Eliot Pattison

Last updated
Eliot Pattison (2005) Eliot Pattison (2005) by Guenter Prust.jpg
Eliot Pattison (2005)

Eliot Pattison (Joseph Eliot Pattison, b. 20 October 1951) is an American international lawyer, non-fiction author on the subject of international trade, and is best known as an award-winning mystery fiction novelist.

Contents

His professional career consists of advising and representing U.S. and foreign companies on international investment and trade issues. He has published five books and more than 30 articles on international topics.

Pattison is best known for his two series of mystery novels set in different time periods and geographic areas.

His Inspector Shan series is set in modern-day Tibet, and features former Beijing Justice Department Investigator Shan Tao Yun. His first novel The Skull Mantra won the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 2000. [1] The Inspector Shan series has been translated into over 20 languages and are sold around the world. The tenth and final book of the series, Bones of the Earth, was released in 2019.

Each novel involves one or more murders which set up a "who-done-it" mystery that protagonist Inspector Shan must resolve. The stories are set against a background of Tibetan history, culture, and religion, reflecting Pattison's extensive research and concern about the impact of Chinese control of modern-day Tibet.

Pattison’s Bone Rattler historical mystery series features protagonist Duncan McCallum, a Scottish immigrant to North America in its colonial years. The series begins in territory near modern-day Albany, New York during the French and Indian War. The ongoing series currently consists of six novels.

Pattison’s 2011 postapocalyptic crime novel Ashes of the Earth, a departure from his usual subject matter and settings, was critically acclaimed and received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist .

Pattison is married and has three children. He resides with his family on an 18th-century farm in Oley Valley, Pennsylvania.

Novels

Inspector Shan Series

  1. The Skull Mantra (1999)
  2. Water Touching Stone (2001)
  3. Bone Mountain (2002)
  4. Beautiful Ghosts (2004)
  5. Prayer of the Dragon (2007)
  6. The Lord of Death (2009)
  7. Mandarin Gate (2012)
  8. Soul of the Fire (2014)
  9. Skeleton God (2017)
  10. Bones of the Earth (2019)

Bone Rattler Series

  1. The Bone Rattler (2007)
  2. Eye of The Raven (2010)
  3. Original Death (2013)
  4. Blood of the Oak (2016)
  5. Savage Liberty (2018)
  6. The King’s Beast (2020)

Hadrian Boone

  1. Ashes of the Earth (2011)

Non-fiction

Awards

The Skull Mantra won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel in 2000. [1]

Related Research Articles

Edgar Allan Poe 19th-century American author, poet, editor and literary critic

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. He is also generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. Poe was the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Max Allan Collins American mystery writer

Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his Road to Perdition series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for many years and has produced numerous novels featuring the character as well.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue Short story by Edgar Allan Poe published 1841

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination".

The Cask of Amontillado Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book. The story, set in an unnamed Italian city at carnival time in an unspecified year, is about a man taking fatal revenge on a friend who, he believes, has insulted him. Like several of Poe's stories, and in keeping with the 19th-century fascination with the subject, the narrative revolves around a person being buried alive – in this case, by immurement. As in "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", Poe conveys the story from the murderer's perspective.

Edgar Awards Literary award for work in the crime genre

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year.

The Gold-Bug Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Gold-Bug" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who was bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an unnamed narrator, who agrees to visit his old friend. Legrand pulls the other two into an adventure after deciphering a secret message that will lead to a buried treasure.

<i>The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket</i> 1838 novel by Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus. Various adventures and misadventures befall Pym, including shipwreck, mutiny, and cannibalism, before he is saved by the crew of the Jane Guy. Aboard this vessel, Pym and a sailor named Dirk Peters continue their adventures farther south. Docking on land, they encounter hostile black-skinned natives before escaping back to the ocean. The novel ends abruptly as Pym and Peters continue toward the South Pole.

C. Auguste Dupin Fictional French crime-solver created by Edgar Allan Poe

Le ChevalierC. Auguste Dupin[oɡyst dypɛ̃] is a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", widely considered the first detective fiction story. He reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" (1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1844).

History of modern literature

The history of literature in the Modern period in Europe begins with the Age of Enlightenment and the conclusion of the Baroque period in the 18th century, succeeding the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. The modern period begins later in the classical literary cultures outside Europe, for instance in Ottoman Turkey with the Tanzimat reforms (1820s), in Qajar Iran under Nasser al-Din Shah (1830s), in India with the end of the Mughal era and establishment of the British Raj (1850s), in Japan with the Meiji restoration (1860s), and in China with the New Culture Movement (1910s).

MS. Found in a Bottle

"MS. Found in a Bottle" is an 1833 short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The plot follows an unnamed narrator at sea who finds himself in a series of harrowing circumstances. As he nears his own disastrous death while his ship drives ever southward, he writes an "MS.", or manuscript, telling of his adventures which he casts into the sea. Some critics believe the story was meant as a satire of typical sea tales.

<i>Fletch</i> (novel)

Fletch is a 1974 mystery novel by Gregory Mcdonald, the first in a series featuring the character Irwin Maurice Fletcher.

Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum historical house in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 North Amity St. in Baltimore, Maryland, is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe in the 1830s. The small unassuming structure, which was opened as a writer's house museum in 1949, is a typical row home. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

Edgar Allan Poe in popular culture

Edgar Allan Poe has appeared in popular culture as a character in books, comics, film, and other media. Besides his works, the legend of Poe himself has fascinated people for generations. His appearances in popular culture often envision him as a sort of "mad genius" or "tormented artist", exploiting his personal struggles. Many depictions of Poe interweave elements of his life with his works, in part due to Poe's frequent use of first-person narrators, suggesting an erroneous assumption that Poe and his characters are identical.

<i>A Place of Execution</i>

A Place of Execution is a crime novel by Val McDermid, first published in 1999. The novel won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the 2001 Dilys Award, was shortlisted for both the Gold Dagger and the Edgar Award, and was chosen by The New York Times as one of the most notable books of the year.

Jeb Stuart is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer best known for writing blockbuster action films like Die Hard and The Fugitive.

Stuart M. Kaminsky was an American mystery writer and film professor. He is known for three long-running series of mystery novels featuring the protagonists Toby Peters, a private detective in 1940s Hollywood (1977-2004); Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, a Moscow police inspector (1981-2010); and veteran Chicago police officer Abe Lieberman (1990-2007). There is also a fourth series featuring a Sarasota, Florida, process server named Lew Fonesca (1999-2009).

Robert Lloyd Fish was an American writer of crime fiction.

Elly Griffiths is the pen name of Domenica de Rosa, a British crime novelist. She has written two series as Griffiths, one featuring Ruth Galloway, the other featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto.

William Henry Hallahan III was an American Edgar-award winning novelist. He is best known for his work in the mystery, suspense and occult fields.

References

  1. 1 2 Edgar Award Winners And Nominees Archived September 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Claire E. White, "An Interview with Eliot Pattison", Writers Write Website, accessed 31 May 2009