2020-01-13
As the fate of the American Revolution hangs in the balance, a dangerous intercontinental mission is launched.
By 1769, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum (Blood of the Oak, 2018, etc.) has become an increasingly important player in the Colonial struggle for liberty. He's gone to the wilderness of Kentucky at the behest of Benjamin Franklin, who sent him a letter asking him to dig up some valuable relics and bring them to him in London. How can Duncan refuse? When Duncan's friend Ezra dies in the midst of the excavation, it can't immediately be determined whether his death was an accidental drowning or a murder. Daniel Boone, who's among the company, insists that Ezra was attacked, a foreshadowing of the danger (and the historical cameos) Duncan will encounter on his mission. Duncan's friend Chief Catchoka reports that several members of his family have also been killed. Duncan encounters many obstacles on his odyssey to the eastern coast, but a bright light is cast by his brief reunion with his beloved, Sarah Ramsey. Patriot Charles Thomson at first agrees to help with Duncan's passage to London but loses his resolve when evidence emerges of a much larger conspiracy against Duncan's mission. In fact, everyone who helps him seems to become the target of ruthless killers. On the eve of his departure, Duncan awakens to find one of his closest allies and confidants dead beside him. The imprisonment of his best friend, Conawago, at Bedlam asylum in London enrages Duncan and spurs him to complete his mission as Franklin himself takes center stage in assisting his new friend.
Pattison's sixth Revolutionary mystery has a strong period feel and abundant historical detail.
Praise for The King's Beast
"Set in 1769, Edgar-winner Pattison’s sixth mystery featuring Scottish exile Duncan McCallum (after 2018’s Savage Liberty) surpasses the high bar set by the previous five adventures . . . Pattison keeps the suspense high throughout. This triumphant combination of whodunit and deeply researched history should help this gifted author get the wider audience he richly deserves." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Pattison's sixth Revolutionary mystery has a strong period feel and abundant historical detail." — Kirkus Reviews
“ The King’s Beast is revealed to the reader through the cutting lens of murder, duplicity, and kidnapping. Here is where Pattison excels. While he pulls together what appear on the surface as disparate acts of terror, Pattison is, with the other hand, laying out the blossoming of a nation through the very being of Duncan McCallum. The King’s Beast is a wonderful read. It stands alongside such books as The Alienist in creating a time, a place, and a mood. And like the best literature has to offer, it is rich with history and context and, most of all, meaning.” —Boston Teran, author of How Beautiful They Were
"A gripping tale of risk and adventure with a mystery at its core, characters who may or may not be who they seem, and a plot that twists in surprising directions. Eliot Pattison thrusts you into pre-Revolutionary America and England, each boiling with conflict, dissension, and danger. If you are a fan of historical mysteries—and even if you aren’t—you don’t want to miss The King’s Beast." —Margaret Coel, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Child
Praise for Eliot Pattison’s Books
Winner of the Edgar Award
Finalist for the Golden Dagger Award
Nominee for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
Named a best thriller by CNN, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon
Named one of the best reading group books of all time by Book Sense
A Borders “Original Voices” and Barnes & Noble “Discover New Writers” selection
“Compelling.” —CNN.com
“Intriguing . . . compelling.” ― San Francisco Chronicle
“Reviewers frequently compare a new writer to Tony Hillerman; here is a truly possible successor.” ― Boston Globe
“A thriller of laudable aspirations and achievements.” ― Chicago Tribune
“Thrilling and riveting.” ― Denver Post
“Erudite, eloquent, and entertaining, Pattison thrills.” ― Booklist (starred review)
"Edgar-winner Pattison remains without peer at integrating a fair-play whodunit into a searing portrayal of life under an oppressive and capricious regime.” — Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)
“A cocktail of action and adventure . . . A great read.”― The Guardian
Praise for Savage Liberty
A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery of the Year
1 of 21 Crime Novels Set During Revolutions and Rebellions (CrimeReads)
“Pattison has few peers when it comes to integrating historical events into a complex but plausible whodunit plot.” — Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)
“For those who enjoy politics, history, and hairbreadth escapes swirled together.” — Library Journal
“This fifth entry in Pattison’s Bone Rattler series advances McCallum’s personal life as it exhibits the seamless blend of fiction and history that distinguishes this fine series. A timely reminder, as well, of what liberty meant to our forebears.” — Booklist
“Prepare to be immersed in this story of early America . . . This is historical writing at its best, with plenty of action and suspense. It’s difficult to put down.” — Historical Novel Society
“A passionate and intelligent tale of the American revolutionary period and a decent murder mystery to boot. Savage Liberty is a page-turning thriller with a deeply researched and beautifully authentic backdrop. An absorbing story with memorable scenes and characters . . . A thoroughly entertaining read.” — Nudge Books
“An absorbing thriller which takes place behind the lines of the American Resistance.” — Scottish Field
“Most interesting is Pattison's attention to historical details typically omitted from high school history class, as well as incorporation of Native American lore and practice.” —Internet Review of Books
Praise for the Bone Rattler Series
" The Last of the Mohicans meets Braveheart, with a curious dash of CSI." — Entertainment Weekly
"If this were a movie, we'd marvel at the set decoration that splendidly evokes the period. The excellent prose narrative goes right to the matter in question, the state of the (pre-Colonial) human heart." — Chicago Tribune
"Pattison's moving characters, intricate plot and masterful evocation of the time, including sensitive depictions of the effects of the European war of Native Americans, set this leagues beyond most historicals and augur well for future entries in this series." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
