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Random

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 156 ratings · 27 reviews

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 ha...more

Paperback, 356 pages

Published February 1st 2011 by Pocket Books (first published January 1st 2010)

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Nov 23, 2010 Miss Page Turner rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, reviewed

This novel is a whole thrilling insight into the obscure mind of a serial killer with no obvious acting pattern. The Cutter appears to be a dangerous psychopath, on the inside he is a smart and hurt man longing for revenge and destruction. Random involves a murderer plot which is interwoven with a kind of underworld plot. In my opinion the involved underworld plot slows the overall story down and blurs it unnecessarily.

The story is told from the murderer’s point of view that puts the reader into...more
This novel is a whole thrilling insight into the obscure mind of a serial killer with no obvious acting pattern. The Cutter appears to be a dangerous psychopath, on the inside he is a smart and hurt man longing for revenge and destruction. Random involves a murderer plot which is interwoven with a kind of underworld plot. In my opinion the involved underworld plot slows the overall story down and blurs it unnecessarily.

The story is told from the murderer’s point of view that puts the reader into a moral conflict. Other novels are written in the POV of a detective, but Craig Robertson wants to show the other side, show the motives of a desperate murderer. Feel sorry for the culprit or the victims? A decision, not as easy as in most thrillers.

Most interesting about Random are the random tactics and techniques the murderer applies to choose his victims. The author presents a very profound theoretical and historical background to the plot. He provides us with an insight into biological and psychical processes of his victims. Several chapters consist of newspaper articles talking about the cruel murders of the Cutter. Form, style and content are authentically written in newspaper style so that the creation of an actual and authentic crime case is supported. Although the overall atmosphere is dark and depressing, the plot is lightened up by a few jokes and irony.

As a little advice: Some of the murders are brutal and many swear words are applied. Random deals with a dark and criminal milieu, so I don’t recommend reading this novel if you are rather squeamish.

I read this novel on train rides and I never got bored. Reading this novel in public, the most unsafe place you could be in Random, was a new experience, always wondering about murderers minds and the always present anxiety of being a possible victim to fate. I find it very shocking that the applied strategies to sort out a random victim really fascinated me and I thought about how they would work in real life, how dangerous someone applying those methods would be for public life and safety.

THE VERDICT

2/5 ** Random, murderer vs. Glasgow, randomness vs. logic and pleasure vs. fear. The next victim? Maybe you…

The first novel of a journalist with major media knowledge and a great sense for the exciting mind and moral gamesof a killer. (less)

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Jun 19, 2012 Best Crime Books rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Craig Robertson has had a twenty year career with the Glasgow Post. He has not only interviewed three different Prime Ministers, he has also attended some major news stories such as 9/11, Dunblane and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. This is his first novel and is entitled Random.

The cover of his book is pretty eye catching with its red cover and a picture of a figure in the shadows. The jacket information was even more interesting with a description of a Serial Killer operating in Glasgow...more Craig Robertson has had a twenty year career with the Glasgow Post. He has not only interviewed three different Prime Ministers, he has also attended some major news stories such as 9/11, Dunblane and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. This is his first novel and is entitled Random.

The cover of his book is pretty eye catching with its red cover and a picture of a figure in the shadows. The jacket information was even more interesting with a description of a Serial Killer operating in Glasgow. He has been nicknamed The Cutter by the media and the police are baffled by the killings. DS Rachel Narey is on the case and she cannot seem to find any connection between the victims. There seems to be no real motive or reason for the murders and there seems to be absolutely no links between the people.

When I opened the book the first thing that was strange was the fact that the book is written in the first person, and said first person is the killer himself. There was something slightly unsettling about that in the beginning for me. As the book progresses the story is stretched and we learn more not only about his mindset but the reasons behind the killings.

I don't particularly like spoilers but this book is very hard to describe without some risk of spoiling the plot. I will say however, that the more you read the more you will question "what would I do if that was me?" I found that over halfway in not only had the unsettling feeling I started with gone, I found myself seeing things through the eyes of somebody in his position.

Ultimately as the title and jacket information describe, the serial killings are made entirely at random. This is not only a disturbing thought, but one that is written with incredible skill. I was amazed at how I felt whilst reading it and felt myself becoming more and more absorbed by it. The story is set in Glasgow and the writing and speech of the Glaswegians is done superbly.

