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Original Death: A Mystery of Colonial America

by Eliot Pattison

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As the war between the French and the British rages, Duncan McCallum finds himself falsely accused of a heinous crime against a settlement of Native Americans in this "impressive" thriller (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Despite what seems like the unending 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 spirit world 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.… (more)
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Third in a mystery series set in Colonial America during the French and Indian Wars, Original Death is a bit different from the usual fiction set during this period. Instead of zeroing in on the tensions leading to the American Revolution (though these are naturally present), the novel focuses on the tragedy of the Iroquois Confederacy, formed to promote peaceful relations among the tribes, and, especially, of the Nipmuc tribe, depopulated by war and disease after the arrival of white settlers. Duncan McCallum is a medically trained Highland Scot who has more in common with Native Americans than with the English. When his friend Conawago, who fears he may be the last surviving member of his tribe, receives a message from another survivor, Duncan joins him in traveling to the Christianized village where the survivor has settled. There, they find a scene of slaughter. Perhaps uniquely in mystery fiction, McCallum's motive for tracking down the killers is to restore harmony in the spiritual world - on which the temporal world's battered harmony may depend. Original Death has plenty of danger, desperate escapes, and courageous sacrifice. It's also full of well researched historical detail. It was the history in this less familiar setting that made the novel especially riveting for me.

See a longer review at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info/Original-Death.html.
  margad | Sep 12, 2013 |
Pattison puts together a fast-paced and riveting story with a reluctant and guilt-ridden hero in Duncan McCallum. Original Death avoids the typical pitfall for an historical mystery novel, in that the mystery has the power to affect history, but is compelling and believable enough that we can forget what we know about how it turned out. This ability to displace our own foreknowledge of the historical reality is a testament to how good Pattison is—and leads us to hope that we see more of Duncan, Conawago, and the characters introduced in this novel.
added by KelMunger | editLit/Rant, Kel Munger (Aug 31, 2013)
 

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The dead Highlanders lined the road for as far as Duncan McCallum could see, swaying from the English gibbets as crows pecked their flesh.
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As the war between the French and the British rages, Duncan McCallum finds himself falsely accused of a heinous crime against a settlement of Native Americans in this "impressive" thriller (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Despite what seems like the unending 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 spirit world 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.

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