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The Resurrectionist
- Author
- A. Rae Dunlap
- Narrator
- Tom Kiteley
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 30 January 2025
- Run Time
- 11 hours 32 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Historical crime and mysteries, Historical fiction, Historical romance, Romance: medical, Occult fiction / Paranormal Horror, Historical adventure fiction, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: sense of place, Medical thriller
- Rating
- 4.0 (2 reviews)
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What to expect
'Breathtaking … A new talent [in] the field of gothic historical literature' NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS
'Devilishly macabre … As dark as a midnight graveyard' PATRICE McDONOUGH
'Hauntingly gothic, intimately told, and wickedly, wonderfully grotesque' MARIELLE THOMPSON
*#1 BOOK OF THE MONTH – AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK*
*A USA TODAY BESTSELLER*
–
In this gothic, twisty debut historical novel, a young medical student is lured into the underworld of body snatching in 19th-century Edinburgh … and unexpectedly falls in love.
1828. James Willoughby arrives in Edinburgh with empty pockets a dream of studying surgery. Desperate to scrape together fees for the city’s leading anatomy school, he strikes a deal with Nye MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist who shows James a way into this elite academic realm … via the cemetery.
James descends with Nye into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists – men infamous for stealing fresh corpses and selling them to professors as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, they are caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige. And as James and Nye lock eyes across graves and dissection tables, they soon realise that they yearn to be more than partners in academic crime …
The Resurrectionist is a thrilling tale of queer love, murder, and the grisly origins of modern medicine.
–
A “BEST NEW HORROR NOVEL OF THE MONTH” – ESCAPIST MAGAZINE AND BOOKBUB.COM
A “MOST-ANTICIPATED NEW QUEER BOOK OF THE MONTH” – BOOKRIOT
–
Real readers love The Resurrectionist!'***** THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR. It had everything: from the atmospheric historical setting and exhilarating plot, to the wonderful, charming characters. I WILL TREASURE IT FOR YEARS TO COME'
'***** OH MY GOD! I am in love. IF YOU LIKE CLASSIC GOTHICS LIKE FRANKENSTEIN AND DRACULA, YOU SHOULD READ THIS'
'***** I could not put this book down, and IT WILL DEFINITELY BE A BOOK I REREAD MANY TIMES'
'***** The pacing, humour, and twists and turns will keep you HUNGRILY READING INTO THE NIGHT. Unhinged, unsettling and UTTERLY UNMISSABLE'
'***** I can’t even emphasize it enough HOW IMMERSIVE it all was. IT’S MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK, and I actually feel like I’m going crazy because I NEED A HARD COPY TO HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE'
'***** MY FAVOURITE READ OF THE YEAR. Wow wow wow. The entire book felt like reading poetry… James and Nye are both so CHARMING, DETAILED AND WONDERFUL CHARACTERS'
'***** I think The Resurrectionist is ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS. Aneurin is my absolute love. I loved the story so dearly'
'***** A RIVETING TALE OF DARK ACADEMIA AND TRUE CRIME… Also, the romance HAD ME SWOONING'
'***** NOTHING SHORT OF PHENOMENAL … My favourite book of the year. RUN, DON’T WALK, TO YOUR NEAREST BOOKSTORE'
