Random by Craig Robertson

“Random” by Craig Robertson, a debut novelist from Scotland, isn’t your average crime thriller – a violence riddled journey told from the eyes of a serial killer; some will find it disturbing, some will find it thrilling but I for one found it just right – I couldn’t put the book down finishing this beguiling thriller in one day.

A fast paced story that really leaves nothing to the imagination – the violence is breath-taking and inspired at the same time. However Robertson never oversteps the mark of decency (well not according to this reviewer) with his creation – the self-proclaimed “The Cutter”.

Told in its entirety in the first person, we, as readers, follow “The Cutter” as he embarks on a random killing spree in and around Glasgow – a city of two halves where citizens in one rarely overstep the invisible boundary marked by Glasgow’s underbelly.

Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed The Cutter. The murders have left the police baffled. There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason behind the killings; no kind of pattern or motive; an entirely different method of murder each time, and nothing that connects the victims except for the fact that the little fingers of their right hands have been severed.

If DS Rachel Narey could only work out the key to the seemingly random murders, how and why the killer selects his victims, she would be well on her way to catching him. But as the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow’s underworld begin to close in on The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel – with horrifying consequences.

Available in Paperback and Hardback from The Book Depository and Amazon

The narrative is sharp and crisp and magnificently taut. In fact I can’t remember reading a book in the last twelve months that had Robertson’s punchy approach of stop, start, stop, start and repeat – it’s impossible to explain but the narrative has attitude and a mind of its own, yet at the same time the author has complete control – a wordsmith of the highest order and rare in a novelist just beginning a career.

Craig Robertson

Although the victims are chosen at random we eventually learn that there is a reason for the killings, a method in the madness if you will – ironic in a way and as the story progresses we are taken on a frightening nonstop journey that leaves very little to the imagination.

What concerns me most is that Robertson, who appears on the surface to be a sane author (!) can imagine these unimaginable deaths. They will shock you and leave you breathless -the ability to think outside the box is to be commended for this reviewer has no desire to be on the receiving end of a sharpened pen in Robertson’s second novel!

As “Random” progressed, I realised that the author had embarked on a brave decision to tell the story from just one perspective – I did wonder if it would work. If you only have one caracter relaying a tale it would have been very easy to fall into a blinkered view where the reader learns very little outside the killer’s bubble. Robertson works his way effortlessly around this problem by introducing various secondary characters who, in one way or another, give us another viewpoint albeit via the killer’s portal.

The Cutter remorselessly plans the murders but with each death comes a realisation of his actions. The killer changes, slowly at first but as “Random” develops he becomes a little more fragile and begins to question his actions – this progressive deterioration of his mental state is incredibly well written.

Twists and turns in abundance, “Random” will shock you to the core – Robertson weaving his magic with fluidity that belies his experience. Highly recommended but not  for the fainthearted!  Take a bow Craig – clean up on aisle 4!

Published by Simon & Schuster “Random” is available in Paperback and Hardback from The Book Depository and Amazon