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    Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America
    Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America
    Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America

    UNLIMITED

    Audiobook16 hoursThe Bone Rattler Series

    Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America

    Written by Eliot Pattison

    Narrated by Matthew Waterson

    4.5/5

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    • Survival

    • Betrayal

    • Revenge

    • Murder Mystery

    • Family

    • Wise Old Mentor

    • Noble Savage

    • Power of Friendship

    • Chosen One

    • Haunted Protagonist

    • Loyal Sidekick

    • Corrupt Authority Figure

    • Power of Love

    • Reluctant Hero

    • Quest

    • Native American Culture

    • Loyalty

    • Spirituality

    • Superstition

    • Frontier Life

    About this audiobook

    The Edgar Award winner’s acclaimed mystery set in colonial America is “The Last of the Mohicans meets Braveheart, with a curious dash of CSI”. —Entertainment Weekly

    Unfairly convicted and force into indentured servitude, young Highland Scot Duncan McCallum finds himself aboard a prisoner ship bound for the New World. A series of mysterious deaths plagues the passengers and claims the life of Duncan’s dear friend Adam Munroe. Enlisted by his captors to investigate, a strange trail of clues leads Duncan into the New World and eventually thrusts him into the bloody maw of the French and Indian War.

    Duncan is indentured to the British Lord Ramsey, whose estate in the uncharted New York woodlands is a Heart of Darkness where multiple warring factions–the British, rogue Scots, the French, the Huron, and the Iroquois–are engaged in battle. Exploring a frontier world shrouded in danger, Duncan, the exiled chief of his near-extinct Scottish clan, finds that sometimes justice cannot be reached unless the cultures and spirits of those involved are resolved.

    “Having already won an Edgar for his Inspector Shan series, Pattison makes a strong bid for another with this outstanding” first novel in his acclaimed Bone Rattler series. —Publishers Weekly, starred review

    Editor's Note

    Historical whodunit adventure…

    Billed as “The Last of the Mohicans meets Braveheart, with a curious dash of CSI” by Entertainment Weekly, “Bone Rattler” is a gripping mystery set in colonial America during the French and Indian war from Edgar Award-winning author Eliot Pattison. A Scottish highland warrior-turned-indentured-prisoner-turned-detective investigates a string of mysterious deaths on the American frontier in this historical whodunit adventure.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScribd Audio
    Release dateSep 8, 2020
    ISBN9781094412740
    Author

    Eliot Pattison

    Eliot Pattison is the author of The Skull Mantra, which won the Edgar Award and was a finalist for the Gold Dagger, as well Water Touching Stone and Bone Mountain. Pattison is a world traveler and frequent visitor to China, and his numerous books and articles on international policy issues have been published around the world.

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    Reviews for Bone Rattler

    4.5/5

    633 ratings38 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a wonderfully woven tale with historic and cultural insight. The characters are well-developed and the plot is intriguing, keeping readers engaged. The book provides excellent insight into Native American and Scottish Highlander cultures during the French and Indian War. The narration is top-notch, with the narrator's ability to change accents being particularly impressive. While some readers found the story to be a bit long and slow at times, overall, it is a captivating and well-written work of historical fiction that comes highly recommended.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5

      Sep 5, 2025

      Lofty, dull and unrealistic. The story has some mystery that keeps the reader engaged hoping for some action and excitement, but instead you are tortured with endless and obscure clues that are hardly worth the effort after the long read and anticlimax at the end.
    • 5/5

      Jun 5, 2025

      Wonderful book, loved the entire thing. Great detail and character development
    • 3/5

      Mar 24, 2025

      Unique and interesting. Same story with a new twist. Native Americans good, European settlers not good.
    • 5/5

      Mar 22, 2025

      Great characters take you to a different world. Honestly, I have no idea of a connection between Scottish people and Native Americans.
    • 5/5

      Sep 12, 2024

      Just excellent! The characters are rich and complex, settings are varied and accurately depicted, the ending is satisfying. A real delight and I want to find more books by this author!
    • 5/5

      Jun 13, 2024

      Great story, good entertainment, app needs work, sevral issues, audible operates beter
    • 2/5

      May 20, 2024

      Couldn't keep up. A bit confusing. I just couldn't relate or follow. I stopped at chapter 4.
    • 4/5

      Mar 18, 2024

      I really enjoyed this book, the main character is really interesting and likable, enough for me to want more of his stories. The background setting of the story is beautifully executed, I could imagine the scenes vividly.
    • 5/5

      Aug 27, 2023

      Great story and beautifully written a look at history we don’t see many of
    • 5/5

      Jun 8, 2023

      I was so glad to come across this series! This author brought history to life through the characters. I cannot wait to read more of his work
    • 5/5

      May 18, 2023

      An outstanding and intriguing work of historical fiction! Recommended reading!
    • 5/5

      Feb 20, 2023

      This was a great book, though sometimes long & dry.
    • 4/5

      Sep 24, 2021

      Pretty good l liked it but needed to get to the bottom of the murders way sooner.