The pace of the book is also pretty good, I wouldn't say particularly fast but reasonably paced with more intent on seeing things from the `bad' side of the fence. This gave the story good momentum and more intent on the sheer genius of being inside a killers mind. I cannot say anything bad about this book; I thoroughly enjoyed it and eagerly await the next novel by Mr Robertson. (less)

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Apr 04, 2010 Fitzykd rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the moment I started reading this book I could not put it down, My husband managed to persuade me to put it down long enought to have dinner (I continued to read as dinner was cooking). This is a very cleverly written book. You are pulled in to the mind of the killer very quickly and your are hard put not to feel some sympathy and understanding for him. There is a pretty clever twist towards the end. I liked the fact that you found out 'why' quite early on (if you didn't, I don't think it w...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

“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 mar...more “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.”

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.

Full Review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/02/05...(less)

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Jul 26, 2011 Tom Mills rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Random is the debut novel of Craig Robertson, the latest in a long and distinguished line of 'Tartan Noir' writers. He once said that the Scottish "seem to be better at... reach[ing] the darker side of the human psyche... Many Scots also have a fondness for black humour that lends itself well to crime writing," and these crucial ingredients are certainly present in this excellent book.
Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed 'the Cutter'. His random attacks appear...more Random is the debut novel of Craig Robertson, the latest in a long and distinguished line of 'Tartan Noir' writers. He once said that the Scottish "seem to be better at... reach[ing] the darker side of the human psyche... Many Scots also have a fondness for black humour that lends itself well to crime writing," and these crucial ingredients are certainly present in this excellent book.
Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed 'the Cutter'. His random attacks appear motiveless until we learn of his fascination with that ultimate murderer, Jack the Ripper. This anonymous killer's study of the Ripper is only revealed in chapter 16, and he provides the reader with the usual salient facts of the infamous case: "Some said the Ripper was over-rated... In purely numerical terms [they are] probably right. But what they all forget, is that Jack got away with it. The single most famous serial killer in history yet still unknown.
Some people think they know who Jack was... but they... can't know. They call themselves Ripperologists... Ask ten [of them] who killed those women and you will get eleven different answers... Five prostitutes... Victims of life. Jack killed... ripped them. But we don't know why[or] who. They say he was Queen Victoria's whoring grandson Eddy... driven mad by syphilis... it was the Queen's physician William Gull... her obstetrician John Williams. He was painter William Sickert... he was Carl Feigenbaum, a German sailor. He was an insane Polish Jew, Aaron Kosminski. It was the Ripper diary confessor James Maybrick or the bogus doctor Francis Tumblety. It was barrister Montague John Druitt, the abortionist Dr Thomas Cream, the Polish poisoner George Chapman or [Mary] Kelly's lover Joseph Barnett. It was them and it was a hundred others but it was none of them. It was Jack. No one knows who he was. Jack did what [he] had to do then he stopped. Disappeared... back into the London fog."
We are then given our first clue to this killer's reasoning. Inspired by the Royal conspiracy, his fourth murder was actually motivated by revenge (the death of his daughter), and concealed amongst the other 5, which were truly random. The theory (advanced by Stephen Knight in 1976) is explained by this fictional killer: "It goes that 3 men worked together... Their plan... was to cover their true intentions by creating the myth of the Ripper. [They] were high establishment... connected to the Royal household and were set on protecting its interests... The bottom line is that... [Mary] Kelly knew too much and was prepared to tell. She had to be silenced. But the killing of Mary alone would have left a trail... motive could eventually have led [the police] to the truth. So the plan was devised... Kelly and her friends were slaughtered and the murders made to look the work of a complete madman. The silencing of Kelly was hidden amidst the other four. She was the needle. They were the haystack."
Robertson's random killer can see "the beauty of it... made to look like madness, but in reality it was clinical, reasoned... I respected the logic" enough to emulate it.
This murderer is not a Ripper copycat (see ITV's Whitechapel drama, and many more examples in written fiction for those [i]) but the media frenzy generated by the original Ripper, and the lure of an 18th century urban myth is strong enough to inspire news reporting even now. The contemporary newspapers christened and publicised the crimes of the Blackout Ripper (1942), Jack the Stripper (1964/5), the Camden Ripper (2000/02), the Ipswich Ripper (2006), and most famously the Yorkshire Ripper (1975 to 1980) and his hoaxer, Wearside Jack (1978/9). The Random killer taunts and manipulates the press as did the original Ripper via a series of letters 'From Hell'. He posts severed fingers to the police, then later to a reporter (also akin to the real Ripper's bloody parcel to George Lusk), and then dubs himself 'the Cutter' (just like the 'Dear Boss' letter signed by 'Jack') because he hates the media's nickname 'Jock the Ripper'. This name is also used by fellow 'Tartan Noir' writer, Val McDermid in Killing the Shadows (2001).
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Whitechapel murders was the birth of tabloid journalism (alluded to in From Hell as creating the 20th century), and their almost symbiotic co-existence. Murder was part of life in Victorian London, and the Ripper's crimes may have been forgotten by history if it wasn't for newspapers like The Star. This was the first time that such a story attracted such attention, and even in the absence of today's omnipresent media gathering, the Ripper quickly went global, and his influence has remained since.
We need to study the Whitechapel Murders in their wider context, not only the 5 canonical victims, but those committed between April 1888 and February 1891, to fully appreciate the 'power of the press.' This coverage has perpetuated for 123 years, and it only fuels the modern fascination with the world's most notorious murderer [ii] .
Later, the Cutter's potted history of Scottish murders could easily be observations by the author on the emergence and current success of Scottish crime fiction: "Scotland gave the world television and the telephone, penicillin, the pneumatic tyre, the steam engine and the bicycle, radar, insulin, calculus and Dolly the sheep. But we are also right up there with the best of them when it comes to killing people... The best small murdering country in the world. Stick that on your tourist posters." Tartan Noir is indeed part of this "fine tradition" and is a significant Scottish cultural export.
Robertson's second novel, Snapshot is published this month.
Notes [i] Unlikely Killer by Ricki Thomas features the 'Kopycat' Ripper, and in Michael White's The Art of Murder, another serial killer is actually inspired by Jack's secret journal. Here, the original Ripper escaped to America, a theory investigated at the time by both the police and a hungry press.
[ii] Channel Five documentary, Tabloid Killer (24/6/10) examines the massive press coverage of the Whitechapel Murders.(less)