'***** I FINISHED THIS BOOK WANTING TO READ IT AGAIN, and to buy a physical copy to underline ALL THE AMAZING QUOTES I marked'
'***** BEAUTIFULLY DARK WRITING and lovely characters… Managed to RIP MY HEART OPEN ON EVERY PAGE AND HEAL IT ON THE NEXT'
'***** This book is filled with CREEPY VIBES, AMAZING HUMOUR, IMPECCABLE WRITING and a story that will have you absolutely hooked… ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE BOOKS'
'***** I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. This novel is shocking, gruesome, and disturbing; but at the same time, it is HEARTWARMING AND UPLIFTING! I will be recommending this to everyone, and A. Rae Dunlap is OFFICIALLY ONE OF MY AUTO-BUY AUTHORS'
'***** SUCH A FUN CONCEPT'
'***** THIS BOOK CAME ALIVE for me and filled the days I read it with SUCH WONDER. IT’S JUST LIKE TIME TRAVEL'
'***** IF A SEQUEL CAME OUT, I’D BUY IT IN A FLASH'
'***** WILL APPEAL TO A WIDE VARIETY OF READERS. It is a dark, macabre story that is PERFECT FOR FALL OR WINTER READING'
'***** I GOT SO ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS'
'***** THE SETTING IS SUPER INTERESTING and the plot KEPT ME IN ITS GRIP'
'***** I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! I DON’T THINK I’VE READ ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS'
–
Further praise…'Vivid, twisty, rollicking, sometimes macabre, always entertaining' BOOKTRIB
'This twisty tale of body snatching offers wickedly spooky fun!' BOOKBUB.COM
'Drawing comparisons to Caleb Carr’s The Alienist' LIBRARY JOURNAL
Critics Review
-
‘Dunlap evocatively creates a picture of 19th-century Edinburgh … with breathtaking pacing and rich descriptions. Each character is vivid and leaps off the page with vibrant personality. Dunlap has written a page-turner of an adventure … Medical school has never been as entertaining as it is in this book’ New York Journal of Books
'Playing with a captivating point in history, A. Rae Dunlap weaves a story of queer love, coming of age, and macabre science against the richly-drawn atmosphere of a historic and beloved city' Marielle Thompson
'The Resurrectionist is a wryly humorous cat-and-mouse thriller … as twisting as Edinburgh’s cobblestone streets. It’s an enthralling debut from a writer to watch' Patrice McDonough
'Brilliantly researched and beautifully written. Dunlap expertly captures the history and cadence of the era, and the thrill and elation of discovery during the Enlightenment, as well as the dark and twisted depths that are the byproducts of progress. A clever tale filled with macabre intrigue and personal revelation' Anna Lee Huber
'With wit as sharp as a scalpel, and a plot as dark and twisted as the Edinburgh alleys in which it is set, The Resurrectionist is a thrilling debut that will have readers turning pages deep into the night' Hester Fox
'Mixing a macabre gothic mystery with a sensitive coming-of-age tale and a touching queer romance, Dunlap has written an exciting, well-researched debut historical adventure' firstCLUE
‘Take a rollicking blend of surgical advances, body snatching, and a grisly short-cut to digging up all those corpses, throw in a sweet forbidden romance, and inhale this historical mystery which fired on all pistons from the first page to the last’ Vanessa Cronin, Amazon Editor (#1 BOOK OF THE MONTH – AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK)
‘Dunlap’s clever debut … melds comic, tender, and macabre moments in her well-plotted tale, and makes hay with embellished historical facts. Readers will be entertained’ Publishers Weekly
User Reviews
Book 4.0
Narration 4.5
-
3.0 4.0
Enjoyable.
