely unpunctuated, or eccentrically so. Thus, the majority of the punctuation is mine, but again, my guiding principle was to be true to the original. If my judgements in this seem questionable, I can only direct the reader to consult the manuscript, which remains in the archive at Inverness.

GMB, July 2015

* Campbell Balfour, ‘Our Century’s Ossian’, Edinburgh Review, October 1869, No. CCLXVI.

† This is a reference to the Highland Clearances.

‡ Editorial, the Scotsman, 17 September 1869.

§ John Murdoch, ‘What we might learn from this case’, Inverness Courier, 14 September 1869.

Statements

gathered from various residents of Culduie and the surrounding area by Officer William MacLeod of Wester Ross police force, Dingwall, on the 12th and 13th of August 1869

Statement of Mrs Carmina Murchison [Carmina Smoke], resident of Culduie, 12th August 1869

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I have known Roderick Macrae since he was an infant. I generally found him to be a pleasant child and later to be a courteous and obliging young man. I believe he was greatly affected by the death of his mother, who was a charming and gregarious woman. While I do not wish to speak ill of his father, John Macrae is a disagreeable person, who treated Roddy with a degree of severity I do not believe any child deserves.

On the morning of the dreadful incident, I spoke to Roddy as he passed our house. I cannot recall the precise content of our conversation, but I believe he told me that he was on his way to carry out some work on land belonging to Lachlan Mackenzie. He was carrying some tools, which I took to be for this purpose. In addition, we exchanged some remarks about the weather, it being a fine and sunny morning. Roderick appeared quite composed and betrayed no sign of fretfulness. Sometime later, I saw Roddy make his way back along the village. He was covered from head to foot in blood and I ran from the threshold of my house, thinking that some accident had befallen him. As I approached, he stopped and the tool he was carrying dropped from his hand. I asked what had happened and he replied without hesitation that he had killed Lachlan Broad. He appeared quite lucid and made no attempt to continue along the road. I called to my eldest daughter to fetch her father, who was working in the outbuilding behind our house. On seeing Roddy covered in blood, she screamed, and this brought other residents of the village to their doors and caused those at work on their crops to look up from their labour. There was very quickly a general commotion. I confess that in these moments my first instinct was to protect Roddy from the kinsmen of Lachlan Mackenzie. For this reason, when my husband arrived at the scene, I asked him to take Roddy inside our house without telling him what had occurred. Roddy was seated at our table and calmly repeated what he had done. My husband sent our daughter to fetch our neighbour, Duncan Gregor, to stand guard and then ran to Lachlan Mackenzie’s house, where he discovered the tragic scene.

Statement of Mr Kenneth Murchison [Kenny Smoke], stonemason, resident of Culduie, 12th August 1869

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On the morning in question I was working in my outbuilding behind my house, when I heard a general commotion from the village. I emerged from my workshop to be greeted by my eldest daughter, who was greatly distressed and unable to properly inform me of what had occurred. I ran towards the congregation of people outside our house. Amid the confusion, my wife and I took Roderick Macrae into our house, believing that he had been injured in some accident. Once inside my wife informed me of what had occurred and when I asked Roderick if this was true he repeated quite calmly that it was. I then ran to the home of Lachlan Mackenzie and found a scene too dreadful to describe. I closed the door behind me and examined the bodies for signs of life, of which there were none. Fearing a general outbreak of violence, were any of Lachlan Broad’s kinsmen to lay eyes on this scene, I went outside and summoned Mr Gregor to stand guard over the property. I ran back to my own house and took Roddy from there to my outbuilding, where I barricaded him in. He did not resist. Mr Gregor was unable to prevent Lachlan Broad’s kinsmen from entering the premises and seeing the bodies there. By the time I had confined Roddy, they had formed themselves into a vengeful mob, which it took some time and persuasion to subdue.

As to the general character of Roderick Macrae, there is no doubt that he was a queer boy, but whether this was by nature or had been brought on by the tribulations which his family has suffered I am not qualified to say. The evidence of his deeds, however, does not speak of a sound mind.

Statement of the Reverend James Galbraith, minister at the Church of Scotland, Camusterrach, 13th August 1869

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

I fear the wicked deeds lately committed in this parish only represent a bubbling to the surface of the natural state of savagism of the inhabitants of this place, a savagism that the Church has of late been successful in suppressing. The history of these parts, it has been said, is stained with black and bloody crimes, and its people exhibit a certain wildness and indulgence. Such traits cannot be bred out in a matter of generations, and while the teachings of the Presbytery are a civilising influence, it is inevitable that now and again the old instincts come to the fore.

Nonetheless, one cannot fail to be shocked on hearing of acts such as those committed in Culduie. Of all the individuals in this parish, however, one is least surprised to hear that Roderick Macrae is the perpetrator. Although this individual has attended my church since childhood, I always sensed that my sermons fell on his ears as seeds on stony ground. I must accept that his crimes represent, in some degree, a failure on my part, but sometimes one must sacrifice a lamb for the general good of the flock. There was always a wickedness, easily discernible, about that boy which I regret to say was beyond my reach.

The boy’s mother, Una Macrae, was a frivolous and insincere woman. She attended church regularly, but I fear she mistook the Lord’s House for a place of social gathering. I frequently heard her singing on her way to and from the kirk and, after service, she would gather within the grounds with other womenfolk and indulge in intemperate conversation and laughter. On more than one occasion I was obliged to reprimand her.

