Barbara K's Reviews > A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder

Malcolm Macarthur is, arguably, the most notorious murderer in Irish history (setting aside sectarian violence). His story is nothing short of bizarre, and the book Mark O'Connell has written is far removed from the standard true-crime genre.

Macarthur, born into the RC landed gentry in Ireland, dissipated his fairly significant inheritance in pursuit of fine living and intellectual activities. In 1982 he decided that he would obtain a much-needed influx of cash by robbing a bank. In order to do that he needed a gun, and a car. In attempting to acquire those things, he murdered two innocent people. After being discovered hiding in the home of an acquaintance (who just happened to be the Attorney General of Ireland and was completely unaware of what Macarthur had done), he confessed and was sentenced to life in prison. He was released after 30 years.

What makes this book stand out is that O'Connell feels a connection to Macarthur, one that takes various forms and runs through the entire book.

Some GR reviewers have criticized O'Connell for inserting himself into the book; I think they are missing the point. It is these connections that make the book the unique thing that it is. O'Connell had become mesmerized by Macarthur and his actions. They seem to defy explanation, even understanding, and O'Connell hoped that somehow, through extensive interviews with Macarthur, he could arrive at a basic truth about the man as he was back in 1982, and now. To be clear, there is no "truth" to be found about the murders. They are straightforward. It's the man who is the mystery.

About those connections. For one thing, O'Connell's grandparents owned a home adjacent to the one in which Macarthur was arrested. Although he hadn't yet been born at the time, stories about it were part of his childhood.

But the most important connection, it seems to me, is that O'Connell senses a similarity between his life trajectory and Macarthur’s. O'Connell's family was comfortably off, though not wealthy, and he was able to spend much of his young adulthood enrolled in university. (His thesis topic was John Banville's The Book of Evidence, a novel featuring a character based on Malcolm Macarthur). After a certain amount of floundering, O'Connell eventually became a published author, saving him from relying solely on his wife's salary for financial support.

This development created a material difference between O’Connell and Macarthur. The very idea of taking that step - earning a living - was distasteful to Macarthur. To this day he sees himself as above such plebeian undertakings. He has never stopped believing that his superior intellect, along with his manners and the social position he was born into, elevate him into a different category altogether than people who must be responsible for their financial wellbeing.

I won’t venture to explain O’Connell’s conclusions. His beautifully written, intensely thoughtful book presents them in a much more nuanced, elegant way than I could. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed following his investigations and his deeply considered conclusions about Macarthur.