Defendman 2026-01-23
Details
- Author
- A. Rae Dunlap
- Narrator
- Tom Kiteley
- Duration
- 11 hours 32 minutes
- Release Date
- 30 January 2025
- ISBN
- 9780008711559
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Historical crime and mysteries, Historical fiction, Historical romance, Romance: medical, Occult fiction / Paranormal Horror, Historical adventure fiction, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: sense of place, Medical thriller
- Rating
- 4.0(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.5(2 reviews)
Synopsis
Death is only the beginning… 'Breathtaking … A new talent [in] the field of gothic historical literature' NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS 'Devilishly macabre … As dark as a midnight graveyard' PATRICE McDONOUGH 'Hauntingly gothic, intimately told, and wickedly, wonderfully grotesque' MARIELLE THOMPSON *#1 BOOK OF THE MONTH – AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK* *A USA TODAY BESTSELLER* – In this gothic, twisty debut historical novel, a young medical student is lured into the underworld of body snatching in 19th-century Edinburgh … and unexpectedly falls in love. 1828. James Willoughby arrives in Edinburgh with empty pockets a dream of studying surgery. Desperate to scrape together fees for the city’s leading anatomy school, he strikes a deal with Nye MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist who shows James a way into this elite academic realm … via the cemetery. James descends with Nye into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists – men infamous for stealing fresh corpses and selling them to professors as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, they are caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige. And as James and Nye lock eyes across graves and dissection tables, they soon realise that they yearn to be more than partners in academic crime … The Resurrectionist is a thrilling tale of queer love, murder, and the grisly origins of modern medicine. – A “BEST NEW HORROR NOVEL OF THE MONTH” – ESCAPIST MAGAZINE AND BOOKBUB.COM A “MOST-ANTICIPATED NEW QUEER BOOK OF THE MONTH” – BOOKRIOT – Real readers love The Resurrectionist! '***** THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR. It had everything: from the atmospheric historical setting and exhilarating plot, to the wonderful, charming characters. I WILL TREASURE IT FOR YEARS TO COME' '***** OH MY GOD! I am in love. IF YOU LIKE CLASSIC GOTHICS LIKE FRANKENSTEIN AND DRACULA, YOU SHOULD READ THIS' '***** I could not put this book down, and IT WILL DEFINITELY BE A BOOK I REREAD MANY TIMES' '***** The pacing, humour, and twists and turns will keep you HUNGRILY READING INTO THE NIGHT. Unhinged, unsettling and UTTERLY UNMISSABLE' '***** I can’t even emphasize it enough HOW IMMERSIVE it all was. IT’S MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK, and I actually feel like I’m going crazy because I NEED A HARD COPY TO HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE' '***** MY FAVOURITE READ OF THE YEAR. Wow wow wow. The entire book felt like reading poetry… James and Nye are both so CHARMING, DETAILED AND WONDERFUL CHARACTERS' '***** I think The Resurrectionist is ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS. Aneurin is my absolute love. I loved the story so dearly' '***** A RIVETING TALE OF DARK ACADEMIA AND TRUE CRIME… Also, the romance HAD ME SWOONING' '***** NOTHING SHORT OF PHENOMENAL … My favourite book of the year. RUN, DON’T WALK, TO YOUR NEAREST BOOKSTORE' '***** I FINISHED THIS BOOK WANTING TO READ IT AGAIN, and to buy a physical copy to underline ALL THE AMAZING QUOTES I marked' '***** BEAUTIFULLY DARK WRITING and lovely characters… Managed to RIP MY HEART OPEN ON EVERY PAGE AND HEAL IT ON THE NEXT' '***** This book is filled with CREEPY VIBES, AMAZING HUMOUR, IMPECCABLE WRITING and a story that will have you absolutely hooked… ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE BOOKS' '***** I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. This novel is shocking, gruesome, and disturbing; but at the same time, it is HEARTWARMING AND UPLIFTING! I will be recommending this to everyone, and A. Rae Dunlap is OFFICIALLY ONE OF MY AUTO-BUY AUTHORS' '***** SUCH A FUN CONCEPT' '***** THIS BOOK CAME ALIVE for me and filled the days I read it with SUCH WONDER. IT’S JUST LIKE TIME TRAVEL' '***** IF A SEQUEL CAME OUT, I’D BUY IT IN A FLASH' '***** WILL APPEAL TO A WIDE VARIETY OF READERS. It is a dark, macabre story that is PERFECT FOR FALL OR WINTER READING' '***** I GOT SO ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS' '***** THE SETTING IS SUPER INTERESTING and the plot KEPT ME IN ITS GRIP' '***** I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! I DON’T THINK I’VE READ ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS' – Further praise… 'Vivid, twisty, rollicking, sometimes macabre, always entertaining' BOOKTRIB 'This twisty tale of body snatching offers wickedly spooky fun!' BOOKBUB.COM 'Drawing comparisons to Caleb Carr’s The Alienist' LIBRARY JOURNAL
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