I am compelled, however, to add a word on behalf of Roderick Macrae’s father. John Macrae is among the most devoted to scripture in this parish. His knowledge of the Bible is extensive and he is sincere in his observance. In common with the majority in these parts, however, even while he might parrot the words of the Gospel, I fear his understanding of them is feeble. Following the death of Mr Macrae’s wife, I visited the household frequently to offer support and prayer. I observed at that time many signs about the place of adherence to superstition, such as have no place in the home of a believer. Nevertheless, while we are none of us blameless, I believe John Macrae to be a good and devout man, who did not deserve to be burdened with such noxious progeny.

Statement of Mr William Gillies, schoolmaster at Camusterrach, 13th August 1869

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Roderick Macrae was among the most talented pupils I have taught since my arrival in this parish. He easily outstripped his fellows in his ability to grasp concepts in science, mathematics and language, and this he achieved without show of effort or, indeed, of any great interest. As to his character, I can offer only the most limited remarks. Certainly, he was not of a sociable nature and did not mix readily with his fellows, who, in turn, regarded him with some suspicion. For his own part, Roderick behaved with disdain towards his classmates, this at times bordering on contempt. Were I to speculate, I would say this attitude was bred by his academic superiority. That said, I always found him to be a courteous and respectful pupil, not given to unruly behaviour. As a mark of my high regard for his academic gifts, when he was sixteen years old, I called on his father to suggest that Roderick should continue his studies and might, in time, amount to something more suited to his abilities than working the land. I regret to say that my proposal received short shrift from his father, whom I found to be a reticent and slow-witted individual.

I have not seen Roderick since that time. I heard some disturbing rumours about his mistreatment of a sheep under his charge, but I cannot testify as to their veracity, other than to state that I found Roderick to be a gentle lad, not given to the cruel behaviour sometimes found in boys of that age. For this reason I find it difficult to credit that he might be capable of carrying out the crimes with which he has recently been charged.

Statement of Peter Mackenzie, first cousin of Lachlan Mackenzie [Lachlan Broad], resident of Culduie, 12th August 1869

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Roderick Macrae is as wicked an individual as one could ever have the misfortune to meet. Even as a small boy there was a mean spirit about him, such as one would not credit in a child. He was for many years thought to be mute and capable only of some uncanny commune with his otherworldly sister, who seemed his partner in wickedness. He was generally regarded in the parish as an imbecile, but I myself reckoned him an altogether more malicious creature, and his recent exploits have borne out this view. From an early age he was given to the spiteful mistreatment of animals and birds, and to arbitrary acts of destruction around the village. He had the Devil’s own cunning. On one occasion, when he was perhaps twelve years old, a fire was set in the outbuilding of my cousin Aeneas Mackenzie, destroying a number of valuable tools and a quantity of grain. The boy had been seen in the vicinity of the building, but he denied responsibility and the Black Macrae [his father, John Macrae] swore that his son had not been out of his sight at the time in question. He thus escaped punishment, but as with many other incidents, there was no doubt that he was to blame. His father is likewise a feeble-minded individual, who conceals his idiocy behind a zealous adherence to scripture and a cringing deference to the minister.

I was not present in Culduie on the day of the murders and heard about them only on my return that evening.

Map of Culduie and the Surrounding Area

after Ordnance Survey Map of 1875 by Capt. MacPherson, engraved 1878

The Account of Roderick Macrae

IAM WRITING THIS AT THE BEHEST OF MY ADVOCATE, Mr Andrew Sinclair, who since my incarceration here in Inverness has treated me with a degree of civility I in no way deserve. My life has been short and of little consequence, and I have no wish to absolve myself of responsibility for the deeds which I have lately committed. It is thus for no other reason than to repay my advocate’s kindness towards me that I commit these words to paper.

Mr Sinclair has instructed me to set out, with as much clarity as possible, the circumstances surrounding the murder of Lachlan Mackenzie and the others, and this I will do to the best of my ability, apologising in advance for the poverty of my vocabulary and rudeness of style.

I shall begin by saying that I carried out these acts with the sole purpose of delivering my father from the tribulations he has lately suffered. The cause of these tribulations was our neighbour, Lachlan Mackenzie, and it was for the betterment of my family’s lot that I have removed him from this world. I should further state that since my own entry into the world, I have been nothing but a blight to my father and my departure from his household can only be a blessing to him.

My name is Roderick John Macrae. I was born in 1852 and have lived all my days in the village of Culduie in Ross-shire. My father, John Macrae, is a crofter of good standing in the parish, who does not deserve to be tarnished with the ignominy of the actions for which I alone am responsible. My mother, Una, was born in 1832 in the township of Toscaig, some two miles south of Culduie. She died in the birthing of my brother, Iain, in 1868, and it is this event which, in my mind, marks the beginning of our troubles.

* * *

Culduie is a township of nine houses, situated in the parish of Applecross. It lies half a mile or so south of Camusterrach where the church and the school in which I received my education are located. On account of the inn and the emporium in the village of Applecross, few travellers venture as far as Culduie. At the head of Applecross Bay is the Big House, where Lord Middleton resides, and during the sporting season entertains his guests. There are no spectacles or entertainments to detain visitors in Culduie. The road past our township leads to Toscaig and to nowhere beyond, and in consequence we have little contact with the outside world.

Culduie is set back some three hundred yards from the sea and nestles at the foot of Càrn nan Uaighean. Between the village and the road is a tract of fertile ground, which is cultivated by the people. Higher into the mountains are the summer grazings and the peat bogs that supply us with our fuel. Culduie is somewhat protected from the worst of the climate by the Aird-Dubh peninsula, which projects into the sea, forming a natural harbour. The village of Aird-Dubh is poorly served with arable land and the people there are mostly concerned with fishing for their livelihoods. A certain amount of exchange of labour and goods takes place between these two communities, but, aside from such necessary contact, we keep our distance from one another. According to my father, Aird-Dubh folk are slovenly in their habits and of low morals, and he has dealings with them only on sufferance. In common with all those engaged in the fishing trade, the men are devoted to the unrestrained consumption of whisky, while their womenfolk are notoriously wanton. Having been schooled with children from this village, I can vouch for the fact that while there is little to distinguish them physically from our own people, they are devious and not to be trusted.

