The Resurrectionist

In the tradition of The Alienist and Anatomy: A Love Story,a decadently macabredark 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 fictiontrue crimeand dark academia intertwine in a harrowing tale of murdergreedand the grisly origins of modern medicine for readers of Lydia KangML RioSarah Perryand C.E. McGill. Portrait of the Medical Student as a Young Body Snatcher Yet I must insist that in the endthis is not a story about Death. It is perhaps a Life storyor even—yes—a Love story. It is the story of how I clawed my way from the decay of a crumbling legacy into the modern era of Reason and Science. It is the story of how I escaped the prison of archaic superstition to the freedom of enlightenment. It is the story of how a rose can blossom from even the bloodiest soilof how light can grow from shadowhow love can grow from despair. Thisdear readeris the story of my Resurrection. EdinburghScotland1828. Naïve but determined James Willoughby has abandoned his poshsheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. A shining beacon of medical discovery in the age of New Enlightenmentthe city’s university offers everything James desires—except the chance to work on a human cadaver. For thathe needs to join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Squareat a cost he cannot afford. In desperationhe strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnona 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 missionJames 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 itJames 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 Harewho are dead set on cornering the marketno 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 entertainingThe Resurrectionist combines fact and fiction in a rollicking tale of the risks and rewards of scientific pursuitthe passions of its boldest pioneersand the anatomy of human desire.