Set against the historic backdrop of 19th-century Edinburgh, Scotland, the love story of James Willoughby and Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon is a breathtaking journey filled with adventure, humor, and excitement. The characters are magnetic, drawing readers into a richly woven narrative that is as enlightening as it is entertaining. While I reveled in the book and eagerly anticipate a sequel, I recognize that its dark themes rooted in the macabre history of real serial killers William Burke and William Hare may not appeal to all.

The tale begins in an era marked by the dawn of modern medicine, where Nye and James, from disparate social backgrounds, forge a bond through their shared zeal for medical knowledge. Their dangerous livelihood as resurrectionists—supplying a medical school with cadavers—intertwines their fates with the infamous Burke and Hare, setting the stage for a story of love, courage, and resilience.

The narrative does not shy away from the visceral realities of the era, depicting blood-soaked scenes of dissection and the grim trade of body snatching with unflinching detail. These elements, while potentially unsettling, add a layer of authenticity to the story, making it a compelling read for those with a fascination for the macabre.

Having witnessed surgerical procedures firsthand as a surgical assistant, I found this novel’s exploration of anatomization particularly gripping. The enthralling depiction of the shadowy world of body snatching, combined with the personal saga of two young men caught in a struggle for power and recognition, renders this book an unforgettable experience. It earns my wholehearted recommendation.

I absolutely loved this historical 19th century love story that takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The tale of James Willoughby and Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon is awe-inspiring, adventurous, amusing and exciting.The characters are charismatic and engaging. The plot is informative. As much as I enjoyed the book and would be pleased to read a sequel, I do understand that this story would not be everyone’s cup of tea. The storyline, based on the true crime exploits of serial killers William Burke and William Hare, who during a period of ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, committed sixteen murders and sold the corpses for dissection, is a harrowing fictional recounting of a terrorized city. The narrative begins with Nye and James meeting at a private school during the “Age of New Enlightenment” and the beginning of modern medicine. James, needing funds to attend the both the university and the private school as a medical student and Nye, who earns his salary working at the private school, are body snatchers provided the school with fresh corpses from graveyards. The two are dissectionists who learn from their anatomical specimens. Being a resurrectionist is a dangerous trade and the young men must escape the attention of the police as well as other body snatchers, including Burke and Hare, who are providing other private schools with corpses. First employer and employee, then friends, and eventually lovers, Nye and James are from two different social classes but share a passion for medical knowledge. The account of their love, exploits, bravery, and determination makes for an exhilarating reading experience... The story, however, does have its share of blood and gore, realistic accounting of dissections, descriptions of disinterment and removal of bodies from graves, visualization of. body parts in lab jars, and gruesome murders. Some passages might be repulsive to some readers, horrific to others, or an acquired taste for yet others. I was fortunate to be offered this book to read by NetGalley: I had recently finished reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and had once observed, at a nursing school, the dissection of a woman who had died of lung cancer. So this sordid tale of atomization is in my area of interest. The compelling fictional accounting of the underworld of body snatching along with the story of a young man and his accomplice and lover caught up in a gang war for power, money and status made this an unforgettable book. I highly recommend it.

As the third son of a modestly landed family, James Willoughby has been told from an early age that he must earn a living befitting his station. Being of “a diminutive stature,” James decides the military is not for him. Nor is the Church of England an appealing option. Despite his family’s opposition, the young man abandons his clerical studies at Oxford and heads north to Edinburgh to become a physician. It’s 1828, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scottish city is a “shining beacon of medical discovery.” But James quickly learns that if he wants to develop anatomical knowledge and surgical skills, he must join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square. Unable to afford the additional tuition, James makes a bargain with his professor’s secretary and dissectionist, the charismatic Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, to serve as a lookout to prevent possible grave robbing in the Greyfriars kirkyard (graveyard) beneath James’s chamber window. The naive student soon discovers that he is aiding a gang of body snatchers who steal fresh corpses from churchyards for anatomical study at the medical schools. Nye explains to a horrified James that he is a Resurrectionist: “Our motivation is not in the value of the bodies we steal, but in the second life we give them.” Bedazzled by Nye’s scientific passion (and his dark sexiness), James plunges into this illicit, gritty underworld. However, their rivals in the body-snatching game, the sinister Burke and Hare, will murder anyone to corner the corpse market. 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. Bizarre, authentic details, like the mortsafes, or cages, that grieving families installed to protect the graves of their loved ones, make for an unforgettable read.