At the junction of the track connecting Culduie to the road is the house of Kenny Smoke, which, being the only one boasting a slate roof, is the finest in the village. The other eight houses are constructed from stones reinforced with turf and have thatch roofs. Each house has one or two glazed windows. My own family’s house is the northernmost of the village and sits somewhat at an angle, so that while the other houses look out towards the bay, ours faces the village. The home of Lachlan Broad is situated at the opposite end of the track, and, after that of Kenny Smoke, is the second largest in the village. Aside from those mentioned, the houses are occupied by two further families of the clan Mackenzie; the MacBeath family; Mr and Mrs Gillanders, whose children have all gone; our neighbour Mr Gregor and his family; and Mrs Finlayson, a widow. Aside from the nine houses there are various outbuildings, many of quite rude construction, which are used for housing livestock, storing tools and such like. That is the extent of our community.

Our own house comprises two chambers. The greater part consists of the byre and, to the right of the door, our living quarters. The floor slopes downwards a little towards the sea, which prevents the dung from the animals running into our quarters. The byre is partitioned by a balustrade constructed from scraps of wood gathered from the shore. In the middle of the living area is the fire and, beyond that, the table at which we take our meals. Aside from the table, our furniture consists of two sturdy benches, my father’s armchair and a large wooden dresser, which belonged to my mother’s family before she was married. I sleep on a bunk with my younger brother and sister at the far end of the room. The second chamber at the back of the house is where my

Reviews for His Bloody Project

[over.the.edge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

His Bloody Project : Documents Relating To The Case of Roderick Macrame🍒🍒🍒
By Graeme Macrame Burney
2015
Skyhorse Publishing

Is a person responsible for the death of another, if the killer is declared insane?
This triple murder in 1869 Scotland, in the remote Western Ross village of Culduie asks that question.
It's not a question of guilt. It's a question of sanity....and so the argument begins.
The case is told through the eyes of all involved, broken into sections.Documents. Police Reports. The prison memoir of the accused. Medical and Forensic reports.
Very good story!

[oataker-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poor Roddie is a loner, brilliant but lacking in emotional empathy. He is bullied by the neighbour Lachlan and his own father is useless. The sex side is disastrous, being part of Lachlan's powers over him. He takes violent revenge against Lachlan, but also against two of his children. Roddie's sister Jetta is a sad figure, abused by Lachlan, getting pregnant, bound for rejection by the locals, dressing in old clothes and eventually killing herself, at least not harming anyone else. Now I realise the book is all made up, instead of being contemporary accounts as it is set out, how does that influence my view of the story? It transforms it. Now I see I am completely in the hands of the author's decisions, and what is said about all the characters may only reflect the author's prejudices. Some of the fascination of the book has gone.

[nirmala3chandrasiri · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

His Bloody Project, short listed for Man Booker prize 2016, is unlike any other novel I have ever read. The story revolves around Roderick Macrae, a seventeen year old boy from Culduie in Ross-shire, who commits a brutal triple murder by killing Lachlan Mackenzie, the area constable, and two of Mackenzie’s children; Flora, aged fifteen and Donald, aged three.From the beginning of the novel Roderick Macrae does not attempt to refute the charges that are brought against him. Roderick maintains he only “wished to deliver (his) father from the tribulations which he had lately suffered” and deaths of Flora and Donald Mackenzie “were necessitated by their presence in the house and (his) wish to prevent them from raising the alarm.” At no point Roderick Macrae shows remorse for what he has done and his continuous insistence to be of sound mind, raise questions of his sanity throughout the trial.According to Roderick Macrae, Lachlan Mackenzie ill-used his power to subdue the Macrae family. The two families shared a long history of wrath, and although John Macrae; Roderick’s father tried to remain calm about the wrongs committed against his family (which could be very well out of his ego) by Lachlan Mackenzie, it brought Macraes nothing but destruction. Even though, one might say Lachlan Mackenzie had it coming, the heinous nature of the crime makes one wonder if such an act can be committed by a sane person. How can one determine terms of insanity is one of the ongoing themes of the novel.Graeme Macrae Burnet’s fiction is presented to us in a unique form. Set in the 19th century, it consists of an account by Roderick Macrae in which he describes the events that led to the gruesome killings. Furthermore, it has statements from residents of Culduie, medical reports, news paper extracts on the trial and so forth. Hence, the book reads like true crime, although it is a work of fiction, which I really appreciate about this book."Certainly, neither Applecross nor Camusterrach – primitive as they were – prepared us for the wretched collection of hovels that comprised the domicile of R___ M___. The short ride between Camusterrach and Culduie afforded, it must be said, a magnificent vista of isles of Raasay and Skye. The strait that separated these islands from the mainland sparkled agreeably in the sunlight. The contrast when we turned into the track which led to Culduie could not have been greater, and I can only imagine that the unfortunate natives of this place must daily avert their eyes from the beauty before them, so as not to be reminded of the squalor in which they dwell."Also, Graeme Macrae Burnet tells us what it must have been like to live in the Scotland highlands in old days. He tells us of the many hardships a crofter like John Macrae would have had to undergo, just to barely survive.

[gbelik_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story is told in the format of a group of court documents in a murder trial and a journal of the accused. The Macrae family, living in a rural hamlet in Scotland, has certainly been treated unfairly and sees no hope for redress. So young Roderick takes things into his own hands . While I admired the craft of the storytelling here and I certainly grew to sympathize with the protagonist, I kept hoping that the book would become more than just a record of events. But, to me, it didn't go deeper than that.

