its almost like a historical fiction, true crime dark academia had a baby, its a tale of murder, greed and grisley origins of modern medicine. its a twisty gothic tales based in edinburg Scotland in the 1828. there's a weird fascination with victorian England and the morbid topic of resurrection of men and the emergence of medical science in the 19th century that I adored in this story. There is so much potential for a sequel.2

Being familiar with the infamous murders committed by Burke and Hare, I was pleased to find they were not the central focus of this fictional work. Instead, the story offered a broader, more atmospheric exploration of the world in which resurrectionists operated. Unlike some reviewers, I didn’t feel morally conflicted—I approached it as an observer of a grim but fascinating historical period.

Having visited Edinburgh, I deeply appreciated the vivid and immersive descriptions of the city’s shadowy kirkyards, where grave robbers prowled and the ethics of medical training were murky at best. The setting felt both authentic and haunting, adding depth to the narrative. Thoroughly enjoyed this rich piece of historical prose.

3.25 stars. A good read, but it never quite soared. Good period atmosphere/Edinburgh vibes. The romance part of this was very sparse. I wouldn't say this book was always believable, but I did enjoy myself, and as the book seems to have more to follow, I will probably stay tuned.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Delightfully reads like a lost work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's. I will warn though that does mean that you shouldn't expect too much modernity when it comes to the way queerness is depicted here. And you can expect period-typical upperclass English snobbery from our protagonist, though that fades as circumstances continue to challenge his instilled sense of class superiority.

Naturally, there's also some gore to be had in the descriptions of dissected dead bodies, along with the horror of murders that go beyond just beyond snatching bodies. Speaking of, if you want wholly conventional morals about how dead bodies are sacred and have rights... look I don't disagree but I also don't read every book to have my morals validated. Especially when the events are set more than 100 years prior to where I am now.

But if English attitudes and medical horrors are to your taste, this is an excellent novel of a time before much of what we take for granted nowadays in medical science (such as the option to procure corpses donated SPECIFICALLY for the use of medical science). A look at the transgressions that helped us to progress, terrible as they were.

And for those who've whined and whinged about "why is a queer romance NECESSARY for this, why wasn't I PREPARED by the blurb for gay boys?!" ... consider how the impediment of medical progress through the edicts of Christian lawmakers parallels the way queer rights are policed and denied.

Started out strong but lost me a little bit about halfway through unfortunately. At that point I felt kind of distant from the characters and the story. It's not a bad book, but also not one that's gonna stick with me, since I already start to forget the story.

The story was very immersive; I loved the detail of the setting and vibe. The plot was a little slow to start but I ended up eating this book up and loving it. I enjoyed the historical setting of spooky, atmospheric Edinburgh most of all. The mystery to the story was captivating till the end. Thank you NetGalley + the publisher for choosing me to read this ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to more titles by this author.

A. Rae Dunlap’s "The Resurrectionist" weaves together dark academia, true crime, and queer romance. Dunlap’s novel is compelling and kept me engaged the entire time. I felt that the book did a great job at incorporating medical history while also adding its own original storyline. With the backdrop of Edinburgh, this book is a perfect gothic true crime novel that entices you with its plot and setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
Such an interesting book with a cool mix of real historical characters and invented characters that add so much to the story.

I went into The Resurrectionist pretty blind and was quickly swept away by the story.

James is sweet and naive but it doesn't stop him from standing up for what he wants and pursuing his goals. Nye is street smart and charming but deeply sensitive and loyal to his friends. Watching them dance around each other, try to figure out who to trust and how much, both chasing lofty dreams, was a treat.

I loved the nugget of true crime in this fictional story and Dunlap nailed the atmosphere. The characters were incredible and I was not ready to be done with them when the story finished. Would highly recommend for a slightly morbid mystery Achillean romance.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC for review.

I liked this book but didn't love it. I really enjoyed the historical background and especially the subversive queerness but the set up of the story also kinda droned on. It wasn't until the last third of the book that I felt there was really any action that caused any tension. I am glad I stuck around though because the last third of the book was also my favorite. Generally, I wanted more about Mary and Anayron's story and particularly Mary's.

First of all, how incredible is this cover?! This book has everything I love; dark academia, historical fiction, murder, and mystery. I couldn't put it down! I loved every second of it! A 2025 favorite!

The Resurrectionist offers a compelling journey through the shadows of 19th-century Edinburgh, exploring the lengths one might go to in the pursuit of knowledge and love.

