His Bloody Project is comprised of medical reports, witness statements, courtroom transcripts and a compelling first hand account from the accused, Roderick Macrae, that tell the story of a gruesome triple murder that occurred in 1869 Scotland. 
 The author tells us that he came across this information while researching his own genealogy and the book truly reads as a true crime account. So much so that I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't real - and then I had to check it online, just to be sure. It is that convincing and that engrossing. 
 The majority of the book is taken up with Roddy's account which places the reader firmly in the tiny village of Culduie, where families work the land in exchange for their homes and children are promised no real future. Though Roddy is very intelligent, he has some problems ingratiating himself into the general public and quickly and early on finds himself on the wrong side of Lachlan Broad, the local bully and future constable. 
 What follows is Roddy's account of his family's mistreatment and sorrows and eventually the murders that take place. There is no question that Roddy committed the murders, but did he do so with a sound mind? 
 The final section of the book concerns his trial and while I was firmly on Roddy's side throughout, a few circumstances in the statements and interrogations had me questioning the reliability of Roddy's story. Although the book comes to a certain conclusion, the reader will definitely be left with unanswered questions. 
 I enjoyed the overall concept of the novel, using the collections of letters, statements, etc. to tell the story. The eventual conclusion that all was not as clear as it had been presented, snuck up on me so softly, that I didn't even realize it until after I'd finished the book. And I enjoyed that too.