Praise for The Resurrectionist
“While the subject matter of The Resurrectionist is certainly macabre (and Dunlap doesn’t skimp on the gory details), the novel remains upbeat and fun, never sinking into a dour gothic spirit. Even if they find their work distasteful, readers will come to love James and Nye’s irreverent crew of miscreants.” —BookPage
“Dunlap’s clever debut explores medical history, queer love, and the cost of progress in 1828 Scotland. Dunlap melds comic, tender, and macabre moments in her well-plotted tale, and makes hay with embellished historical facts. Readers will be entertained.” —Publishers Weekly
“A blend of true crime and historical fiction that’s drawing comparisons to Caleb Carr’s The Alienist.” —Library Journal
“The Resurrectionist introduces a new talent to the field of gothic historical literature. A. Rae Dunlap has done her homework and evocatively creates a picture of 19th century Edinburgh, an educational center particularly known for its medical training. The narrative turns into a drama that’s part romance, part mystery, part crime caper. Each part is told 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, one that takes the reader from anatomy lessons to taverns to graveyards, running through the maze of Edinburgh’s streets, following James as he fights for his life to have the meaning he wants it to have. Medical school has never been as dramatic or entertaining as it is in this book.” —New York Journal of Books
“This twisty tale of body snatching offers wickedly spooky fun!” —BookBub
“This perfectly ghoulish thriller expertly blends dark academia with historical true crime and unexpected romance. Readers will be delightfully haunted by the lush prose and atmospheric gloom.” —B.R. Myers, author of A Dreadful Splendor
“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. The result is a book hauntingly gothic, intimately told, and wickedly, wonderfully grotesque.” —Marielle Thompson, author of The Last Witch in Edinburgh
“The Resurrectionist is a wryly humorous and devilishly macabre cat-and-mouse thriller as dark as a midnight graveyard and as twisting as Edinburgh’s cobblestone streets. It’s an enthralling debut from a writer to watch.” —Patrice McDonough, author of Murder by Lamplight
“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, USA Today bestselling author
“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
“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, author of The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
“The Resurrectionist combines fact and fiction into a twisty, macabre gothic debut. A. Rae Dunlap’s novel has elements of dark academia, historical fiction and true crime that tell a grisly story of the origins of modern medicine.” —Geek Girl Authority
“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. 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.” —The Sirens Podcast
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