That fine institution the Spooky Isles website has just upped a nice review of my book
Scottish Bodysnatchers: A Gazetteer, scribed by Fortean writer Mandy Jane Steel Collins. You can indulge your
eyeballs at the Spooky Isles site here, while the book can be reached here, and I’ve a video trailer here.
Scottish Bodysnatchers came out a couple of years ago so perhaps it’s worth a brief recap. It aims to provide a
comprehensive guide to every physical remnant of the bodysnatching era in Scotland, from mortsafes and
morthouses to watch towers and other protection devices. It tells you where to find these relics (whether in
graveyards, churches or museums), and what to look for. Many of the sites are obscure, hidden, long-forgotten or have not previously been written about. Yes, the fieldwork research was fun…
In addition, there are anecdotes and news stories from the bodysnatching era, some of which may be early
versions of urban legends. Burke and Hare of course make an appearance, but bear in mind that they were serial killers, not bodysnatchers, their murders being driven by greed for the cash being offered for fresh corpses.
The book covers not only the well-trodden bodysnatching paths of Edinburgh and Glasgow, but sites across the
country, from Aberdeenshire and the Highlands to the Scottish Borders, Ayrshire, Perthshire, Fife, Dundee and
Stirling. Given that there really isn’t any similar book out there, a number of readers have written to me describing how useful the book is for those interested in hunting out bodysnatching sites in their area – “well-thumbed” is a
typical comment. “An invaluable reference work” was another.
Happy to be of service, fellow bodysnatching fans. And remember to wash the dirt from your hands before
handling food…
