A very welcome recent edition (2009) of this classic tale set in Galloway in Scotland's 'killing times' - the vicious civil war in the 17th Century that drenched the hills in blood and saw heads mounted on pikes in Edinburgh.
Crockett as ever brings the Galloway hinterland to life and if you visit the hills and mountain tops of the region today you can feel the history so vividly brought to life in this book. The tale is thrilling at times as the Crown's merciless persecution of the Covenanters closes in on the hapless victims; battles and escapes ensue but throughout looms the brooding menace yet also peaceful harbour of the Galloway peat bogs - the Moss Hags of the title.
This latest edition does its publishers proud. It is not an easy commercial decision to publish these old tales and often the result can be a compromise on quality but Kennedy & Boyd's edition is very acceptable with attractive binding (an illustration by renowned Kirkcudbright artist John Halliday adorns the cover) and an interesting introduction from Richard Jackson. This details how Crockett came to write the story and highlights briefly the author's relationship with R L Stevenson around this time. If you like this tale then you must read Crockett's 'The Raiders'; if you have read that wonderful story then you won't be disappointed by this. One observation (I would not go so far as to say criticism) is that the edition would for some readers have benefitted from a glossary of the old Scots tongue used in the narrative. There are several such glossaries on-line of course but not always accessible.