    • 4/5

      Aug 6, 2022

      This book doesn’t only apply to to the way back when time but to today just different circumstances now we are the Indians/Irish getting shoved out by lawyers and courts instead of a blade or a gun Americans are the new enemy and as history repeats itself we will fail and change with God’s help maybe we can reserve just a glint of personal freedom but if you can learn from a book a little more freedom is lost no matter what. these days it’s big box stores and quite frankly the knowledge to survive and our will to fight is gone as well! Haha how many times have you said yes sir to your boss when you should have knocked him to the ground for no less than a few bucks on your wage. make a stand my fellow Americans it’s got to stop somewhere it’s also got to start somewhere!!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 22, 2020

      Slow start developing the characters but a great read. B

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2021

      What a wonderful adventurous book. I love th e characters and the main character is excellent in this series. I can't wait to start the next one.
    • 5/5

      Jan 28, 2024

      This book is well written with fact and fiction. It imparts history set in the 1750's with the French and English War over the Colonial empires. You will feel sad at times. You will follow the high seas either a vessel that transports Scots. You will have at least one murder on the vessel. This book isn't meant to be a fast read. It will keep you guessing and is well worth your time. The author has done an amazing job.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Oct 25, 2021

      A good start for a mystery series set in the colonial US. The 7 year war is an interesting time period, overshadowed by greater events a few years later but a good time to set a series. Also good that the English aren't all hissable villains. I think I'll follow Duncan on a few more of his mysteries.

      Good narration.
    • 5/5

      Oct 24, 2020

      Captivating story that gives you so much insight into this time period.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Oct 22, 2021

      The story is great but a lot of details. While listening to the audio, I really needed to be paying attention or I would get lost in less than 3 minutes. I had to do a lot of rewinding. In the end they did sum everything up, so you did understand all the pieces of the story.
    • 5/5

      Apr 8, 2021

      Beautifully written and read!
      The description and humanity that the characters are given really brings them to life.
    • 5/5

      Aug 16, 2022

      Wonderful historical mystery during the French and Indian War. The narrator did an awesome job delineating the different characters! His ability change accents was the best I have ever heard.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Feb 20, 2022

      Great narration, a good twisty mystery, and plenty of gritty historical context.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Nov 12, 2023

      A well written story. This was a new author for me. 9 out of 10 at least

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      May 17, 2023

      I typically don't care for historical mystery genres, but I will be honest. I enjoyed the story due to its graphic descriptions and wonderfully told details. I can appreciate reading this type of genre due to this book. Now, I do hope to find books that present such an enjoyable manner.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Aug 22, 2021

      Complicated and convoluted. Took me half the book to figure out what was going on and I was really enjoying it and then it got slow slow slow even so I'd somehow I'm giving it for stars

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      May 5, 2021

      The time period and the depth of story with regards to how things were back in that period in time in early America as it were. Excellent insight into Native American Indian culture as it pertained to the tribes mentioned during the story. It made me want to find more writings on this topic. This predates the Wild Wild West and in many ways makes them seem tamer. It also inspires me to learn more about the culture of the original native population of America and also of the Scottish highlander clans. The narrator was excellent and the perfect choice for this story. It’s a book I’d be very interested in reading having heard it on audio.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Apr 16, 2021

      Really love this book. Wasn’t quite sure at first... but the mystery ripens and gets so delicious. A rather ‘novel’ setting for a historical mystery (pun not intended!) and an insightful window on the time period. Also fascinated by the ongoing contrast between the masculine sensibility of the English and the feminine wisdom of the tribes.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 16, 2022

      Wonderfully woven tale with historic and cultural insight, highlighting for us a shared experience of Native American and Scottish Highlanders of this period . Isabelle,s Daughter

      2 people found this helpful

    • 3/5

      Mar 6, 2023

      Good narration but I found the story drug on and I lost interest.

      1 person found this helpful