Original Death

Scottish exile Duncan McCallum has joined his old American Indian companion Conawago on a quest to find the last surviving members of his tribe. But when they find a settlement destroyed, its inhabitants ritually murdered, Conawago becomes convinced of a terrible crisis in the spirit world that he must resolve.

Duncan is then accused by the British army of having committed the massacre. Hounded by vengeful soldiers, he also finds himself stalked by Scottish rebels who are trying to manipulate the war between the French and the British to their advantage.

As Duncan pieces together the puzzle of violence and deception, he realizes that the survival of the Indigenous tribes hangs in the balance. Duncan must finally make a fateful choice between his beloved Highland clans and the natives who have embraced and protected him.

The third book in The Bone Rattler series throws the reader into the heart of pre-Revolutionary America.

Praise for Original Death:

“Rich in period detail, [Original Death] is often somber and unblinking in its portrayal of a dark period in history.” — Kirkus

“Pattison pays tribute to the conventions of the murder mystery without sacrificing excitement or a nuanced look at the final stage of the war between the British and the French for control of North America.” — Publishers Weekly

“The excellent prose narrative goes right to the matter in question, the state of the (pre-Colonial) human heart.” — The Chicago Tribune