This is one of the rare cases where the blurb actually tells you all there is to know. I absolutely enjoyed this book, with its examination of what it means to get close to a person that's shunned by society yet an object of morbid curiosity, and what this does to the shunned individual as well as the befriender, who in turn sees his own agenda (getting enough material out of Macarthur for an in-depth book of nonfiction) slowly morph into something else -- something that the subject of his enquiries, who by all accounts is crushingly lonely, begins to see as genuine friendship, while the other half of this weird-dynamic duo is decidedly not so sure.
It's actually quite hard to classify this book; it's not True Crime (the murders themselves are more steady undercurrent than sensationalist fodder, and there's none of that dumb True Crime shit of turning some disturbed individual into something approaching a "fascinating" figure of terror), nor is it biography. It left me wondering what became of that weird, slightly sad relationship after the book was published.

True crime reflects the dark underbelly of life - and it's rarely done better than in A Thread of Violence. Chilling in how it examines violence - this is brilliant

I was unaware of the double murder committed by Malcolm Macarthur in 1982, but it appears to have gained notoriety in Ireland. The case captivates due to the stark contrast between the brutality of the killings and the intellectual, wealthy character of the murderer—Macarthur, often seen in a bow tie and brogues. His arrest at the house of Ireland's attorney general fueled conspiracy theories.

Author Mark O'Connell decides to explore Macarthur's story, delving into the motives behind the brutal killings and examining his life after a 40-year prison term. Despite O'Connell befriending Macarthur, finding explanations for the man's actions proves challenging as Macarthur is an unreliable narrator.

This is a commendable true crime book, prioritizing analysis over sensationalism. However, its length might be excessive considering the limited material available.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if it were in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

"A Thread of Violence" by Mark O'Connell is a taut and intense thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. O'Connell's storytelling is masterful, with a gripping plot that's both chilling and thought-provoking. The characters are complex and compelling, their motivations shrouded in mystery. As the narrative unfolds, it weaves a web of suspense and moral ambiguity that questions the limits of human behavior. This book is a heart-pounding exploration of violence and its consequences, a must-read for thriller enthusiasts.

As a child in 1980's Ireland I was aware of the term GUBU and had hazy memories of Malcolm McArthur's crimes. It was only upon reading Fintan O'Tooles book , We Don't Know Ourselves, earlier this year that I learned the details of this time and was horrified. This book answered any and all further questions I had.

A deeply fascinating if at times disturbing and quite stressful read. It's brilliant paced and carefully considered although in an ideal world some deeper understanding would have be gained but it's not an ideal world. I thought this was a really engrossing and well written read Recommend.

"Grotesque, unbelieveable, bizarre and unprecendented" was how the then-Taoiseach (head of Ireland's government) described the acts of Malcolm MacArthur. In 1982, having exhausted his father's inheritance and with no wish to find work, MacArthur committed two murders, supposedly as a means to eventually commit an armed robbery. According to Mark O'Connell, these remain two of the most famous murders in Irish history; helped in no small part by MacArthur's connections to the Government, and his eventual apprehension at the house of the then-Attorney General. MacArthur's crimes became the inspiration for The Book of Evidence (John Banville) - which, in turn, becomes the jumping board for Mark O'Connell. In A Thread of Violence, O'Connell finds himself captured by both the Banville book, and MacArthur's continued presence in the local community - on the periphery, but often there. Over time, he begins a correspondence with MacArthur, a series of conversations about the before, the during, the after that interplay with O'Connell's own musings.

The obvious comparison for this book is In Cold Blood, and I did feel at times that O'Connell was trying to emulate that. As far as detail and narrative go, I have to admit that A Thread of Violence falls short. It felt a lot more 'bitty' and fragmented, although this was likely due to MacArthur's own reticence. At the same time, A Thread of Violence does what In Cold Blood failed to do, by giving a voice to both reflexivity and context. Although there were points that I felt could have been more elaborated on, and there were the occasions where it felt maybe too self-indulgent, it was those two areas that really stood out for me from this book. In particular, I think O'Connell really spoke to a collective need to 'understand': to pathologise, to other. There is an urge to see people who have committed serious crimes as fundamentally different to ourselves: otherwise, we would have to ask difficult questions about whether we all have capacities we would rather not think about. As someone with a strong specialist interest in this area, I do wish that O'Connell had gone a lot further with that area of exploration - but I will accept that this is something I think about daily (more than my boyfriend thinks about the Roman Empire...). I also thought that some of the points he made about victimhood - in particular, the representation of victims in 'true crime' media - were interesting, but again, wish they had been developed further.