[vicki_weisfeld · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This remarkable faux “true-crime” thriller was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and an immersive, inventive fable it is. The conceit is that the author, in researching his family history, uncovers a 17-year-old relative named Roderick Macrae, who in 1869 stood trial in Inverness, Scotland, in a notorious triple murder case. In trying to get to the bottom of this episode, the author has assembled a variety of original documents. He presents this evidence, and the reader must weigh it along with the court.After some prefatory remarks, the story picks up steam in the longest section of the book, a confession written by Roddy himself. Opinion at the time, the author notes, held it was entirely unlikely that a barely educated crofter, living in desperately reduced circumstances, could write such a literate account of himself and his life. Roddy freely admits he committed the murders. The nub of the case is whether he was in his right mind when doing so and whether the then rather new insanity defense is appropriate. His victims were Lachlan Mackenzie, the autocratic and vindictive constable of the area, who seems, for various reasons and an inherent meanness, intent on breaking apart the Macrae family; Mackenzie’s 15-year-old daughter Flora, whom Roddy has gone walking with a few times and hopes to romance; and Mackenzie’s three-year-old son Danny.In describing life in the tiny, poverty-struck village of Culduie, Roddy’s memoir recounts a great many petty tyrannies visited on the family by Mackenzie, which might (or might not) be sufficient motivation for murder. Since Roddy’s mother died in childbirth, the Macrae family has lurched through life, bathed in grief and laid low by privation. From Roddy’s confession as well as other testimony, readers gain a detailed picture of daily life and the knife-edge on which survival depends. Fans of strong courtroom dramas will relish the way the courtroom scenes in the book both reveal and conceal.The audiobook was narrated by Antony Ferguson. He gives sufficient variety to the speech of the characters to make them both easily identifiable and compelling individuals, from the engaging Roddy to the condescending psychiatrist and prison doctor, whom author Burnet based on the real-life J Bruce Thomson, to the ostensibly straightforward journalistic accounts.The format of this book makes it unusual in crime fiction. It is a more literary version of the dossier approach used by Dennis Wheatley, in such classics as Murder Off Miami, which our family loved to read and solve.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This clever novel takes the form of a selection of manuscripts relating to the brutal murder of three members of the Mackenzie family in the Scottish Highlands during the late nineteenth century. One of these manuscripts is a confession by the man accused of the murders, which recounts his actions and offers a detailed family history. Other documents include witness statements from a number of other residents of the small settlement where the murders occurred.Graeme Macrae Burnet masterfully varies the tones and styles of the different documents offered up for the reader’s consideration, with sufficient variation, and even occasionally apparent contradiction, for the needs of verisimilitude.As an exercise in style, this works very cleverly, but that was as far as my interest went. I applaud the detail with which Burnet has given depth and realism to the characters. Sadly the story simply left me cold. I could not summon any empathy towards any of the characters, and reading this book sadly became little more than a chore. Having started, I was resolved to finish it, but the spark of engagement that I so eagerly sought never ultimately appeared.

[judithrs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

His Bloody Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae. Edited and introduced by Graeme Macrae Burnet. 2015. Not bad for a cheap Kindle book. This is a novel that reads like the nonfiction account of a murder that took place in Scotland in 1869. Roderick Macrae, a teenager, was charged with the murder of Lachlan Broad, who was the constable of the little village of Culduie in the Scottish Highlands. Instead of chapters the book is divided in to reports, statements, newspaper articles, and “The Account of Roderick Macrae”. There is also a marvelous glossary of the Scottish terms used in the book! Macrae’s Advocate convinces him to write his account of the events that led up to the murder and this comprises most of the book. Lachlan Broad was a sadistic bully who made life intolerable for the Macrae family, and the lawyer or advocate wants to prove that Roderick, was driven to a state of temporary insanity by the actions of Broad, and therefore, should receive mercy. The tenant farming system was feudal and the “crofters” were little more than serfs. I hadn’t read about this system and found it fascinating. I was reminded of books I have read about Ireland during the same time period. Criminal psychology was in its infancy, it is interesting to see how far that field has advanced. The violence and cruelty may bother some readers

[edgoldberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

ON a trip to Scotland I have to buy a book by a Scottish author in a Scottish bookstore. Graeme Macrae Burnet actually fit both bills--he is a Scottish author and he worked in the bookstore I purchased the book in. His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the Man Booker price in 2016.Roderick Macrae murdered Lachlan "Broad" MacKenzie, his 15 year old daughter Flora and his young son Danny. Of that there is no denying. He admits it. However, what was his motivation and should he be acquitted of the charges is the main issue.The year is 1869, Scotland. Graeme Macrae Burnet forms his book like a police investigation. There are witness statements, statements from doctors and Roderick's 100 statement of the murder and events leading up to it. There is an account of the trial and the verdict. The entire book is gripping, if a little slow reading at times. You learn how the poorer class lived in 19th century Scotland and how they were looked upon by the upper class and the 'lairds' whose land they farmed. I'm not a literary fiction reader and the Man Booker prize is a literary fiction award so I was a little unsure whether I would like the book, but I really loved it. So, if you're looking for something 'different' to read, I'd highly recommend His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readers never have a doubt of the protagonist's guilt in this Booker nominated book. Roddy Macrae freely admits he committed the offense. He even offers his reason for doing so although the motive is called into question. Will the defense be able to get him off with an insanity plea? The novel is based on an 1869 case from Scotland that received a great deal of attention in newspapers of the day. The author's arrangement of the work is more interesting than the actual case. I am intrigued by the "genealogical research" that went into this volume, but I really don't think it is a serious Booker contender. I may be proven wrong in this year of what many believe are less-than-stellar nominees.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A case study of a gruesome triple murder committed in a rural Scottish village in 1869, presented through a jailhouse memoir written by the accused, medical reports, trial transcripts, &c. A real page-turner, but very dark from start to finish (as one might expect). Recommended.