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Jun 01, 2010 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, review-books, united-kingdom

One of the things that I really like about reading review books is that I constantly find absolutes in my reading tastes aren't. Ask me about serial killer books before reading RANDOM and I would have categorically stated been there, over it. Add being inside the serial killer's head for the entire of the book and I'd have put my hand on my heart and said it's all too tedious. Then I read RANDOM and found myself really hooked on the internal monologue of a serial killer.

Based in Glasgow, RANDOM,...more One of the things that I really like about reading review books is that I constantly find absolutes in my reading tastes aren't. Ask me about serial killer books before reading RANDOM and I would have categorically stated been there, over it. Add being inside the serial killer's head for the entire of the book and I'd have put my hand on my heart and said it's all too tedious. Then I read RANDOM and found myself really hooked on the internal monologue of a serial killer.

Based in Glasgow, RANDOM, on one level is your typical serial killer book. Unconnected victim's, strange signature from the killer, police are baffled. This time the killer isn't using a signature methodology, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to the killings. Whilst there is a police investigation and DS Rachel Narey is struggling against pressure from police hierarchy and the shenanigans that go on at that level when the media are finally alerted (by our killer) to the connections, this isn't really a story of the pursuit of a killer. Where RANDOM starts to vary is that our serial killer in this book is undoubtedly vicious and driven and quite quite odd - but he's also flawed and not mad, and strangely not totally bad. He's also made a big mistake with the selection of one of his victims which makes his life very very complicated and the police pursuit the least of his problems. Told from the point of view of the killer, his true identity is slowly revealed, as are the methods he is using to select his victims, the way that he kills his victims, and even more slowly, his reasons.

RANDOM really was a book that I simply wasn't expecting, especially after reading the blurb with that slow sinking feeling. But being a review book, you have to press on and I am really really glad I did. It seems a very odd thing to be saying about a serial killer book, but I enjoyed this book. RANDOM is undoubtedly manipulative, the reader is pulled into this killer's mind and into his life in a way that was subtle and clever. Balancing the way that this man selects his victims, the way that he is so ruthless in his decisions on who to kill and who not to, against a home life that is not your typical abusive, weird family relationship, but something more touching, sad, heart-breaking; and I did find myself in a really odd place - feeling sympathy for a serial killer.

There's a final twist in the tail of this book which on one level I knew was probably coming, but I didn't quite expect the way it played out. And it was affecting, and challenging and sad and right and wrong all at the same time. RANDOM was a real reading revelation for me. Flagged as a thriller it is a pacy, tense and disturbing book. It's also a reflective, moving and quite emotional book. Perhaps if you're a reader who holds their preference for no more serial killers under any circumstances closer to their core than I do, this might not be the book for you. For me, it was one of those books that took all my reading assumptions, pitched them out a window and ran over them with a bus just to make sure they were well dead and buried.
(less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Esoldra rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 02, 2012 Jazz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Generally speaking I do tend to avoid books written from the viewpoint of the criminal, especially when it relates to cold-blooded murder. This is because I generally have no real desire to put myself in the shoes of the murderer or sympathise with them. It is the kind of moral dilemma I aim to avoid.