This twisty, gothic tale of the body trade amongst the 19th-century anatomy schools of Edinburgh, Scotland, is fascinating and horrifying. It is an eye-opening peek into the dark underbelly of the black market cadaver supply network that fueled European medical research and training in the name of scientific progress, with a side plot of self-discovery and LGBTQ romance.

I devoured this morbid, completely mesmerizing plot. The characters are in a constant moral dilemma as they navigate their unsavory occupation thrust upon them by desperation. An uneasy camaraderie develops amongst the grave robbers as the thrill of the chase takes hold, and they strive to protect their crew. The detail is immersive, and the relationships keep the story from becoming overly grim.

This one's for you if you enjoy delving into the dark ages of scientific scholarship and the excitement of illicit dealings. It's riveting and fast-paced for a thrilling read.

This is a historical fiction debut novel by A. Rae Dunlap. If you enjoy twisty gothic tales set in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1828, then this may be the book for you. It pulls from true crime of the period with some real people, including criminals, being featured in this fictional story of a dark period in Scottish history.
James Willoughby, as the third son of a landed gentry tamily, is too physically inept to join the military and abandons his studies at Oxford to pursue a dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. The city's university offers everything he desires except the change to work on a human cadaver. To do this, he must join a private school in Surgeon's Square. Without the necessary funds, he strikes a deal with Aneurin (Nye) MacKinnon for half tuition in return for helping him without realizing that Nye is a body-snatcher. With rival gangs and unsavory characters mixing with pioneering medical procedures and the pursuit of science plus a forbidden love for the time-period, there's a combination of fact and fiction.
James tends to have physical ineptitude, wants a sense of belonging, yearns for a purpose, and is a loyal friend. He's also a driven student, somewhat innocent, and an advocate for justice. The other characters are well-defined. Besides great characterization, the world-building was fantastic. From James's room at the inn to the surgery center to scenes of gore and violence, it was easy to visualize. The blend of true crime and historical fiction had me researching this time-period to find out more about the true crime aspect of this story and the body-snatching business of the time. My biggest quibbles with the book were that I felt the writing style was somewhat formal and sometimes this resulted in more telling than showing. While many have classified this as a historical mystery, I didn't get the feel that there was much of a mystery. It was more of a straight historical fiction novel to me. Other threads woven through the story include friendship, academic exploits, power, concepts of morality, class divisions, and treatment of women. Overall, this was an entertaining story that had great characterization and was very atmospheric. The author's note and the discussion questions are worth reading and thinking about them.
Kensington Publishing and A. Rae Dunlap provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

💀𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨💀

📖: The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{4}
🫑{0.5}
KU✅

I ended up auditing this one, simply because it was moving a little too slow to hold my attention as an eyeball read. But I liked the mystery aspect and the LGBTQ rep (wasn't expecting any romance so was surprised by this). But it's a historical fiction based on some true events following some notorious serial killers/grave robbers! And follows our MC James who is an aspiring physician! I also really enjoyed the medical side of things and it's just wild to think about how things used to be before we became as medically advanced as we are today! Will definitely recommend!

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
💀 historical fiction
🩸 grave robber crew
💀 lgbtq+ rep
🩸 aspiring physicians

‘The Ressurrectionist’ is a twisted gothic tale with a macabre setting in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1828, which dives into the true crime surrounding the murderous duo Burke and Hare.

I’m blown away by how wonderfully written this story is. Especially for a debut novel. I was submerged within the world the author created.
The word building is fantastic and it has great characterization. The way these characters were hilariously dramatic filled me with great joy.

The banter and romance between James and Aneurin (Nye) is so wonderfully done filled with wit and humor. All the scenes were so easy to visualize. Everything was so very atmospheric.

The blend of true crime and historical fiction truly was fascinating and beautifully done. I was immediately drawn to it and wanted to know more about Burke and Hare.

4.5 Stars.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy last year but, unfortunately, due to work-related constraints I could not finish it until now. I am, however, really glad that I kept reading.

The story starts off a little slow and, admittedly, it took some time to get into the pacing. I don’t mind slower paced books, or slow beginnings, so it wasn’t much of an issue for me. Truthfully, the hardest part was probably keeping hope that the main character would become more palatable. James is a posh boy and my god does he never let you forget it in the first few chapters. The way he talked was a little bit aggravating at first BUT I will say I think that tolerating James at his most posh and naive will pay off in the long run. By the beginning of the first quarter I grew fonder of him. I think it really helped to introduce Nye, his love interest, and watch how their budding relationship changes James as a character. Nye really brings out the human in him and I loved that. I love their dynamic and I especially like that I really did’t see it coming at first. I honestly thought it might be Charlie (Nye would hate that) but I’m so glad it was Nye. For the romance plot I think it’s a 10/10.