[celerydog_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unreliable narrator, pseudo-historical 'found' documents, setting so well described that it becomes as good as a character - all my favourite ingredients for an unputdownable read. Highly recommended and should glean excellent discussion with fellow readers.

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Possibly the bleakest tale I've ever read. In 19th century Scotland, teenager Roderick Macrae faces murder charges for killing a neighbor and two of his children. Told through Roderick's written account, a reporter's notes on the trial, and reports and testimony submitted by various experts, the evidence for insanity and blame are examined from many sides. Roderick is from an extremely poor group of crofter cottages along the shore of Scotland. The manor's lord has a factor (property manager) who forces the cottages to elect a "constable" to keep themselves in line, a job they all detest having to fulfill. All but one, that is. In this year, crofter Lachlan Mackenzie has bullied his way to the job and used it to take vengeance against the Macrae family, apparently just because he can. Having just lost the mother of the family, the Macraes are in a terrible way to start, and being the poorest of the crofter families, they are only a few steps from being evicted. Mackenzie's goal is to torment them further and force them out. There's really no hope for this family or for Roderick himself. They see no future, they have no recourse against Mackenzie, and when the eviction is finally served, Roderick feels he has no choice but to try to protect his family. The court must decide if there is a case for temporary insanity, but it is clear that the norms of the society in question do not allow much pity for the lowest-of-the-low who rebel against abuse by their betters.The hopelessness here, especially the complete lack of power this family has to protect itself, is almost unbearable to behold. I was drawn to the book because of the format (journals, reports, etc.), but had I known how unrelentingly depressing it was, I wouldn't have read it. Yes, it's good to face the existence of evil and tragedy in the world, but for my part, this tale of inevitable and total degradation and destruction was more than I could stand. Unfortunately, though, I think I'll remember the book for a long time.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the nominees whose description appealed to me from last year's Booker short list. Seventeen year old Roderick Macrae brutally killed three people in a Scottish farming village in the late 19th century. The mystery is not "whodunnit", but "why?", and whether there is a chance that Roderick's life will be spared in his criminal trial. The book is formatted as a series of documents, including witness statements taken by investigators, psychiatric evaluations of Roderick's state of mind, trial transcripts and other documents. The heart of the novel is a personal narrative "written by" Roderick himself for his attorney, setting forth his version of the events leading up to and through the crime itself. Burnet did an excellent job of presenting the story of the crime and the trial through a 19th century lens.My favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the day-to-day lives and hardships of the villagers, living in what was essentially a feudal society, subject to the whims and cruelties of the landowners, constables and factors. The author vividly and convincingly portrays the hopelessness of their lives.However, as a 21st century psychological thriller, the book is less successful, I think. While the book uses the technique of unreliable narrators, and presents contrasting and varying viewpoints of Roderick and his actions, in the end, the "big reveal" was a big let-down. In addition, the pacing was rather slow, and I never felt compelled to keep turning the pages to see what happened next.A Newsweek review describes the book as "halfway between a thriller and a sociological study of an exploitive economic system..." I'd say it's much less than "half a thriller," although it is still a decent read.I was intrigued by the sound of Burner's first novel, The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, and liked His Bloody Project enough that I'd pick up his earlier book if I came across it.3 stars

[cariola_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, I whizzed through the audio version of this book in a day and a half, so that should tell you something! It's 1869, and a brutal triple murder has occurred in a small Scottish village. Young Roddy Macrae is clearly the killer; he doesn't try to hide his guilt. But what was his motivation? And was he sane at the time of the murder?Burnet's novel takes the form of a case study based on documents. The primary source is Macrae's own account, written at the behest of his lawyer, who hopes to spare his life by proving him insane. But the novel also relies upon neighbors' statements taken by the police, the medical examiner's reports, psychiatric evaluations, and the complete transcript of Roddy's trial. Along the way, we're given a detailed picture of the hard, bleak, cruel life of the poor in 19th-century Scotland. It's these details, as well as the opposing views of young Roddy, that make the novel both complex and fascinating. [His Bloody Project] reads a bit like a true crime story--a genre that I'm generally not fond of. Yet it also creates an engaging story with memorable characters that draw the reader in, and the fine writing is both distinctive and appropriate to the content.I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give any spoiler, and I want to encourage everyone to read and discover this books for themselves. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly read by Antony Ferguson (who has a wonderful Scottish accent).This book was a finalist for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's oh-so-easy to forget that you're reading fiction instead of true crime. Beautifully delineated are the lives of the crofters (farmers) who must contend daily with the whims of the landowners, factors, and constables. And young Roddy's life is heartbreaking. His life definitely held a great deal of promise, but it was ruined by poverty and the maliciousness of others.His Bloody Project unfolds to its inexorable conclusion, allowing readers to absorb the hopelessness of Roderick's life. Nothing is spelled out; readers are allowed to think for themselves every step of the way... and to wonder if the trial's outcome may have been different if events involving Roderick's sister had been allowed to come to light. This certainly isn't cheery reading, but it's a masterful bit of storytelling.

[erickas-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow.

I loved this book.

When I first learned of its publication, I thought that it was a non-fiction account of a murder trial in Scotland in the 1860s. His Bloody Project is actually a novel, written as though it's non-fiction, which makes the story all that more believable and engrossing. It was short-listed for the Man Booker prize in 2016.

