Review: Original Death by Eliot Pattison

A Mysterious Review of Original Death by Eliot Pattison. A Duncan McCallum Mystery.

Review summary: This is a superior mystery, but it is the journey that one takes with the characters that makes it all that much more special. And as strong as the plot is, it is the elegantly crafted prose, almost lyrical in the way it weaves the story, that will draw readers in. Exciting and suspenseful, often mystical and frequently cruel and violent, but always true to the characters, it is one of the best books of the year. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Original Death
Eliot Pattison
A Duncan McCallum Mystery
Counterpoint (August 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Despite the raging war between French and British, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum has begun to settle into a new life on the fringes of colonial America, traveling the woodlands with his companion Conawago, even joining the old Indian on his quest to find the last surviving members of his tribe. But the joy they feel on reaching the little settlement of Christian Indians is shattered when they find its residents ritually murdered. As terrible as the deaths may be, Conawago perceives something even darker and more alarming: he is convinced they are a sign of a terrible crisis in the spiritworld which he must resolve.

Trying to make sense of the murders, Duncan is accused by the British army of the crime. Escaping prison to follow the trail of evidence, he finds himself hounded by vengeful soldiers and stalked by Scottish rebels who are mysteriously trying to manipulate the war to their advantage. As he pieces together the puzzle of violence and deception he gradually realizes that it may not only be the lives of Duncan and his friends that hang in the balance, but the very survival of the native tribes. When he finally discovers the terrible truth, Duncan is forced to make a fateful choice between his beloved Highland clans and the woodland natives who have embraced and protected him.