However, I am glad that I read Random by Craig Robertson. It was so well-written, so believable and ultimately, so tragic that I could not help but fall in love with it. And every so often forcing y...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

A surprisingly easy read from a debut author. Told in first person narrative from the killer's point of view it was a refreshing change from the police investigations common to the crime genre. Some parts even manage to be amusing, especially to those of us that curse over Royal Mail's Thick Book Tax! The book is set in Glasgow and there is some slang but most of it is pretty common and if you can understand a Scot you should be OK.

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Feb 14, 2013 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this as a few lads at work had read it and said they enjoyed it. The story was a interesting one as it gets into the head of someone who goes on a random killing spree. You find out as the book goes on why he has done what he has done and I could understand why he had done it. A little bit of a twist near the end

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Aug 01, 2012 Madeleine.fowlerhotmail.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent novel. Gruesome and twist-filled but not so much do that the plot is lost.
I was worried that a novel written from the viewpoint of the killer would be a difficult read, however it worked really well. I also worried that I had guessed the twist early on and I was hoping that this would not be the case. I was not disappointed and the author managed to lay a few red herrings and seems to have perfected the art of misdirection throughout the book. Really enjoyable!

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Oct 26, 2012 Gabriela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

An amazing book indeed. It was an interesting insight into a killer's mind and it nicely reflected the depths that there are to thought. To think that the entire book was said just from the killer's point of view and yet it encompassed the surrounding attitudes, the thoughts, the reactions of others so well... it's simply impressive.
I do agree with the other reviewers in that some of the murders were rather gruesome but that little bit of grotesque was needed to make the scenes so much more rea...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

I could not make it past chapter 9. For me it was too predictable of a crime book and I felt like there was no need to continue. Maybe if your a big fan of crime books you may like it more than me however do I love my murder books and this just didn't manage to engage me.

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Jan 11, 2013 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

'Really liked' is inaccurate. 'Really impressed with' would have been better, since it is somewhat perverted to like a book about such a man. However, Craig Roberton as a writer is impressive in his ability to manipulate the emotions and the sympathies of his reader while describe the horrific deeds done. Right to the very end.

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Mar 08, 2010 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this story by first time author Craig Robertson. A bit graphic in places but a good storyline. I even found myself feeling sorry for the main character at times!

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Mar 16, 2011 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-fiction-and-thrillers, the-brave

A tale of a serial killer in Glasgow told from the POV of the serial killer. Okay, so that's nothing new and I read the book thinking that this so-called psychopath's psychology didn't fit with what all those profilers tell us in their true crime books. But then came the, ahem, killer twist at the end and that's why I'm giving this 4 stars. Well worth sticking with to the end if you're a fan of the genre.

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Sep 29, 2011 Elena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Muy original: el relato del "típico" asesino en serie, pero contado desde el punto de vista del asesino, no del policía. Entretenido y de ritmo rápido, lectura ideal para vacaciones o cuando quieres leer algo sin darle muchas vueltas al coco ;)

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Jun 20, 2010 C.K. Webb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All lovers of the thriller genre

Recommended to C.K. by: Simon & Schuster UK

Loved this debut novel from Craig Robertson. Deliciously disturbing! See my full review on WebbWeaver at http://bit.ly/HWQKW

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Mar 07, 2011 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books

Definitely up there as one of the better thrillers I've read recently. However, I wish publishers wouldn't say there's a great twist - it's annoying!

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May 28, 2013 Smilez99 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A really great book. Not only is the plot amazing, it gets really addictive!

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Sep 20, 2012 Chitra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel is written from the point of view of the killer and is quite good.

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Dec 21, 2010 Curlywurly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, thriller

Nice ending

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Aug 07, 2012 Adi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. You could tell that it was going to be a good read from the very first page. Very original and full of brutal imagery. Would love to see this turned into a film !

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Feb 20, 2010 Loretta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved it. Didn't want to put it down once I started reading it.

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Jul 19, 2012 Petrina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Excellent read. I don't think I've read a book from this viewpoint before. Nicely dark and twisty. Are Craig Robertson and Chris Brookmyre having a competition to see who can come up with the most obscure murder? Vive le Tartan Noir.

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Jun 02, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good. Brutal at times, but a very satisfactory thriller told from the murderer's point of view.

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Jun 08, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lots of twists and turns

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Jun 13, 2013 Sharon Maxwell is currently reading it · review of another edition

Jun 10, 2013 Rhiannon Parks is currently reading it · review of another edition

Jun 10, 2013 Eduardo marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Craig Robertson

During his 20-year career with a Scottish Sunday newspaper, Craig Robertson has interviewed three recent Prime Ministers; attended major stories including 9/11, Dunblane, the Omagh bombing and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann; been pilloried on breakfast television, beaten Oprah Winfrey to a major scoop, been among the first to interview Susan Boyle, spent time on Death Row in the USA and dis...more

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