Author Description

Mongo Craig is a work of fiction based on certain historical facts and characters. The tale takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1696. Thomas Aikenhead, an eighteen-year-old university student, was arrested, tried, and convicted of the capital crime of blasphemy. The most critical testimony was supplied by his best friend, Mongo Craig. Why would Aikenhead's best friend provide testimony to convict him? That is the question this book attempts to answer. Testimony of the trial is taken from the actual court records as reported in, A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes from the Earliest Period to 1783. Historical characters are: Mongo Craig, Thomas Aikenhead, Professor Alexander Cunningham, Agnes Campbell, Patrick Middletown, Sir James Stewart, John Potter, John Nelson, and John Fraser. The story centers in Edinburgh, Scotland with historic locations of Edinburgh University, Tron Kirk, Tollbooth Prison, Cleriheugh's Tavern, Anderson's Printers, Canongate Kirk and Edinburgh Courthouse.