I'm not normally drawn to thriller/mysteries, as that's what this book is categorized as, but in my opinion it should not be categorized as either of those. This is a novel of psychology, of endurance, of the questions of what is moral and what is immoral. This is not a whodunit, but a whydunit.

The book is broken up into parts, the first part being a memoir of events written by the accused, Roddy Macrae, while he's in prison awaiting trial for murder. The subsequent sections are medical reports, psychological assessments, and accounts of the trial. Roddy's first-account narrative lends sympathy for his circumstances. The reader follows Roddy's thoughts and emotional turmoil, forming a bond with the murderer; but later, others' interpretations of the events, during the lawyers' investigations and at the trial, cause the seeds of doubt to be sown, and nothing is certain.

This is an expert writing full of nuances and subtleties. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. His Bloody Project will definitely make you ponder; it would be great for book clubs. I'm planning on stopping at Applecross while visiting Scotland this summer, just to walk around the same village as Roddy Macrae. I have to keep reminding myself that this book is fictional.

This review is also posted on my blog: flyleafunfurled.com

[villemezbrown · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is subtitled on the cover a historical "thriller," and I'm not sure I've ever seen that word so misapplied. Sure, the first half of the book was fine as our unreliable narrator presented his version of events leading up to the murder of three people. Not thrilling, but it certainly alluded to plenty of sexual intrigues and other obvious holes in the narrative that I thought would be addressed in the second half of the book or perhaps a twist ending in the epilogue. But the psychological evaluation and transcript of the trial that comprised the second half just circled repetitively around the events as they had been already laid out, adding little and explaining less. My interest died with the momentum.

And did we really need several pages of the judge's instructions to the jury? I used to give practice dictation to court reporting students, and these were everybody's least favorite parts of transcripts due to their dry legalese. This novel does nothing to liven them up.

(p.s. I'm reading this because a monthly book club meets at one of the libraries where I work, and I'm constantly overhearing their discussions as I toil nearby, so I have decided the best way to avoid spoilers for books I have not yet read but might want to is to read along even if I'm not part of the discussion. Thankfully, the next couple books seem more promising.)

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and twisty epistolary novel, told in the form of documents about a murder in 19th century Scotland. Burnet does a terrific job of layering ambiguities in a very realistic way that most crime novels don't manage - so while this novel lacks any really compelling or sympathetic characters, it makes up for it in structural brilliance.

[begivens · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

I really struggled to get through this audiobook and I admit that I was not fully there for all portions of it, so I definitely missed some details. However, I thought the layout of the book and the writing style were very good. I felt a strong connection to the main character and I was rooting for him the entire time. I must say that the historical aspect just didn't come out for me, and I am not sure why. I was aware of it at most times, but for some reason I could just as easily see this happening 20 years ago as 150 years ago.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Roddy Macrae is a murderer. He is guilty - he has freely admitted it. He murdered three people in cold blood, his bloody project. Roddy is a poor crofter in the Scottish highlands in 1869 but he can read and write and he voluntarily makes a statement regarding the crime including why - except Roddy may not be a trustworthy witness and we can't be sure if he is telling the whole truth given some of the evidence.His Bloody Project by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet reads like a true crime story even to the inclusion of a preface that explains the author's 'discovery' of documents pertaining to the crime while doing genealogy research on his family as well as footnotes at the end. The novel, for it is a novel and an extremely well-written and compelling one, is told through these documents - witness statements, Roddy's statement, conversations with witnesses recorded by his solicitor, and news reports of the trial including testimony by experts on criminal psychology including measurements of his head and the shape of his ear lobes. His Bloody Project made it to the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, a rare honour for any book but even rarer given that this is a historical thriller. But then this is a rare historical thriller. Macrae does an amazing job of portraying the period including the language used in formal documents, the culture, the use of phrenology to identify criminals, and, of course, the class system. Since the story is told through documents, most of the action occurs off the page*. However, the prose and the uniqueness of the tale more than make up for this. This is also a very dark and moody tale that kept me glued to the page throughout. If I was to critique His Bloody Project in two word, they would have to be 'bloody brilliant'. *it should be noted that the description of the murders and the wounds sustained, especially to the female victim are quite graphic

[sanddune_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the 1860s, in the remote and impoverished village of Culduie on the Applecross Peninsular on the west coast of Scotland, 17 year old Roderick MacRae calmly walks towards the house of his neighbour Lachlan MacKenzie, purportedly to do some work on digging a ditch behind the house. When he returns half an hour later he is covered in blood, and seemingly still calm, announces that he has killed Lachlan. So there is never any doubt as to who has committed the murder of Lachlan MacKenzie and two other member of his household. What is in doubt is the motive, and whether Lachlan is or isn't in his right mind.Very much in the style of many nineteenth century novels the story purports to unfold through a series of documents discovered by the author while researching his own family history. Roderick's own memoir, which he has supposedly been encouraged to write by his advocate, is contrasted with the statements of the doctors who performed the autopsies, and the other witnesses, and with the supposed newspaper account of the trial. But what I found most interesting was the evocative descriptions of the way of life of one of the remotest parts of Scotland. But this isn't any nostalgic account, the lives lived by the crofters are harsh in the extreme, and the lack of control that they have face becomes painfully obvious.Applecross is one of the remotest parts of mainland Scotland even today, and as somewhere I have visited more than once I found it fascinating to look at this portrait of what it would have been like to live them a hundred and fifty years ago.