I also absolutely love the grave digger aspect and how it’s the low-key booming business in town because of the medical school. It’s such an interesting plot and I appreciated how much detail there was in setting up the environment surrounding the private academies and how, during this time, they really were more of spectacles. Science wasn’t very well trusted yet (sounds too familiar) and seeing how the medical profession mingled with the underground crime scene was captivating.

While I loved the attention to detail, I will say that there were times when inserting medical terms pulled me out of the story a bit. Near the end, during the big scene near the story’s conclusion, the descriptions become a little too medical for (who I assume is) the average reader. I was too busy anticipating how the scene would play out to pause and look up what medical term was being used. There were also some moments that seemed a little too good to be true, almost so convenient that it gave camp. But, again, I ended up liking that. I can’t explain it, but I think that if you think about it as a book that is taking itself very seriously then, yes, the “too good to be true” parts will be weird. But if you take it as a book that is trying to be humorous and a little bit campy, you’ll really love it.

Overall, I’m super happy with this book and enjoyed reading it. I'm torn between giving it a 3.5 or 4 stars, but I'll go with 4 because I really had fun reading through the book!

I took a chance on reading this one, as several friends loved it. But unfortunately, gothic horror is just not for me. Such an interesting premise though!! Great book, I'm just not the target reader for this one. I can see why those that love this genre loved it!

“I was, in my core, a man of science…not just any science: human science, the study of the body, of man himself…To a modern man, a call to be a physician was a call to Edinburgh, shining beacon of medical discovery, home of…the New Enlightenment.”

James Willoughby, third son of a gentleman of means, had his life mapped out. Unfortunately, he was not suited for a military or an ecclesiastical career. His passion for medicine led to Edinburgh “to unlock the mysteries of the human form.” Having enrolled in University, he sought lodging at the Hope and Anchor Inn. His entitled upbringing had not prepared him for life amongst the common populace. To some, he was just a toff-boy.

In the year 1828, University classes could not provide hands-on experience with cadavers. For medical training and technique within an Operating Theatre, a student needed to pay an additional fee for a private surgical school. The ‘Parisian Manner’ of dissection was a method of learning in which a corpse was provided for each anatomy student. James, along with his new friends and fellow students, chose to attend Dr. Malstrom’s Private Medical School in Surgeon’s Square.

Dr. Malstrom noticed and encouraged James’ burgeoning talent as a future surgeon. It was shocking when James was informed that his father had died deep in debt and funds for his education could no longer be provided. His sister demanded that he return home and “submit to family obligation”. With no other option available, James entered the world of resurrectionists, a job that would come with a fifty percent reduction of private school tuition. Aneurin MacKinnon, Malstrom’s private secretary, hired James as a digger at the kirkyard which bordered the Hope and Anchor Inn. By day, James was determined to successfully complete his University studies. By night, he learned the skills of grave digging and resurrecting newly interred corpses for dissection and skeletal assembly.

James’ belief in “reverence and respect” for those interred in the kirkyard was tested. The crew, organized by Aneurin, were not grave robbers. Their goal was not to steal jewelry and mementos. Their quest was to carefully procure a body, under cover of darkness, and transport the cadaver to Malstrom's medical facility.

Part Gothic Victorian Mystery and part True Crime, this read of historical fiction highlights the story of notorious murderers Burke and Hare. While James and Aneurin strived to advance medical science in the Age of Enlightenment, with a shortage of bodies available for dissection, Burke and Hare murdered for profit, killing selected victims and selling their corpses. The practice became known as “Burking”. By 1832, The Anatomy Act “allowed doctors, anatomy lecturers and medical students greater access to cadavers and allowed for the legal donation of bodies to medical science…calling an end to the illegal body-snatching trade.”

“The Resurrectionist” was a gentle love story as well. A secret love…a taboo, in Edinburgh would face an uphill battle with dire consequences in the social climate of London when James returned home at the end of the school semester, as demanded by his sister. Would he bend to the moral code of the times or carve out his own path? An excellent, informative read.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an enjoyable read. I love when I get to learn more previously unknown history in my reading. This one was a fascinating fictional look into the medical schools of the time and the dark practices of procuring the bodies for the students to learn from.