The Resurrectionist

By: A. Rae Dunlap

Narrated by: Tom Kiteley

In the tradition of The Alienist and Anatomy: A Love Story, a decadently macabre, dark and twisty gothic debut set in 19th century Scotland—when real-life serial killers Burke and Hare terrorized the streets of Edinburgh—as a young medical student is lured into the illicit underworld of body snatching.

Historical fiction, true crime, and dark academia intertwine in a harrowing tale of murder, greed, and the grisly origins of modern medicine for fans of Lydia Kang, ML Rio, Sarah Perry, and C.E. McGill.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1828. Naïve but determined James Willoughby has abandoned his posh, sheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. A shining beacon of medical discovery in the age of New Enlightenment, the city’s university offers everything James desires—except the chance to work on a human cadaver. For that, he needs to join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square, at a cost he cannot afford. In desperation, he strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist with an artist’s eye for anatomy and a reckless passion for knowledge. Nye promises to help him gain the surgical experience he craves—but it doesn’t take long for James to realize he’s made a devil’s bargain …

Nye is a body snatcher. And James has unwittingly become his accomplice. Intoxicated by Nye and his noble mission, James rapidly descends into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists—the body snatchers infamous for stealing fresh corpses from churchyards to be used as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, James is caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige.

James and Nye soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a shady pair of unscrupulous opportunists known as Burke and Hare, who are dead set on cornering the market, no matter the cost. These unsavory characters will do anything to beat the competition for bodies. Even if it’s cold-blooded murder …

Exquisitely macabre and delightfully entertaining, The Resurrectionist combines fact and fiction in a rollicking tale of the risks and rewards of scientific pursuit, the passions of its boldest pioneers, and the anatomy of human desire.

©2025 A. Rae Dunlap (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Brilliant

This story had me hooked from the first 5 mins. The characters are well laid out and the story flowed throughout the whole book.book. This is a must listen, I am sad the story is over

Compelling story, incredible narrator

The book is a wonderful read and listen - Dunlap tells an incredible story, and the narrator is one of the best I’ve heard. Accents and characters make the listening experience so enjoyable. Download and listen!

Eccentric

I knew about the body snatchers… but this author brings them to life. Some non fiction names too. A must read if you like eccentric stories.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

Interesting and engaging novel based on true crime and history of the scientific “enlightenment” era in 1820’s Edinburgh. I loved the cast of characters, they were well developed and though they were performing ghastly work, they were quite likable.
The narration was great. Parts of the story got a little wordy in their descriptions, but the reader kept the book engaging with his portrayal of the characters.

Came for the narrator, stayed for the story

A fascinating, first person trip behind the scenes for the need of anatomy specimens in Edinburgh at the height of The Enlightenment. I quickly fell in love the two main characters. The story is full of edge-of your-seat scenes where no one’s fate is assured. And I particularly enjoyed the sustained tone of the whole thing due to our narrator’s posh background. PS I hope Tom Kiteley narates another book soon. He is grand throughout.