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Eliot Pattison

    October 20, 1951

    Eliot Pattison is a writer of faraway mysteries, a descriptor that aptly reflects his extensive global travels and profound interest in the people of Tibet. His writing skillfully blends suspense with literary depth, often exploring themes of culture, history, and the human spirit. Across his varied series, from the Inspector Shan mysteries to those set in the American wilderness and post-apocalyptic landscapes, Pattison demonstrates a remarkable versatility and an ability to immerse readers in distinct worlds. His work, translated into numerous languages, is celebrated for its compelling narratives and insightful explorations.

    Bone mountain
    Beautiful ghosts
    The Lord of Death. A Shan Tao Yun Investigation
    Savage Liberty
    Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming
    Bones of the Earth
    • 2023

      Freedom's Ghost

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      As the drumbeat of the American Revolution grows ever closer, Scotsman-turned-American-patriot Duncan McCallum must navigate treacherous cultural and political waters if he’s to secure a fighting chance for the fledgling nation in this gripping installment of the acclaimed Bone Rattler series After narrowly avoiding death in London at the hands of the king’s secret agents, Duncan McCallum returns to colonial America only to discover that his troubles have followed him across the Atlantic. The harbor town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a smoldering powder keg as British loyalists and advocates for liberty feverishly maneuver to determine the future of the colonies. When a Native American sailor is scapegoated for the gruesome murders of officers of the British occupation troops, McCallum will have to face off against ruthless adversaries close to the crown. Soliciting the assistance of such notable historical figures as John Hancock, Crispus Attucks, and John and Samuel Adams, McCallum must rely on his skills in science, subterfuge, and diplomacy to stave off a war for which America is not yet prepared. Just as Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series took readers on a thrilling journey through the Napoleonic Wars, Freedom’s Ghost and the Bone Rattler series offer riveting historical adventures embedding readers in the clashes and intrigue of the American Revolution.

      Freedom's Ghost
    • 2021

      That night, with the storm howling relentlessly, Grace is woken by a child crying. Grace is desperate to leave, but Charles remains unaffected by the eerie stillness of the house. Is it just Grace's imagination or do the owners, and Charles, have something to hide?THANK YOU FOR STAYING AT THE ANCHORAGE.

      The Guest Book
    • 2020

      The King's Beast

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      A simple task to retrieve some artifacts turns into a nightmare of deceit when Duncan McCallum finds himself the target of those obsessed with keeping America under British rule in this thrilling historical novel from an Edgar Award–winning author. When Duncan McCallum is asked by Benjamin Franklin to retrieve an astonishing cache of fossils from the Kentucky wilderness, his excitement as a naturalist blinds him to his treacherous path. But as murderers stalk him Duncan discovers that the fossils of this American incognitum are not nearly as mysterious as the political intrigue driving his mission. The Sons of Liberty insist, without explaining why, that the only way to keep the king from pursuing a bloody war with America is for Duncan to secretly deliver the fossils to Franklin in London. His journey becomes a maze of deceit and violence as he seeks the cryptic link between the bones and the king. Every layer that Duncan peels away invites new treachery by those obsessed with crushing American dissent. With each attempt on his life, Duncan questions the meaning of the liberty he and the Sons seek. His last desperate hope for survival, and the rescue of his aged native friend Conawago―imprisoned in Bedlam―requires the help of freed slaves, an aristocratic maiden, a band of street urchins, and the gods of his tribal allies.

      The King's Beast
    • 2019

      Bones of the Earth

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading
      4.4(151)Add rating

      The much anticipated tenth and final installment in the internationally acclaimed Inspector Shan series, which launched with the Edgar-winning novel SKULL MANTRA.

      Bones of the Earth
    • 2019

      The Housemate

      • 336 pages
      • 12 hours of reading
      4.1(140)Add rating

      A gripping psychological thriller about two best friends who invite a stranger into their home . . . Perfect for fans of THE HOUSE SWAP and FRIEND REQUEST.

      The Housemate
    • 2019

      Savage Liberty

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      "Pattison has few peers when it comes to integrating historical events into a complex but plausible whodunit plot." --Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)When a ship arriving from London explodes in Boston Harbor, both the peace of the colonial city and Duncan McCallum's life are shattered. Summoned by his new friend John Hancock to a beach awash with the bodies of the victims, Duncan discovers that the ship was deliberately sabotaged, apparently to cover the theft by French agents provocateurs of a secret document being carried to the Sons of Liberty. Hancock refuses to let him take his evidence to the authorities, for this is 1768 and relations with the government are so sour that officials are being hanged in effigy.Fearing that the intrigues of Hancock and the Sons might set the colonies ablaze, Duncan relentlessly pursues the truth, only to be falsely charged with treason and murder. To escape the hangman's noose and restore his honor, Duncan has no choice but to follow a northbound trail of violence and deception while being relentlessly hounded by bountymen and vengeful soldiers. With the help of unexpected new friends, including Ethan Allen, aged natives, and outlawed Jesuits, he survives scalp hunters, imprisonment, and his own spiritual crisis, only to realize he cannot resolve the terrible crimes until he first understands the emerging truths about freedom in the American colonies.

      Savage Liberty
    • 2017

      The Edgar Award–winner’s colonial series continues as Scottish exile Duncan McCallum uncovers a loyalist conspiracy—“Historical mystery at its best” (Booklist, starred review). The American Colonies, 1765. As the Stamp Act dissent marks the first organized resistance to English rule, someone is kidnapping and killing members of the Iroquois Nation. Asked by an elder to investigate, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum soon uncovers a network of secret runners supporting the nascent “committees of correspondence,” engaged in the political dissent fomenting across colonial borders. But as Duncan follows the trail further, it leads to his capture. Thrown into slavery with the kidnapped runners, Duncan discovers a powerful conspiracy of highly placed English aristocrats bent on crushing all dissent. Inspired by an aged Native American slave and new African friends, Duncan decides not just to escape but to turn their own intrigue against the London lords. A Publishers Weekly Best Book, the fourth entry in the Bone Rattler series moves ever closer to the beginning of the American Revolution. With a cast of characters that includes Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, the early Pennsylvania rebel James Smith, and Dr. Benjamin Rush, Blood of the Oak takes a fresh view on the birth of the new American nation.

      Blood of the Oak: A Mystery of Revolutionary America
    • 2017

      Soul of the Fire

      • 304 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      When Shan Tao Yun and his old friend Lokesh are abruptly dragged away by Public Security, he is convinced that their secret support of struggling Tibetans has brought their final ruin. But his fear turns to confusion as he discovers he has been chosen to fill a vacancy on a special international commission investigating Tibetan suicides.

      Soul of the Fire
    • 2014

      Original Death

      A Mystery of Colonial America

      • 364 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Set against the backdrop of colonial America during the French and British war, the story follows Scottish exile Duncan McCallum as he seeks to build a new life. His journey takes a dark turn when he is falsely accused of murdering a group of Christian Indians, forcing him to navigate a web of intrigue and danger. The narrative explores themes of identity, justice, and survival in a tumultuous historical context.

      Original Death
    • 2014

      Mandarin gate

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading
      4.2(12)Add rating

      Shan, a former Inspector in Beijing, lost everything after clashing with a powerful government figure. Now living among outlawed Buddhist monks, he has no status, official identity, or the freedom to return to his previous life in Beijing.

      Mandarin gate