Rate this book

Eye Of The Raven: A Mystery Of Colonial America (2009)

by Eliot Pattison(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1582435669 (ISBN13: 9781582435664)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Counterpoint

series

Duncan McCallum

review 1: Another amazing story in the Duncan McCallum Colonial Mystery series. To oversimplify a bit; someone is killing surveyors along the Warrior's Path, a system of trails developed by Native Americans that ran through the Appalachian Valley from upper New York state all the way into Alabama. The northern portion (Seneca Trail) formed the boundary of the frontier during the French-Indian War. I think the 2nd in a series is probably the hardest, especially when the first is so amazing and typically doesn't come with the huge expectations that the 2nd one does. In Bone Rattler; the setting, history and atmosphere created by Mr. Pattison becomes almost a separate character. In many ways, the most important character. The story unfolds slowly in layers - the setting & atmosphere b... moreecoming as much a part of the mystery as the mystery itself.Eye of the Raven unfolds much more like a traditional mystery. Yes, the amazing history of Colonial America and the Iroquois is still there but did not capture me as much as it did in Bone Rattler. It was still an excellent story. Eliot Pattison is probably one of the few historical fiction writers that can compel me to read the Afterward section with its pages of historical references and timelines. For those interested in the period of American history shamefully ignored by history textbooks (post-Mayflower to Bunker Hill) this series is a real treat. I hope I don't have to wait too long for #3!
review 2: This series is great at illuminating the complexity of the relations among the different factions of Native Americans and Europeans, and the differences in their world views. The writing is excellent and the suspense never lets up. It has made me want to learn more about the history of this period.I appreciate the author's note and timeline at the end of the book, but I wish there was also a map and a list of characters. The book has a large cast of characters and covers a lot of territory, much of which is now known by different names. It would have been interesting to be able to follow the travels of the main characters. less

Download links for: Eye of the Raven: A Mystery of Colonial America

Advertising