Eye
of the Raven
A
Duncan McCallum Mystery
Eliot
Pattison
Counterpoint
(Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58243-566-9 (1582435669)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58243-566-4 (9781582435664)
Publication Date: December 2009
List Price: $26.00
Synopsis (from
the publisher): With the aid of the Indian Shaman Conawago, Duncan
McCallum has begun to heal from the massacre of his Highland clan by
the British. But his new life is shattered when he and Conawago
discover a dying Virginian officer nailed to an Indian shrine tree. To
their horror, the authorities arrest Conawago and schedule his hanging.
As Duncan begins a desperate search for the truth, he finds himself in
a maelstrom of deception and violence.
The year is 1760, and while the British army wishes to dismiss the
killing as another casualty of its war with France, Duncan discovers a
pattern of ritualistic murders that have less to do with the war than
with provincial treaty negotiations and struggles between tribal
factions. Ultimately he realizes that to find justice, he must brave
the sprawling colonial capital of Philadelphia. There the answers are
to be found in a tangle of Quakers, Christian Indians, and a scientist
obsessed with the electrical experiments of the celebrated Dr. Franklin.
With the tragic resolution in sight, Duncan understands the real
mysteries underlying his quest lie in the hearts of natives who, like
his Highland Scots, have glimpsed the end of their world approaching.
Review:
Set in 1760 in the Pennsylvania wilderness, Scotsman Duncan McCallum
and his friend Conawago, a Nipmuc shaman, are traveling down the
ancient Warriors Path when they come upon a man, who they later learn
is from Virginia, mortally wounded, his hand nailed to a tree, in Eye of the Raven,
the second mystery in this series by Eliot Pattison.
As the pair begins to administer aid, they're attacked by the man's
comrades, who accuse Conawago of the brutal crime. The Virginian, a man
named Winston Burke, dies, and Duncan and Conawago are taken to a
nearby settlement, where the Nipmuc is to be tried and executed.
Duncan's pleas that he is innocent go unheard, and Conawago is within
minutes of being convicted when another Indian, Skanawati of the
Onondaga, enters the camp and confesses. Duncan is sure Skanawati is
not the killer, and is equally unsure why he is confessing. He and
Conawago set out to prove his innocence, and quickly learn that Burke
is only the most recent of several deaths, most of whom were surveyors,
not directly related to any conflict between the Europeans or the local
tribes.
Eye
of the Raven is a tautly
plotted, beautifully written mystery set in Colonial America. Those
with some knowledge of this historical period will no doubt appreciate
the meticulous detail with which the author interweaves fact and
fiction. A helpful "author's note" at the end should probably be read
first, to help set the stage for the story. Conawago, however, also
provides a brief overview, while discussing the murder with his friends:
We
could sit until nightfall and not list all those with complaints
against boundary markers and surveyors. Elsewhere the British and
French may fight each other because their kings hate each other. But
here they fight over the rights to land. When the French leave, the war
over land will continue, just fought in different ways. Half a dozen
companies already compete for these territories, subject to few laws
and fewer lawmen. The Virginians compete with the Pennsylvanians, and
both oppose the Connecticut and New York companies. The Pennsylvania
Susquehanna company despises the Philadelphia Land Company. The smaller
tribes subjugated by the Iroquois resent them for selling their lands,
where they traditionally lived. The Susquehannocks, the Conoy, the
Shawnee, the Nanticokes, the Delawares consider the transfer of these
lands to be invalid. More than a few Iroquois resent the handful of
chiefs who sign away possession. There are many possible killers, but
surely only one effect. Killing the surveyors defeats the Virginia land
claims.
Despite the potential for confusion, it's rather straightforward to
follow as the author keeps the focus on the crime and its resolution,
all the while providing historical background for context.
As well as Eye
of the Raven is written, it
is also an elegantly crafted mystery. Duncan observes that Burke wasn't
killed by a tomahawk chop to his leg or even the nail in his hand;
rather the fatal wound was made with his own knife, which was used to
sever an artery in his wounded leg. And he was found with a piece of
copper in his mouth and a clock gear embedded in his chest. Duncan is
also puzzled by the victim, location and timing: "Why this particular
Virginian, why this particular day, ... why this particular tree?" A
strange and perplexing enigma, to be sure, only one of the many
remarkable facets to this outstanding novel.
Special thanks to Counterpoint Press for providing an ARC of Eye of the Raven for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Eye of the Raven? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Bone
Rattler
Counterpoint (Hardcover), December 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59376-185-6 (1593761856)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59376-185-1 (9781593761851)
Eye of the Raven
Counterpoint (Hardcover), December 2009
ISBN-10: 1-58243-566-9 (1582435669)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58243-566-4 (9781582435664)
Omnimystery
keywords for Eye of the Raven
...
Location(s) referenced: Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
