The Resurrectionist: Deluxe Stenciled Edges - by A Rae Dunlap (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With vibes of Penny Dreadful, The Knick, and ANATOMY: A Love Story, this deliciously macabre gothic debut braids historical fiction, dark academia, horror, and even true crime into a harrowing tale of murder, greed, queer desire and the grisly origins of modern medicine, as - as a young medical student is lured into the illicit underworld of body snatching.

Now in trade paperback with *Deluxe Stenciled Edges* and interior cover design for readers of Lydia Kang, ML Rio, Sarah Perry, and C.E. McGill.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1828. James Willoughby has abandoned his posh, sheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. The university offers everything James desires--except the chance to work on a human cadaver. For that, he must 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. But James soon realizes he's made a devil's bargain . . .

Nye is a body snatcher. And James has unwittingly become his accomplice, rapidly descending into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists--the body snatchers infamous for stealing fresh corpses from churchyards to be used as anatomical specimens. Before long, James is caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival snatchers compete in a morbid race for power.

James and Nye soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a pair of opportunists known as Burke and Hare. 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 tale of the risks and rewards of scientific pursuit, the passions of its boldest pioneers, and the anatomy of human desire.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Resurrectionist

"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

About the Author

A. Rae Dunlap is the USA Today bestselling author of acclaimed historical novels The Resurrectionist and The Dreadfuls. She studied film and Victorian literature at Northwestern University and spends her days as a trailer editor at Disney, bringing to life the magic of the world's most influential storytellers for audiences everywhere. She lives with her husband in a small mountain town in California and can be found online at ARaeDunlap.com.