J'ai beaucoup apprécié l'intrigue et l'ambiance ! Vieil Édimbourg, ruelles pavées, progrès médical et sombre complot...le décor est planté !
Le plus intéressant est sans doute le dilemme moral qui est rapidement abordé et qui est au centre d'une grande partie de l'histoire : où se trouve la limite de l'acceptable au nom du progrès ? Jusqu'où sommes nous prêt à transgresser notre éthique, notre moral, pour l'intérêt commun ?
Ce qui m'a un peu dérangé en revanche c'est que tout du long j'ai eu l'impression de garder ma position de "lecteur". J'ai toujours gardé un certain détachement dans la lecture mais je ne saurai pas vraiment dire pourquoi

Dans l'ensemble un livre très sympa pour les amateurs du genre !

I really enjoyed the plot and the atmosphere! Old Edinburgh, cobbled streets, medical progress and a dark conspiracy.
The most interesting is undoubtedly the moral dilemma which is quickly addressed and which is at the center of a large part of the story: where is the limit of the acceptable in the name of progress? To what extent are we ready to transgress our ethics, our morals, for the common interest?
What bothered me a little, however, was that throughout I had the impression of maintaining my position as "reader". I have always maintained a certain detachment when reading but I can't really say why.

Overall, a very nice book for fans of the genre!

Netgalley review, possible plot points mentioned below.

I think the Resurrectionists is one of my all time favorite books I've read in a while. I was beyond happy and extremely lucky to have found a book that goes with research I've done previously this year and my current art. I was excited to have learned more, especially with the end section, I feel like I've heard of Burke and Hare before in a previous book but not to the extent of their history (It also could have been a seperate pair of body snatchers that I read about). I believe it was a good thing I didn't catch every reference or I would have known about Mary Patterson and her demise too soon, it would have spoiled the shock in finding her body.

Anuerin is my absolute love, as soon as we set eyes on him I was hoping he wasn't just a background character we meet on a wim for James progress (Which I'd like to add maybe I should have read the whole book description - I got to excited and jumped right in). I love the more we get to know about him, his care for his crew, his love for James and Mary, his softer side, his genius, and laboratory, and his room. He always makes the scenes interesting when he's on the page.

James, I liked him from the start but he really grows on you the more he grows as a character. His first scene with Charlie was the start of my love for both of them, the way they fight the suit case up the stairs after it almost takes Charlie out. James had a few bumps here and there, a few moments of vomiting, I feel he has grown tremendously from a naive medical student to the man he is at the end of the book, more knowledgeable than the rest of his peers.

The hints at real history and real people was so well integrated. I have read books with people like Taylor Swift and etc just slapped into the pages before and it never felt purposeful. Burke and Hare had real purpose and so did their victims. I appreciate that they weren't cast as nobodies, the victims meant something to somebody, there was care in Honoring them as people rather than just cadavers used in medical research.

Overall I enjoyed all the characters (except maybe Hamish and Knoxs group but that's to be expected) and I loved the story so dearly.

I thank the authors and netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

This is an amazing book. The story flows so well, the coming of age/ self acceptance that you read is so compelling.
Historical fiction is not typically my favorite genre of book, but this one was amazing.
The romance wasn’t really the forefront for me, it was his story and accepting himself and who he is that really pushed me to enjoy this book.

The Resurrectionist is a great mixture of historical fiction, romance, and crime. Set in Edinburgh during the 1820s, we follow posh Englishman James as he trains to become a surgeon. Anyone familiar with that time period will know that body snatching was a common way to deal with the need for students to practice on cadavers and James finds himself drawn into that world by Nye.