[gayla.bassham · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very mixed feelings about this book. It's told entirely through documents pertaining to the trial of a boy who admits to killing three people. In general, Burnet does a good job with the voice, although at times I felt the trial transcript itself sounded more modern than it should have (especially the dueling psychological experts -- would they even have existed at the time?). More than that, though, I get that writing up all of these documents in an authentic way was a creative challenge for Burnet but I don't get exactly what he was trying to say; I don't see this book shedding any fresh new light or looking at this point in history through a different lens. I also thought the sister's storyline was painfully cliched, although that's a bit of a gray area since we only hear about her from the accused himself.

I don't understand why this is on the Booker longlist, and I probably would be a little bit easier on it if it hadn't been.

[ozzer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whether or not HIS BLOODY PROJECT can be construed as fiction or true crime is not really important because the story is, in the final analysis, totally compelling. Burnet begins the book by informing the reader that what follows consists of documents he discovered while researching his own family history in rural Scotland. Initially one has no reason to doubt his story. However, despite his claims of non-fiction, the story he is able to tell using these “found” documents is so complete and riveting that this artifice is difficult to sustain. Clearly this is a clever piece of fiction disguised as a true-crime investigation. This notwithstanding does not detract from thoroughly enjoying Burnet’s story. Roderick Macrae is a 17-year-old accused of the brutal murder of a village constable and his two children in the Highlands crofting community of Culduie in 1869. Roddy is an intelligent boy trapped in this isolated and benighted village. His mother has recently died and his father is withdrawn and abusive. Roddy’s story is told through a series of documents. Interviews of neighbors tell conflicting stories about Roddy’s character. Some felt that he was a gentle loner prone to dreamy observations, while others described him as a troubled soul prone to evil thoughts and acts. Indeed, he raised suspicion among his neighbors by killing a neighbor’s drowning sheep and not being very religious.A key piece of evidence consisted of Roddy’s own memoir that relates his version of events. He tells of repeated instances of harassment at the hands of the village constable, Lachlan Mackenzie, a.k.a. Lachlan Broad. Broad had a longstanding feud with Roddy’s family combined with a truly distasteful approach to his job consisting of bullying and pettiness. This is a well-written narrative that begins to raise doubts about the authenticity of the tale Burnet is telling. It seems “quite inconceivable that a semi-literate peasant could produce such a sustained and eloquent piece of writing.” Autopsy reports and a psychological evaluation by James Bruce Thomson (a real historical figure and eminent criminologist) raise some troubling inconsistencies with Roddy’s version. Was he insane, or just seeking revenge for unbearable abuses of his family? Was this a response to a sexual rejection by Broad’s daughter? We never get answers to these questions, but Thomson’s testimony does reveal much about theories of class and criminal behavior prevalent at the time. Thomson makes a fascinating distinction between what he calls “moral insanity” and “moral imbecility.” The former is nature while the latter is the lack of nurture. Culduie “would seem a kind of paradise… were it not for the sloth and ignorance of its inhabitants.”Burnet reconstructs Roddy’s trial from transcripts and newspaper reports. These never doubt Roddy’s guilt, but raise considerable doubt about his motive and sanity. With his clever narrative structure, Burnet shifts perspectives to continuously re-explore the evidence and important themes while developing highly nuanced characters. He evokes a picture of the hardship and hopelessness of tenant farmers and the privileged status of the landowners. He portrays the extreme stoicism of the simple crofters. Moreover, we gives us views of witness fallibility and an early version of the so called “insanity defense.” We do indeed get a verdict, but the truth remains unrevealed.

[alexrichman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After Serial and Making A Murderer, it's good to get back to some good old fashioned Fake Crime. This has it all - a likeable suspect, unreliable narration, a story that twists and turns and then, finally, horrific violence. My New Year's Resolution is to recommend this book to people so I can discuss it with them. A great read!

[downstreamer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The great achievement of this NOVEL is that during the reading of the book it becomes increasingly difficult to regard it as a novel. The more you read the more you take it as factual, so much so that you may not at first see how unreliable the principal narrator, Roderick Macrae is (note: he is a made up character in the first place, not based on any historical character). We want to believe him, and his memoir is presented as definitive .. when it isn't. The reason it cannot be definitive is that there are "powers that be" who have a determining role in Roddy's life. He is a small cog in a big wheel of a power structures and social restrictions.Roderick's memoir shows his limitations as a young man who is still naive. But his unreliability as a narrator is also evident. Little pieces of contradictory information crop up in other documents which are presented to the reader. To a greater or lesser extent we are all unreliable narrators of our own life stories, especially when we are 17. Certainly though, the book raises questions about how we present ourselves and how we situate ourselves in our own stories. It is well worth the read, despite the complete lack of joy in the story. We never really get to fully know "Roddy" and the one tear he sheds at the end is one of the saddest parts of any book I have ever read. "As the hood was pulled over his head, tears streamed from Roddy's eyes." Roddy never had much of a chance. The voice of Roderick Macrae is immediately compelling, genuine, but ultimately inscrutable. At no point does he show any remorse for the triple murder he commits. The author has played at the edges of fiction, keeping motive from us, so much so that some readers end up feeling that Macrae the author has been "unfair" or "biased" against Roddy .. when in fact it's impossible to be unfair to a made up character, when you think it through. This is the achievement of the book: people end up wanting to believe it's real .. when it isn't. And then they get disappointed. How strange! How wonderful.A couple of quotes here, which I am still chewing on. Mr. Sinclair, Roderick's lawyer, tries desperately to get Roddy off on grounds of insanity, and insists that Roderick's lack of guile and free admission of his crime show he is in fact insane: "For what sane man would freely make statements which, if accepted at face value, would consign him to the gallows?" (p. 276). This thought is echoed by the section written by Dr. J. Bruce Thompson (the most caricatured character in the book), who says (p.172) "Whether his diffident attitude was feigned or was the product of some misplaced bravado, I could not say. Nor could I say at this point whether the matter-of-fact answers he had given were entirely ingenuous, or due to some ploy to seem quite out of his mind; that he calculated that by admitting so openly to such brutal acts, he would be pronounced not to be in possession of his reason."

