His Bloody Project, Burnet - B

                                               This novel was a 2016 Man Booker finalist. The subtitle is 'Documents Relating To The Case Of Roderick Macrae - a historical thriller'. The documents are essentially Roddy Macrae's hand-written recitation of his crimes, and the press coverage of his trial. In the late summer of 1869, in the far north of Scotland, young Roddy bashed in the head of the village constable, who had been particularly unfair and unkind to his family. Apparently, the highlands of the mid-19th century were barely removed from medieval feudalism. The lords let out their lands through factors to crofters, who sound about as entitled as tenant farmers of that era in the southern US.  The system was brutal, cruel and inconsistent with what we consider the rights of people in an enlightened society. Roddy's trial interestingly offered up the possibilities of an insanity defense.  Of course, it didn't work and the noose was his reward. Obviously, this is a thought-provoking and well-executed book.