I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was exciting enough to keep my interest and the fact that it was set in the Outer Hebrides meant that I knew the places they spoke of.

I adore thrillers, mystery, folklore and also Scotland, especially the West Coast and so this ticked so many boxes. I was given the opportunity to read this for an honest review and I couldn't put it down.
If you believe in folklore or not, you can't deny this is a page turner and a half. The story of an archaeologist and an unsolved murder in the Hebrides.
For anyone who has been to Harris, Lewis, Skye or any of the islands you will know how magical they are. From the landscape, the people and the way of life. It's different from the mainland. Time stands still. It is truly magical
This story brings that magic to life. I love the characters, love the tale. I can't wait for the next one! This is an author who I'm going to follow!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the book.

Bring together a Scottish myth about Waterhorses, modern DNA research by an unscrupulous group of researchers, put them with a student having the second sight and an archaeologist, place them in the Outer Hebrides and you have a good story especially if you throw in a murder too.. Knowing the area well, the author has the definite feel of place and people. An enjoyeable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Gillan McArdle's academic career has stalled due to misjudgement. He is a talented archaeologist but is struggling to find a job. When a publication asks him to investigate something he has nothing to lose. The reports of a skull with a single horn coming from its brow sounds like a fake but the publication offers him a short term contract & beggars can't be choosers & Gill sets off for Harris. Although it seems the skull is indeed a fake, there is definitely something unusual about it. There are rumours of unusual sightings of a beast on the moors & some very strange goings on- why does a disused smelting plant require such a high security presence? Along with the finder of the skull, a young lady with the second sight, Gill tries to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I absolutely loved this book! The descriptions of the beautiful Isle of Harris, the folklore of the Picts & the terrific characters made this book totally gripping. I really hope this is the start of a series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

🔬Good trip to a mysterious island of possibilities🦄!

4-4.5🌟 stars
I was drawn to this book by its Scottish island setting and found a tale steeped in local folklore and a mystical atmosphere that definitely suited the remote and sparsely populated Hebridean location. The mixture of science-bound academia with the other wordly Second Sight of some of the island characters made for a good, suspenseful story.

I really liked the plot and range of characters. There were a few spots where the story bogged down in dreary detail, particularly the step-by-excruciating-step journey of the main character through the bowels of a smelting plant and some of the philosophical conversations. But in the main the book is action-adventure oriented, has twists and thrills, and tests the bounds of belief in sights unseen and potential discoveries about our Earth's past. The fight between Good and Evil looms over the whole, all dragged to light after the tragic and unresolved death of a young island man.

I ended up enjoying the story more than I had anticipated and would definitely be interested in reading more along this mystery line from author Tormod Cockburn. He's delved into the mythical, superstitious psyche associated with Scottish legend and come up with an excellent framework for a series.

Thanks to the author, Myst.Scot Media, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

First in a series. Easy to follow, held my interest. Will read the next book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Can genetics testing really bring back animals that are long extinct? Interesting theory and this author makes it sound plausible. The scientist in him is skeptical but on the island of Harris a generics testing company is working to bring back the unicorns. The book seems fast paced but that could be my rush to see how the book ends. I thought this was a storyline that was interesting with characters that caught my attention. I liked the book.

This is one of those books that straddles genres - it’s a mystery, it’s science fiction, it’s fantasy…but above all it is an unusual, original story that grabs you and doesn’t let go. The premise is fascinating - imagine finding the bones of what looks to be a unicorn! Then imagine uncovering a whole clandestine operation trying to create a modern beast. It’s a bit like Jurassic Park meets Shetland. I’ll be recommending this one a lot.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"A single murder… An unidentified animal skull … Sightings of a tusked horse … Flesh on the bones of an old Scottish myth." There have been sightings of unicorns in Scotland.

With fantasy not being a genre I usually read, there is a lot of fantasy and myth in this story. Overall, an okay read, the writing flowed nicely and throughout the book I was googling about these myths. I look forward to reading the next book.

3.5☆

Easily one of my fav books of the year, it has nothing to do with us having out Celtic festival shortly or my daughter recently being obsessed with Scottish folklore! LOL But the reality is, this is a very tight mystery, combining both folklore, history, modern life, and archeology- so bascially it hit all my interests LOL! It's an interesting topic- what if unicorns DID exist? Why else would they be on so many shield from royalty? Why would they be the national animal of Scotland? The book takes an in depth look at both the making of myth and the ethics of science (especially interesting with the current efforts and prehistoric cloning!). All around it's a roller coaster of a read, and I love that it sets up the basis for book 3, of a planned 3 book series (book 2 takes on Nessie and Book 3's topic hasnt been announced yet) , Plus, if you subscribe to the author's newsletter, you get a short story that takes place with same characters. Pretty cool freebie! So go check it out ad you'll be hooked like I was!

