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.
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Review
'The story carries on in a very tightly plotted and sometimes moving way until the very unpredictable and quite amazing ending' --Euro Crime
'I could not put it down, as it was such an exciting page turner'
--Euro Crime
`This is a novel that really gets under your skin. Not only is the complex plot expertly managed (I was sure I knew who the murderer was at least twice before being prove comprehensively wrong) and the Glasgow setting brilliantly utilised, but the actions of the sniper himself mean this, for many, will be anything but a simple case of goodies versus baddies/.../The world Robertson creates in Snapshot is dark and often depressingly grubby. But it's also fascinating, challenging and, dare I say it, edge-of-the-seat and heart-in-the-mouth entertaining.' --Gregor White, Stering Observer
'I could not put it down, as it was such an exciting page turner'
--Euro Crime
`This is a novel that really gets under your skin. Not only is the complex plot expertly managed (I was sure I knew who the murderer was at least twice before being prove comprehensively wrong) and the Glasgow setting brilliantly utilised, but the actions of the sniper himself mean this, for many, will be anything but a simple case of goodies versus baddies/.../The world Robertson creates in Snapshot is dark and often depressingly grubby. But it's also fascinating, challenging and, dare I say it, edge-of-the-seat and heart-in-the-mouth entertaining.' --Gregor White, Stering Observer
About the Author
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 dispensed polio drops in the backstreets of India. RANDOM is his first novel
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By L. Hay
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Yet another first class novel based in Glasgow - where better. Glasgow is a city of hard men but it has a heart of gold, however, Craig Robertson does not touch on this virtue unlike Craig Russell did in "Lennox".
The story is told by the killer himself. His ramblings are bitter, but he does not come across as the psychopath that we may have encountered in books of a similar nature. I will not go into the story and spoil it for readers, but six murders are committed for no apparent motive. The city is in a state of terror and the police go round in circles looking for "The Cutter". Eventually they have to call in the big guns from Nottingham.. A clever criminal, the Cutter is always one step ahead and covers his tracks superbly.
Mr Robertson is a reporter for the "Sunday Post", one of Scotland's fabvourite newspapers, and he must have been very successful if his standard of writing is anything like that of this novel. The chapters are short and he does not keep the reader hanging on. The facts and observations contained therein are interesting and informative.
I found it very easy to read and did so in record time. To be truthful, I couldn't lay it down.
I do hope that more novels are to come from the pen of this promising newcomer to the crime genre.
I will certainly be watching out for them.
The story is told by the killer himself. His ramblings are bitter, but he does not come across as the psychopath that we may have encountered in books of a similar nature. I will not go into the story and spoil it for readers, but six murders are committed for no apparent motive. The city is in a state of terror and the police go round in circles looking for "The Cutter". Eventually they have to call in the big guns from Nottingham.. A clever criminal, the Cutter is always one step ahead and covers his tracks superbly.
Mr Robertson is a reporter for the "Sunday Post", one of Scotland's fabvourite newspapers, and he must have been very successful if his standard of writing is anything like that of this novel. The chapters are short and he does not keep the reader hanging on. The facts and observations contained therein are interesting and informative.
I found it very easy to read and did so in record time. To be truthful, I couldn't lay it down.
I do hope that more novels are to come from the pen of this promising newcomer to the crime genre.
I will certainly be watching out for them.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Ali
Format:Paperback
I wanted to like this book far more than I did. Crime thrillers set in Glasgow are just my cup of tea and this was told mainly from the point of view of the killer, with the only additional information coming from newspaper clippings. It was a book that just screamed 'me'. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I expected.
The Cutter himself was quite an interesting character on paper, seemingly picking his victims at random. His methods of finding victims and killing them all differ. He even contemplates the thought of killing children, if his randomised methods happen to work out that way. However, I found him mostly unlikeable and unsympathetic, even after finding out his motives for killing. The only time I even remotely felt for him was when he was with his wife. Both of them were dealing, poorly, with personal tragedy. It was the only time he came across as human to me. Bad things happen to good people but most of them don't turn into serial killers so why did The Cutter? This was never really addressed sufficiently enough for me.