Overall, I think this was a solid work, and I would like to re-read it at some point. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Careful, contemplative and always keeping a watchful eye on it's subject. This book is a fascinating read and a slow burn true crime story and charts the author's encounter with notorious murderer Malcolm Macarthur.

O'Connell dissects his subject with surgical precision and expertly discusses the complex set of influences that contributed to the at times baffling way that made Macarthur behave the way he did in the events that led to him murdering two people and the way he lives his life after being released from prison.

A chilly and intelligent read which packs a lot to consider into a condensed word count.

Absolutely fascinating. Has some of the ambiguity of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood with an astonishing character at its heart.

I had never heard of the double murder Malcolm Macarthur committed in 1982, but apparently in Ireland it has entered into public consciousness. The case speaks to the imagination because of the contrast between the brutality of the killings and the character and reputation of the murderer: Macarthur was an intellectual from a wealthy family, wearing a bow tie and brogues. The fact that his arrest took place while he was staying at the house of Ireland's attorney general was food for conspiracy theorists.

The author Mark O'Connell decides he wants to write about Macarthur, who spent 40 years in prison and is now out and seemingly resuming his cultured life. What drove this man to kill two complete strangers in such a brutal way? How can this 'criminal episode' be explained?

O'Connell manages to befriend Macarthur and what follows is an exploration of the questions above. But explanations prove difficult to find as Macarthur is everything but a reliable narrator.

A good true crime book, analytical rather than sensationalist, but maybe a bit too long as ultimately there isn't that much material to work with either..

I was granted this past publication date, but am so excited to read this! I have heard nothing but amazing things!!
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Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for my copy!

This is a remarkable book which somehow pulls off a balancing act between exploitation and (reasonably) objective representation, fact and fiction, vanity and accuracy. O'Connell manages to write his uncertainties into the book without either undermining his account of the events surrounding Malcolm Macarthur's crimes or impeding the momentum of his narrative. He's a clever and thoughtful writer, whose observation that Macarthur's whole identity - "the apparel, the accent, the endless days of cultivated leisure—was rooted in a fiction, a performance" is both the centre and to some extent the undoing of the book, and that's what makes it fascinating. An impressive achievement.

Riveting from the outset. Almost feels like a Hitchcock thriller with the narrative but in this case, this is a real story. Mark does a great job of bringing the reader into the story and I for one thoroughly enjoyed the work. Many thanks.

Not what I expect from the true crime book. It is full of author's visions and predicaments. Sometimes it's difficult to read due to horrific events.

I thought Mark O’Connell’s A Thread of Violence (the first book I’ve read by this author) was incredibly well written. I’d never heard of Malcolm Macarthur before and I suppose what drew me to the book was a curiosity to learn more about the crimes that succeed in capturing a society’s attention as it often reveals the things we value most. The author had it right when he wrote that had Malcolm Macarthur not been a member of the landed gentry with strong connections to the political elite then his crimes and his victims would have flown under the radar.

There’s also been a lot of controversy in recent years regarding the true crime genre and how it elevates the killer at the expense of obscuring the victims. It’s a dilemma that O’Connell points out repeatedly but doesn’t really succeed in addressing. We know very little of Macarthur’s first victim Bridie Gargan and next to nothing on his second victim Dónal Dunne. Although I do understand the victim’s families were reluctant to talk and understandably so.

Similarly to other reviewers, I was a bit uncomfortable with how O’Connell attempted to insert himself into the narrative. For example, he mentions repeatedly how his grandparents lived in the same luxury apartment block where Malcolm Macarthur was hiding out as though he’s attempting to justify his reasons for writing the book. Moreover, although O’Connell takes great care to point out his contempt for Macarthur (mentioning repeatedly that he doesn’t want to befriend a murderer), he is still the same man who went out of his way to hunt Macarthur down on the pretence on trying to understand his story. Unfortunately, the paranoia O’Connell experiences when he thinks Macarthur might be tempted to appear on a podcast that could potentially dent the public’s appetite for the author’s own book emphasises O’Connell’s monetary motives.

I don’t read a lot of true crime and I think it has to do with the fact that no matter how much authors try to dress up their books as providing an insight into a particular moment of history. Most of the time they’ll opt to write about true crime as public enthusiasm for gory murders has and continues to generate money and interest. For those readers looking for a gory confession they’ll be disappointed as Malcolm Macarthur proves to be a difficult interviewee, no doubt frustrating the author as he keeps him hanging on a thread. Like I said, A Thread of Violence was well written but it does raise a lot of moral questions regarding the genre.