I absolutely loved the darker elements of this story, from the descriptions of dissection to the body snatching to the inclusion of Burke and Hare. I did like the romance, but for my tastes there was a little much of it (I just prefer horror to romance!). I also wish the setting had come through a bit more powerfully, by which I mean more description of Edinburgh and a few more Scottish words sprinkled in. But those are minor and very personal-to-me criticisms.

I hope A. Rae Dunlap writes a sequel—I’d love to see these two characters take on another macabre mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Set in Edinburgh in the 1820’s, an aspiring surgeon abandons his life in the high society of London to pursue his dreams, but after coming into financial troubles he ventures into the unorthodox life of grave digging/body snatching.

I loved the premise of this story. Based in real life events, and in the case of a few characters actual people that lived and breathed this life. I knew little about the history of body snatching but reading this has sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole as it’s absolutely intriguing!

I loved the macabre feel of this story, the visual descriptions made it so easy for me to imagine myself right there in dreary Edinburgh. The character development for James was great, but my favourite has to be Nye. His intellect, charisma and obsession with science really was so entertaining.

I felt the romance between James and Nye was cute, it added some depth to the story and made some scenes even more tense because of it. I will say the start of the book was a little slow for me, entertaining but not gripping. However the plot twist in the middle really sets the pace for the rest of this book and had me desperately reading to find out what happened.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book on the darker side, there’s some macabre humour, obviously a lot of death and gore mentioned but if you are remotely interested in science, history or just dark subject matter this books right up your street!

The perfect blend of horror, humour and humanity - what a stand-out debut novel!

I absolutely flew through this, the writing style was fast paced and easily digestible and the combination of characters taken from history and those created purely for the book added an interesting twist. I liked James's POV voice, he did come across as very naive to the point of stupidity occasionally, but over all it was enjoyable reading about his discovery of the underbelly of Edinburgh.

I am aware that this book doesn't come out until December, so I'm not sure if it's still in the editing process, but my only criticism is that I would have liked to see more "show" and less "tell". From example, we were told that James and Nye got closer by spending lots of evenings together but we didn't actually get to see any of them, we just took the narrator's word for it. Personally, I think some more emotionally intimate scenes between the two of them would have helped translate their connection and chemisty better and thus improve the romance plotline.

But overall, I really loved this book and hope that the author goes on to write a sequel!

Video to come on my TikTok and I'll post a full review closer to release date.

I’ll keep it short and simple, because ultimately, I didn’t love this like I expected to with the gorgeous cover and the premise that’s right up my alley. I just found there was so much telling that it became info-dumpy super quickly and it’s a sure-fire way to get me to emotionally check out of a book. It couldn’t hold my attention well because I was just bombarded with James’ life story and his day to day life in Edinburgh without it feeling relevant or substantial. Objectively, it was a good and well written book but I just felt very detached from the story, unfortunately.

I loooooved this book! The historical easter eggs throughout, the budding romance and gentle love between James and Nye, and the macabre humor sprinkled throughout.... just everything about this was so great. It was darkly entertaining, wicked smart, and the romance aspect was so sweet. I loved that James' coming-of-age was focused mostly on his studies and his newfound occupation as a resurrectionist, with little angst spent on his sexuality. It was a breath of fresh air to not have so much angst devoted to such things. I loved every second of this book, seriously. Go read it.

What a book! There was so much research put into it. The writing was beautiful and had me engaged. This was deep, gritty, and a great debut novel .

what a wonderful debut! first and foremost, I just immediately loved the way this book was written -- the language has a rhythm and richness that makes it feel like a classic novel, while still being fresh and sharp. it made me want to read out loud! then there's the subject matter. so, I've been morbidly fascinated by Edinburgh's macabre history of grave-robbing ever since I heard of it (if you read and liked Dana Schwartz's novel Anatomy: A Love Story, I think you'll enjoy this too!) and the author did not shy away from the dark and gory aspects of that history! but I wasn't aware of the real Burke and Hare -- spooky! I also liked how James' gay identity was a part of him but it wasn't a main source of conflict (with some around him, yes, but not within HIMSELF). James and Nye were so sweet together! I would definitely read a sequel -- James and Nye take on London! James being all cute and awkward trying to stave off ladies of society while still being a gentleman... Nye using science to basically invent CSI... maybe they uncover a new mystery in the big city? I hope this is the author's plan because I want more!