Just magical. The author has such a descriptive style that you can see everything in your mind’s eye. I loved that I found myself questioning fact and fantasy as myth and mystery came together.

Anything set in Scotland and I’m hooked from the start. It’s one of my favourite places in the world, The Highlands in particular is my absolute dream.
So yeah…..it’s easy to picture the places described and the atmosphere too. This book cannot be pigeonholed into just one genre. It’s one of those rare books that, successfully, straddles multiple.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and to see it say “book 1”, makes me extremely excited for more.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc. Highly recommend.

The Bone Trap is the first of three books in the Mysterious Scotland Series, the next is the Ness Deception and the last is The Stone Cypher. The Bone Trap takes the reader on quite the voyage.

"Isle of Harris, nine months ago"

"Callum McKellar isn't missing anymore. He's not injured, lost, or confused. He's dead. Someone or something, has ripped a hole in his back and snatched out his life. And now, staring at his broken body, sprawled in the heather, Ailsa knows she'll carry the burden of this memory for the rest of her life."

Thus starts the first chapter, which had me intrigued from there. The story takes place in the upper reaches of Scotland on the Hebridian island of Harris.. Very remote and steeped in local folklore. Gillan McCardle is an archaeologist who has been disgraced due to a simple mistake he made while working at the college.

Gill is approached by a man who has a media company that has various magazines. One of them is a mystery magazine. There are some unusual bones, that looks like a horse skull but had a spot on the forehead that had a horn. A unicorn? Maybe maybe not. He does a further investigation into an old smelter.

He finds that there are experiments going on, this after a harrowing way he has to enter the area. He finds that there are horses of varying degrees of abuse. He is further intrigued and enlists the assistance of Aisla, an elderly woman with the 'Sight" and the assistance of a woman, Rani, who is a research scientist and is appalled at the way the horses are treated.

With Rani's assistance, he learns more about what is going on. The scientists are able to isolate the DNA that would enable the horse under certain conditions, to evolve into a totally different creature. This becomes dangerous after there is a fire at the smelter and the employees escape. They do come back wanting what they think belongs to them.

With the permission of the landowner, he is able with the help of an archaeologist team to dig to see if they can find the bones of the mythical creatures that they sure had existed. Genetics have been manipulated. What they find is truly amazing and worth the effort of the dig. But they are not safe as there are people who do not want the findings known.

This story borders on fantasy, is it possible for there to be actual unicorns or waterhorses as they were called in this book. Danger abounds for all of the characters involved. Once I got into the story I really enjoyed it. Lots of believable characters and side stories, the sight of course is interesting in itself. There is danger and excitement throughout the book, I finished the book in record time.

I think if you enjoy a story that is of the mystical sort, of course, takes place in Scotland, then you can't go wrong with this novel. I look forward to reading the other two in the series, especially the second one, The Ness Deception. anything having to do with the Loch Ness monster has me giddy!

I rate it 5 stars.

Scotland is a land of myths and mysteries. And of top notch crime writers: Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, Peter May, James Oswald - and now Tormod Cockburn exceeds them all with a thriller that ticks all the boxes of good writing.
At times terrifying and primal, the Western isle of Harris is the perfect setting for a plot that twists and turns between folklore, genetic engineering, murder and the supernatural - and all of it terrifyingly real
This is a taut and suspenseful story which I found totally riveting. If you are looking for a new writer to follow, Tormod Cockburn is the best of the best.

This author creates well-drawn, complex characters, and knows how to build tension and drama that hold readers to the end. With several plot twists it managed to keep me guessing until the end. Even then I was surprised. I’m not easily surprised.

A curiously entertaining story shrouded in mystery, paranormal activity, and murder. With the prospect of a career upgrade disappearing because of a past infraction, Gill had no choice but to forge ahead with a new low-paying job prospect. When his investigations unearthed dark sinister works hidden under a cloak of mythical lure, he soon realized his life was at stake.

Well, that was rather good. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, which just proves that the books I have high hopes for often don't work out, whilst those that I am unsure about are really quite good. Love books set in Scotland, love mysteries with a "supernatural" twist of the "is there, isn't there" variety. So yeah, that was an enterntaining read.

I love to read Scotland related stories, there are usually interesting characters, magic places, wisdom, mystery and The Bone Trap is not different as it encompasses all of those and more. It's also the first book I've read by this author and I'm glad I downloaded it! The story is well-written, has a great plot, and left me wanting to read the next book in the series.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.