Craig Robertson (1)

"Random" is the story of a serial killer like none I've read before. This is not some Hannibal Lecter evil-genius anti-hero, nor the all too common I-like-to-cause-women-pain serial killer, or even the Dexter "dark passenger" kind of killer.

This is a story of a disciplined man, following a plan with minimal emotional involvement. A plan that will get him an outcome that he greatly desires.

At least, that's how it starts.

Executing the plan costs our killer. It eats away at his humanity. It show more stresses him to the point where he struggles to keep control and starts to give way to paranoia and anger.
The whole story is told from the killer's point of view and we get to watch him fall apart.

"Random" delivers many of the things that attract people to serial killer books: tension and suspense, ingeniously managed kills, a strong sense of place, a high level of plausibility and a level of graphic violence that is convincing enough to be disturbing but never crosses the line into voyeuristic murder porn.

Yet the most interesting thing about the book is not who gets killed and how but the why of it all. The motivation behind the plan. The end game that you won't see coming. This is all brilliantly done through interior dialogue and memories. Memories are important in this novel. Our killer says:

"Memories are like landmines. You never know which one will blow up in your face".
Our killer is a fully developed character. Someone I could feel pity for. Someone who has lost himself. Someone doing things that he knows are unforgivable but which he makes himself do anyway.

Being inside this man's head is not a pleasant experience but it's not a trip to loony town either. It's unpleasant because any of us might find ourselves where he is.
The plot is clever and the pacing works. It's an astonishing debut by an author I want more of.

I picked up "Random" as part of my Thirty Firsts 2019 TBR Reading Challenge.The book is marketed as "Narey and Winter #1" so I expected it to be the first in a series of police detective stories, set in Glasgow, about two police detectives.

In reality, I spent all my time in the killer's head. Narey features throughout the book as a kind of remote threat of justice. Winter didn't make an appearance. I have no idea where book two will go.

It sounds to me like "Random" was a successful one-off novel that begged for an encore. Craig Roberstons writing is good enough to convince me to give the next book a try and find out where it goes. show less

Craig Robertson has produced a chilling police procedural novel, set in Glasgow, and revolving around the police investigation of a series of brutal rapes. A suspect is identified, and subsequently arrested, and a discovery during the search of his property sends the police off in a completely new direction.

The plot is well-constructed, and sadly all too plausible, which make the book very gripping. I was struck by the absence of any particularly empathetic characters, even among the victims show more who suffers some particularly awful ordeals, though this did not impinge upon the quality of the book. show less

‘Random’ by Craig Robertson is a crime thriller novel that is told from the view of the serial killer; a man who is known best from the nickname created solely for him: ‘The Cutter’. While in the mind of this killer, we are shown how he plows through Glasgow, striking people with fear and terror as he manages to continuously avoid being caught. After all, how are they supposed to capture someone who has no pattern on how he chooses his victims?

The killer at first seems very detached show more and he holds no empathy for those he has chosen. He has no care for the kind of person his victim is; he just kills them without feeling very much remorse for his actions. He’s cunning and patient, which is something that allows him to plan his kills carefully always spending hours and days studying his victims. Slowly, he manages to kill more and more people in a row of succession- until he makes a mistake that makes everything much harder for him.

Slowly, he starts to unveil his thoughts, feelings, past and motives which is something that allows readers to have a strange feeling of empathy towards him. I found myself feeling rather delighted with how his character seems to develop- I appreciated the way he started to doubt himself, which allowed to start viewing him in a more humane way. Viewing the story in only the killer’s perspective restricted readers’ view of the story itself, yet, it does so in a way that allows the reader to become much more empathetic towards the killer. His feelings were also brought out very strong in the story allowing you to feel more connected- in a way- to what happens. The author’s ability to write about such gruesome deaths also managed to startle me. The murders were described in such detail that it thrills the reader while managing to make them feel disturbed at the same time.

The ending, for me, was the most gripping part of the novel. It felt rather open and unclear but I still found myself feeling strangely satisfied. Although I felt slightly unnerved by the ending, I also found it to be best part of this book.

I would recommend this book to people who would like to read dark stories; ones filled with death and violence. I wouldn’t recommend this book to those who do not bode well with detailed descriptions of a person dying or those who dislike crime thrillers. show less

If you've read the blurb above you know the main plot of this book. A serial killer is loose in Glasgow & the frustration felt by the police is matched only by the public's fear as seemingly random victims are chosen for a gruesome demise.
But this is a book of surprises. First, the story is narrated by the killer. The reader is plunked down into his head so we are privy to his thoughts. Slowly we learn how personal tragedy transformed him from a happy family man to one who no longer feels show more joy or empathy. Grief has given him one goal...someone must pay.
The style of writing is another surprise. The prose is terse & blunt in places, caustic & darkly funny in others. We follow his stream of consciousness as it files through his head & even begin to understand his logic. Scary thought. 
He's smart meticulous & patient as the bodies pile up over a period of a couple of years. The police are completely stumped. One of them, DS Rachel Nary, comes closer than most. Despite the notes on the book jacket, her part is a small one & we don't follow her around as in a typical police procedural. The narrative is always in his voice. But we do watch the killer watching her & although she'll never know it, she plays a pivotal role in his final decision.
He makes one mistake that threatens to derail his plans. One of his victims was a bagman for Glashow's biggest mobster & he's not taking it well. He sees it as a personal insult & joins the cops in the hunt for the "Cutter", unaware they've already met. This results in a gang war that plays out while the killer continues working on his (who)to-do list.
The city itself is as much of a character as any of the cast. Glasgow is described as having two faces. The bright urban bustle & quiet neighbourhoods of law abiding citizens coexist with a gritty & prosperous criminal community (with some blurry areas around the edges).
Because of how it's written, you feel like you're riding shotgun with the killer as an invisible passenger. But the author holds back some crucial tidbits 'til the end which I can honestly say I never saw coming. Suddenly you realize innocent or throw away comments were actually big red flags. It made me sit up & stop reading for a moment to reconsider everything in this new light & admire how cleverly it was done.
This belongs to the Tartan Noir genre that's gaining popularity but not for everyone. It doesn't follow the standard format of a police procedural. It's more of a character study of the killer with the cops playing a very minor almost anonymous role. I really enjoyed this author's style & will definitely check out his next book. show less