The characterisation of Glasgow was a complete cliché and didn't impress me at all. Gangsters, neds, drug dealers, addicts. All of them exist in Glasgow, as they do everywhere, but it's not what the city is all about. I do think that anyone familiar with Glasgow will get a lot more out of the story than those not. It mentions a lot of different places with little context as to where they are and I feel only a native or frequent visitor (I went to university in the city) would be able to place.
Another negative point for me was the mistakes in the book. From confusing the number of the person he was going to kill (one of his ways was to walk past people and count to a certain number, and that person would be his next victim) to misnaming a real-life murder victim that would take seconds to look up. The second was a big story in Scotland and the error jolted me right out of reading.
The novel, overall, wasn't bad. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading until the end but I was never really impatient to know what happened next.
The Cutter himself was quite an interesting character on paper, seemingly picking his victims at random. His methods of finding victims and killing them all differ. He even contemplates the thought of killing children, if his randomised methods happen to work out that way. However, I found him mostly unlikeable and unsympathetic, even after finding out his motives for killing. The only time I even remotely felt for him was when he was with his wife. Both of them were dealing, poorly, with personal tragedy. It was the only time he came across as human to me. Bad things happen to good people but most of them don't turn into serial killers so why did The Cutter? This was never really addressed sufficiently enough for me.
The characterisation of Glasgow was a complete cliché and didn't impress me at all. Gangsters, neds, drug dealers, addicts. All of them exist in Glasgow, as they do everywhere, but it's not what the city is all about. I do think that anyone familiar with Glasgow will get a lot more out of the story than those not. It mentions a lot of different places with little context as to where they are and I feel only a native or frequent visitor (I went to university in the city) would be able to place.
Another negative point for me was the mistakes in the book. From confusing the number of the person he was going to kill (one of his ways was to walk past people and count to a certain number, and that person would be his next victim) to misnaming a real-life murder victim that would take seconds to look up. The second was a big story in Scotland and the error jolted me right out of reading.
The novel, overall, wasn't bad. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading until the end but I was never really impatient to know what happened next.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By caz78
Format:Paperback
I love this book, it is good how it is told through the killer's eye's. when I started I could not put it down. I can not wait to read what he write's next, It is hard to believe that this is his first book it is so well written. if you love a good crime book you defo need to read this
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read, has me hooked!!
I am only half way through so far but an amazing read. I really am finding it hard to put it down. Looking forward to reading more from Craig.
Published 16 days ago by Lesley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read highly recommended
This doesn't read like a first book and I would rate it as the best book I have read this year of nearly 100, so far. Read more
Published 24 days ago by janner37
4.0 out of 5 stars
Random
Different perspective. Reading first hand from a murderer's point of view. Couple of scenes a bit grim, but not a bad story nevertheless.
Published 2 months ago by Mr. C. A. Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
A good read and from a different perspective.
Craig Robertson has decided on a novel approach to a crime novel and he's done it rather well. Read more
Craig Robertson has decided on a novel approach to a crime novel and he's done it rather well. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ariadne
4.0 out of 5 stars
Random
I enjoyed this book it was differant from the usual as the killer is relating the story . I now want to read other books by this author which says it all.
Published 7 months ago by Helen Kay Irons
5.0 out of 5 stars
Random a great read
What a fantastic read. Great style. Although gruesome in places it also had just the right amount of wit. Captured the Glaswegian characters perfectly. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Contrary Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good piece of writing...
Random is book like nothing I had ever read before and it has inspired me to read more books like it.
Published 14 months ago by Kira XIII
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely Worth the Read!
A great read, it is a well paced book and really keeps you moving through the story. I also liked the idea of this being from the killers point of view and not have too much from... Read more
Published 15 months ago by N. Bullock
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good psycho thriller
Good, but not the best thriller, would like to read more of his books before making my mind up with the author. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Helen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Random ..... Craig Robertson
Hooked on Scottish crime books and was given 'Random' as a bithday present ........ I had never heard of Craig Robertson before. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Clater
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