A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell
'A Thread of Violence' by Mark O'Connell is about a double murder that shocked the Irish state in the early eighties. The killings were committed by an eccentric member of the upper classes called Malcolm Macarthur and nearly forty years later the author sets out, via interviews with the now-released murderer, to examine the case.
Malcolm Macarthur
In 1982, Malcolm Macarthur was 37, and up to this point had led a comfortable existence as a wealthy heir, squandered his inheritance and found himself in financial trouble. A socialite who viewed himself as an urbane intellectual, he didn't want to give up his privileged lifestyle, so he set out to commit a robbery that would allow him to live his life as he wanted to live it.
He needed a getaway car and a gun for the robbery, so he first beat to death a nurse who was sunbathing in the Phoenix park and stole her car, then shot a farmer in the face with his own gun. He botched one robbery before being found hiding out at the home of the then-attorney general, which rocked the Irish government.
Dublin
I'm not sure when I first became aware of the case of Malcolm Macarthur, but I'd guess it was during the years I lived in Dublin during the noughties. I don't remember anyone telling me about it, but it was one of those notorious cases that was occasionally mentioned in the newspapers, so I've just looked it up.
So I knew the bare bones of the case before reading this book, but I was eager to know more. But I had to check before starting it, as I've said during my review of 'notes on an execution' that I think you have to be careful when it comes to reading about true crime - I'm not interested in a grubby account of a killer's motives. I needn't have worried about such a thing with this book.
Mark O’Connell
Mark O'Connell is constantly aware of the book that he is writing, constantly examining his motives, and his portrayal of Macarthur, and always has consideration and compassion for the victims. Of course, Ireland being such a small place, he has a personal connection to the story - Macarthur was found hiding out at the same apartment complex where his grandparents lived. There's a chance his grandmother met the gardai when they arrived to arrest him.
At times Macarthur is an evasive interviewee. As a reader, and indeed for the writer, you're waiting for some big reveal that sheds light on Macarthur motivations, but it never comes. He has a habit of philosophising and intellectualizing his actions, keen to point out that this was an 'episode' totally out of character that shouldn't dictate the rest of his life, and he describes his behavior towards the end of the book as if he was an actor in a play. O'Connell is always quick to remind him he is a double murderer. (Macarthur at one stage refers to 'Double M' - as if he can't bear to say the word).
I found Macarthur an incredibly frustrating character, a pompous snob and full of philosophical pseudo ramblings. As O'Connell relays the details of the case, there's something comically inept and bizarre about Macarthur, if his actions hadn't been so devastating. He doesn't see himself as a murderer, talking about it as an episode, and although he expresses some remorse it's as if he feels the crime was committed by another person. O'Connell probes his childhood, and it does feel like there is something deeper there, but Macarthur never reveals it.
Bridie Gargan and Donal Dunne
Ultimately he murdered two innocent people, Bridie Gargan and Donal Dunne, and destroyed the lives of their families. He didn't want to give up his time for his intellectual pursuits so set out to commit a crime to fund this lifestyle - he could never see himself doing something so demeaning as working for a living, not that he seemed to have any discernible skills. If there was a deeper motive, we'll never know it.
It's an interesting character study but I found O'Connell wrestling with the case just as fascinating. He never forgets the victims, and wonders about his portrayal of MacArthur, befriending him but always being fair in his depiction. There's a momment when he's tucking his infant daughter into bed and Macarthurs name flashes up on his phone and he wonders about what exactly he is doing.
A Thread of Violence Summary
'In Cold Blood' was one of my favourite reads as a teenager, and there's something similar in O'Connell's treatment of Macarthur. He worries about the ethical dilemma of writing the book, in the same way that I wonder about my own interest in true crime. But as I said previously, it isn't that sort of book, so if you're looking for a grimy true crime book, this certainly isn't it.
It is extensively researched, gripping, superbly investigated, and wonderfully written. For me, by the end, like a lot of sociopaths Macarthur comes across as deluded, slippery, somewhat remorseful, but nowhere near as interesting as he considers himself to be.
Granta Books 288 Pages June 27th 2023