Perthshire's Pound of Flesh

by Mark Bridgeman

True stories of revenge and retribution from Perthshire's dark past.

Perth, Blairgowrie, Crieff, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy all feature as well as the wider Perthshire area. Twenty-four true stories of murder, mystery and deception from around Perthshire. The secret of wartime SS prisoners held in Comrie is told, and the victims of witch-hunt trials are remembered. Perthshire’s Pound of FleshThe River Runs Red and Blood Beneath Ben Nevis, by the same author.

Genres: Crime

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2022

About the author

Mark Bridgeman was born in Swindon, Wiltshire and is now based in Highland Perthshire, Scotland. After a career working in Finance, Marketing and Sports Coaching, he has now turned his passion for writing, crime fiction and non-fiction, history and sport into words. Mark's first book "The River Runs Red" is now available. A history of true crime in Highland Perthshire, the book has proved an immediate success.
Surviving In The Shadows and Blood Beneath Ben Nevis were released in March 2020 to great reviews.
The Lost Village of Lawers followed in September 2020 and became an instant success.
Mark also contributed a series of short stories to the West Highland Museum website and to his own blog.
As featured on the BBC, The Beacon On The Hill was released in December 2020, taking up the story of Christ Church in Swindon, following on from a book originally written by Mark's late father. In May 2021, Mark released The Dark Side of the Dales (a series of true crime stories from the Yorkshire Dales) and Footsteps at Finlarig, the history of Finlarig Castle in Killin. Both books were well reviewed and proved instant successes.
Mark is currently working on two other projects for release in 2022 and has appeared at several book festivals, on ITV, Channel 5, BBC Radio, and the History Channel.

Reviews

[Shona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting local history with some familiar locations and street names. Quite a few typos in the edition I've got.

[Julia Aprelkova · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of local criminal/mysterious history - great selection of cases, however I felt that "Remembering Perthshire's Witches" shouldn't have been added to the book, as this topic wasn't covered fully and felt just like a brief summary of some other bigger article. No doubt big research was conducted in order to write this book, but I was shocked to see Wikipedia as one of the sources used (there was no further mention on any articles) as it is extremely unreliable and is hardly a source to be used for a serious study. Design of a book is a big let down too - it is untidy and unprofessional not to have pages centered, and to publish book with a dreadful "ragged" look (it does add to the volume, but it makes the book look like some student's notes - acceptable for a student, not acceptable for a book). I'm glad I did not spend my time popping into Waterstones when I saw this book advertised and just got a loan from the library.

[Elizabeth G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridgeman delivers a regional true crime collection that understands revenge as landscape rather than mere event. The Perthshire setting proves inspired, Blairgowrie and Pitlochry becoming characters in their own right, geography shaping the darkness that grows there. What distinguishes this work is the range of retribution examined, from wartime SS prisoners to witch hunt victims, suggesting that cruelty and its consequences echo across centuries. At 256 pages and twenty four stories, this is substantial without sprawl, each tale earning its place through specific detail rather than sensationalism. For readers who found Scottish crime fiction too urban, this offers the particular shadows of rural history, blood beneath Ben Nevis, rivers running red with memory. A haunting, necessary collection.

[Suzanne Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Mark Bridgeman. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. My favourite stories were The Baron's Chauffeur and The Blairgowrie Murder. I also enjoyed re-reading the story about Janet Smith. And I loved the last story in the book about the witch hunts. I recently watched a Lucy Worsley documentary about Agnes Sampson who is mentioned in the story. Mark continues to entertain and engage his readers with his books. I am looking forward to reading more.

[Alexa Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this are really really interesting! So enjoyed it, pretty much read it in one sitting, and had I been left alone for long enough, would have read it all at once.

[Hayley Lumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read! Fantastically written, I found it really hard to put down. The research that must go into writing a book like this is outstanding! Can't wait to read more of Mark's books :)