A Thread of Violence

A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder

By: Mark O'Connell

Narrated by: Mark O'Connell

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A NEW YORK TIMES AND ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the award-winning author comes the gripping tale of one of the most scandalous murderers in modern Irish history, at once a propulsive work of true crime and an act of literary subversion.

“A masterpiece”—The Observer • “Disturbing [and] compelling”—Colm Toíbín • “Superb and unforgettable"—Sally Rooney • “Brilliant”—New York Times Book Review • “A masterly work”—John Banville • “Fascinating”—Emmanuel Carrère • “Morally complex and mesmerizing”—Fintan O'Toole

Malcolm Macarthur was a well-known Dublin socialite. Suave and urbane, he passed his days mingling with artists and aristocrats, reading philosophy, living a life of the mind. But by 1982, his inheritance had dwindled to almost nothing, a desperate threat to his lifestyle. Macarthur hastily conceived a plan: He would commit bank robbery, of the kind that had become frightfully common in Dublin at the time. But his plan spun swiftly out of control, and he needlessly killed two innocent civilians. The ensuing manhunt, arrest, and conviction amounted to one of the most infamous political scandals in modern Irish history, contributing to the eventual collapse of a government.

Winner of the Wellcome and Rooney Prizes, Mark O'Connell spent countless hours in conversation with Macarthur—interviews that veered from confession to evasion. Through their tense exchanges and O’Connell’s independent reporting, a pair of narratives unspools: a riveting account of Macarthur's crimes and a study of the hazy line between truth and invention. We come to see not only the enormity of the murders but the damage that’s inflicted when a life is rendered into story.

At once propulsive and searching, A Thread of Violence is a hard look at a brutal act, its subterranean origins, and the long shadow it casts. It offers a haunting and insightful examination of the lies we tell ourselves—and the lengths we'll go to preserve them.

©2023 Mark O'Connell (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

One of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2023 • One of Slate's 10 Best Books of 2023 • #1 on Air Mail's 12 Best Books of 2023

“Mark O’Connell’s exhilarating A Thread of Violence [is] a probing portrait of one of the most notorious murderers in recent Irish history...[A] deft narrative... Brilliant and rigorously honest.”—New York Times Book Review

“A scrupulous, thoughtful work… Mr. O’Connell is a supple writer and penetrating thinker who secured extraordinary access to a notorious killer…. Exemplary.”—The Economist

“A masterpiece...A gorgeously nimble stylist, [O’Connell] writes the sort of sentences that get me checking my own in agitated competitiveness. More to the point, no contemporary literary mind seems to me more subtle, perceptive, or trustworthy...[A Thread of Violence] is a marvel of tact, attentiveness, and unclouded moral acuity. I admire it without reserve.”—The Observer

Compelling

The writer narrates perfectly, and takes us behind the headlines and into the mind of the man who perpetrated these senseless crimes. His exquisite writing and extensive research make this book riveting.

Excellent book

Beautiful written and narrated. It brought me back to that horrific time in Ireland. Thoroughly enjoyed it

A meandering waste of time

I literally have no idea why this guy wrote this book or anyone published it. It’s love true crime but the author here has no coherent theory or even a single point to make. He seems to have been interested in this murderer so talked to him and just put his wandering thoughts down on paper. The end. I seriously don’t understand how I wasted 7 plus hours of my life listens to this, except I kept thinking “he must get to a point here somewhere.” Reader, I assure you, he does not. He’s got a lovely reading voice through.