Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project

On this episode of ‘World Book Club’ Harriett Gilbert speaker with with Graeme Macrae Burnet about his riveting historical crime novel ‘His Bloody Project’. Set in a remote Scottish community in the 1800s, the story centres on a brutal triple murder and the person who admits guilt for the bloody deed - a 17 year old boy. This boy, Roderick Macrae, is shy, intelligent, and remarkably articulate. Could he really be responsible for such a grisly crime? Or was he out of his mind? Told via a fascinating collection of memoir, police documents and trial transcripts, this novel explores the impact of an oppressive society on those who do not fit their assigned place, the boundaries of criminality and insanity, and has you questioning what the truth of the crime may be every time you turn a page. Graham Macrae Burnet will be answering your questions, about the 19th century views of ‘the criminal class’, who, or what, was responsible for the murder at the heart of the novel, and why we continue, in the modern day, to be fascinated by murder...

You can listen to Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project is an episode from World Book Club by BBC.

This episode is 49:20 long.

This episode was published on Jul 5, 2025.

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