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.

I DNF at 15%. I stopped and came back to this a few times, but I couldn’t stay engaged. I did not feel invested with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought I’d love this book, and it missed that particular mark just a hair but I did really enjoy it. The premise of a young man pursuing a career in science who ends up joining a body snatching scheme is delicious, to me. The descriptions were great and I loved the atmosphere; the characters, especially James and Nye, felt realized. I think there’s a handful of anachronisms, which are forgivable, and I thought the romance felt like it developed naturally. I will say that my attention started to wane at some point in the second half of the novel and I didn’t feel as engaged as I had at first. I think overall I just wanted something a little more, and while it’s definitely fun, I just don’t know if it lived up to the standards that I had based on the synopsis.

An atomospheric and fictional tale that delves into the orgins of modern medicine. Body snatching, organ harvesting, and hands-on anatomy lessons - what else could an aspiring physician wish for? And a little forbidden romance on the side? Yes, please!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having heard different podcasts and things about body snatchers and this was an interesting and entertaining account to teach more about this era!

Genre-blends are everywhere these days, but The Resurrectionist is so successful at combining historical fiction, romance, and mystery. The book almost feels like it shifts from genre-to-genre the further you get in, but it's done seamlessly, and suddenly you find yourself in a queer romance, and then suddenly the tension is ratcheted up. Despite the more gruesome (though fascinating) body snatcher/dissection content, this is a surprisingly charming read.

The Resurrectionist had all the ingredients for a five-star dark academia banger—gritty Edinburgh setting, forbidden science, queer tension, and that deliciously morbid body-snatching vibe—but something about the execution didn’t totally hook me. It’s got major atmosphere, and I wanted to be obsessed with it, but the pacing felt uneven and I struggled to connect with the characters beyond surface-level intrigue. It gave me The Alienist meets A Dowry of Blood energy, just not as emotionally gripping. If you’re into morally gray med students and a touch of gothic gore, it’s worth checking out, but for me it was more “glad I read it” than “can’t stop thinking about it.”

I loved this!!!
I was smiling pretty much the whole time I read this
I absolutely adored Aneurin and James’ relationship
Their banter was everything

I guess for me to really enjoy a romance I need queer body snatchers in 19th century Scotland with a side of serial killers

Marketing The Resurrectionist as a thriller or horror really does a disservice to the story. In actuality, it's historical fiction set in the dark of 19th-century Edinburgh and illuminated by a queer love story.

The storyline is very character-driven as James comes into his own and as his relationship with Aneurin develops.

Historical details and context concerning the time, place and grave robbing serve as the foundation for much of the story, which even includes an appearance by the infamous murders Burke and Hare.

It's truly lush, bloody and beautiful.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

Wow what a wild ride! The characters were super deep, and the plot kept me hooked the whole time. I loved the gothic vibes and how it set the scene for the medical school and all the creepy stuff like autopsies and grave robbing. It really brought that time period to life.