His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet *****

Reading dates: 5—14 December 2016

Set in the Highlands of Scotland and with vivid witness and court accounts, this novel is one of the most intelligent and enjoyable books I have read all year. Burnet does not overdo either the plot or the prose and the novel is perfectly pitched, like a well-seasoned dish. I very much enjoyed the language, the strange Scottish words—he provides a helpful glossary embedded in the middle of the book. The characters and the story are absolutely believable and the way the story is told, with reference to the author, is an effective device reminiscent of The Quixote. I love crime fiction, mainly because it is a genre that lends itself to the literary although this is seldom achieved. Burnet does it with ease and elegance.