4 star reading for me. Such a good book. Loved this story so much! A. Rae Dunlap is such an amazing author.

Hudspeth

"The Resurrectionist" is a captivating blend of historical fiction, horror, and artistry that delves into the macabre world of Dr. Spencer Black, a fictional 19th-century surgeon obsessed with the idea of merging human and animal anatomy. The book is presented as a combination of a biography of Dr. Black and a collection of his illustrations, which showcase his bizarre experiments and creations. Hudspeth's writing is both evocative and chilling, drawing readers into Dr. Black's twisted mind and the moral dilemmas he faces in his pursuit of scientific advancement. The illustrations are both beautiful and unsettling, adding an extra layer of depth to the narrative. "The Resurrectionist" is a thought-provoking and atmospheric read that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and horror alike.

Wow. I was practically glued to this book.

The Resurectionist is a wonderfully written book from the perspective of the young James who travels from London to Edinburgh to get a chance to study medicine in a way that is more hands-on, rather than all theory how he learned it in London.
Through rather misfortunate circumstances he gets involved with Aneurin, who works for a known physician and professor in Edinburgh and who opens James' eyes to a side of medicine that he never considered - body snatching.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this books,getting sucked into a historical Scotland, experiencing the thrill of hiding your unfavoured way of optaining bodies from the police and the sweet lovestory Dunlap sprinkled throughout her first novel.

You certainly feel that the author knows exactly how to get her readers hooked and that, I presume from her having studied film, she knew how to give her novel an absolutely satisfying ending, while still leaving the door open just a crack for a maybe possible sequel.

Whether we will get more books by the author, be it in the Resurrectionist universe or others, is yet to be decided but I will keep eyes and ears open!

This was utterly phenomenal, and I am shocked this is the author's debut novel.

The Resurrectionist is a delightfully macabre mix of historical fiction, dark academia and true crime, set in 19th century Edinburgh.

The prose in this book was fantastic. Dunlap's writing is lyrical and emotive and I was deeply invested in the characters.

I was pleasantly surprised (and ecstatic) at the romance! It was written in a way at first that James was ignorant to his own feelings, and this felt believable. But, oh, the pining was sublime. A favourite quote to back this up: "Every moment with him felt like a dream decided, a riddle unraveled in a foreign tongue." Further, it touched on queerness in the 19th century very well, as this quote poignantly put it: "But for men who sinned as we sinned, the noose was often the verdict - a violent end to violent delights."

Despite the gruesome backdrop, this was a wonderful coming-of-age and self-acceptance story, and the juxtaposition of James' upper class upbringing being thrown into the dark underbelly of body-snatching in the pursuit of scientific knowledge and advancement was cleverly done.

This was funny, deep, and gritty, and an all-round excellent debut novel.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A posh-boy and a Scotsman with a Welsh name walk into a kirkyard...

I walked into this ARC with no expectations (it was my first time, after all!) but was delightfully surprised at the adventure that awaited me. 19th century Edinburgh? Yum. Historical fiction? YES PLEASE! What I didn't expect was an exquisite coming of age & self-acceptance story intertwined with some true crime and a hefty HEFTY sprinkle of romance.

I devoured this book tooth and nail- read it from start to finish in ~24 hours. The setting itself is intoxicating- from the scholarly banter between university students to Edinburgh's seedy underbelly, the crisp and descriptive writing really drew me in immediately. I think that James is a great character to experience this world through; the dichotomy of his upbringing and the underworld he finds himself in is well executed and believable from a modern perspective, while still facilitating the character's own personal growth throughout.

The romance, from my perspective, while not forced did feel a tad rushed - almost as if many of the vignettes that would bring a more holistic look to the beginning of Nye & James's relationship were not included. Don't let that discourage you- I think that says more about ME wanting MORE than the arc of the romance itself.

This book was deeply addictive and satisfying to consume. I find myself already itching for a re-read!!