[ebt1002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Told through a journal written by the murderer, witness statements, the notes of a criminal psychologist, and the account of the trial, this is the story of Roddy Macrae, a 17-year-old crofter guilty of murdering three members of his local community. That community is Culduie, a tiny hamlet in Applecross Village in the northwestern Highlands of Scotland. And the year is 1869. There is no question that Roddy brutally killed the local constable, his 15-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son. The novel centers around his motivations, his mental state at the time, and the possible outcome of the trial. The feudal system and the rigid class distinctions and assumptions are vividly portrayed here, as are the wild Scottish Highlands. The narrative is compelling and the characters richly conceived. And this was almost a 4-star read but for my frustration with Roddy's persistent passivity and the capricious destiny that the author, along with the residents of Culduie, would somehow have us believe had a hand in the events as they unfold. Of course, that is part of Burnet's brilliance - his fascinating depiction of the world view of the day along with the dreadful cruelty of what must indeed be seen as fate. One's station at birth determined much; the odds of shifting that circumstance inconceivable.

[angiestahl-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This made my top 10 TBR because it shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016 and involves criminal psychology and murder. The writing is, as one would expect, solid. There is little mystery and zero thriller. A murder occurs. There's a full and clear confession, an arrest and a trial ensue. What little mystery there is lies in what, truly, precipitated the crime. Much of the book lies there and in explaining the context that led up to the perpetrator perpetrating. But, in the end, the 'why' really doesn't matter and neither does the trial outcome. It's a somewhat unsatisfying read that I hoped was heading somewhere, anywhere, and then you realize it isn't.Set in the backdrop of small-town, rural Scotland in the late 1800s amidst the working poor, it's an interesting time to see how feuds and conflicts build and are settled and justice and mercy are/aren't applied and by whom. But though the book lays out a lot of context and detail, it is content to tell the "facts," without saying anything at all. For me, this book came across as an academic exercise that totally failed to provoke any feels at all. Having read it, I feel...unchanged. Not gut-punched, not satisfied, not needing to talk it out...just...nothing. I will tick a book off my TBR, move along and promptly forget about it.Booker shortlisted? I don't get it.

[bruce_mcnair_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1869, a young man, Roderick Macrae, commits a triple murder that he freely admits to. His memoir provides an account of the events leading up to the murders as well as his time in prison. However, why did he do it? There were ill-feelings between his family and the victims’ family, which had reached a climax on the day before the murders. Roddy and his father felt that a campaign of intimidation was being waged against them with the aim of depriving them of their livelihood. What is open to interpretation is the truth, particularly the subjective nature of it, and in this case, a jury's ability to wade through conflicting testimony to arrive at a decision. There is also the question of not guilty by reason of insanity, which in 1869 would have a very different interpretation by practitioners than it would today. Would the trial have had a different outcome if held now? It is interesting that the events portrayed took place during the time of the Highland Clearances. The indifference to the welfare of their tenants portrayed by the laird, his factor and the constable (who in this case was one of the victims) are similar to that of the real Highland landlords who evicted tens of thousands of tenants resulting in migration overseas and to other areas in Scotland, particularly the bigger urban areas. The fact that the laird, factor, and constable were more concerned about the arrears in rent and the deer shows they were more concerned about their own welfare than that of their tenants who were despised as lowlife scum. Even though this book does not mention the clearances, the eviction of the Macrae family touches on the subject.I could not help but feel for the plight of the poor crofters eking out a living in harsh circumstances, and particularly for Roddy who wanted to do what he felt was right for his family. There are many villains in this story and the constable was just the main one as he was the tenants' interface with the factor and ultimately the laird and he enforced arbitrary rules on the tenants that brought resentment. Could things have ended another way? Emigration might have been a possibility - this was mentioned and became a real possibility as the murders neared. But ultimately the ensuing events resulted in two families being destroyed.Although I found this book a little hard to get into, I found that it became compelling reading. My understanding of the highland lifestyle of the 19th century, particularly the crofters, was immeasurably improved. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

[clarerhoden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is brilliant. Has ome similarities with Hannah Kent's wortk, as it transports you completely to the space and time. I love the considered way the author incorporates his research -it's seamless and convincing; i had to keep reminding myself that the whole story is a novel, not an expose of a true crime. I very much enjoyed his light touch onnthe characters and his clever manner of setting out the differing perspectives. One of the best reads of 2017 I'm predicting!

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is fiction masquerading as nonfiction, as documents relating to the murders committed by Roderick Macrae in 1869. It starts with a handful of statements from neighbors, a lengthy confession of sorts written by the accused, a narrative from a prison psychiatrist (or the 19th century equivalent), and a description of the trial and its immediate aftermath. And to be honest, I was pretty underwhelmed. For the sake of realism, I assume, the writing was kind of stilted and emotionless. The outcome of the trial was abrupt, predictable, and unsatisfying. There was all this build-up and then nothing: the long tale of Macrae's short life leading up to the murders, a blowhard who may or may not have any idea what he's talking about, and that's it. The sensation caused by the trial was described with such little detail it wasn't even interesting, which was extra disappointing. In the end, I think that's my main issue with this book: it had a lot of unmet potential. The level of setting detail and character depth involved here could have woven into an intricate and memorable story. Instead, it was a largely forgettable tale about poor Scottish farmers mistreating each other.