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Spoilers below!!
- From Publishers Weekly Online, August 13, 2007:
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![[Star]](../images/tstar.gif) The Queen of Bedlam
Robert McCammon. Pocket, $16 paper (656p) ISBN 978-1-4165-5111-9
Set in Manhattan in 1703, this spellbinding sequel to Speaks the
Nightbird (2002) from bestseller McCammon finds Matthew Corbett, a
23-year-old magistrate’s clerk, on the trail of the Masker, a killer who
stalks prominent businessmen. Matthew stumbles on the bodies of two of the
Masker’s victims, including pederast Eben Ausley, the headmaster of the
orphanage Matthew once reluctantly called home. Plucky Matthew, who becomes a
junior associate of the New York branch of a London
“problem-solving” firm called the Herrald Agency, discovers a
possible link to the crimes in the person of an elderly amnesiac patient in a
mental asylum who’s known as “the Queen of Bedlam.” Matthew
and his cohorts later make a dangerous foray to the headquarters that the
villainous Professor Fell maintains for young-criminals-in-training. McCammon
brilliantly captures colonial New York and closes with a tantalizing
cliffhanger that suggests more exciting sleuthing to come. (Oct.)
- Genre
Go Round Reviews, August 15, 2007
- A review by Harriet Klausner.
- From Library
Journal, August 15, 2007
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The Queen of Bedlam
McCammon, Robert (Author)
ISBN: 1416552618
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2007-10
Binding/Price/Pages: Hardcover, $26.00 (496p)
Subject: Fiction | Historical - General; Fiction | Mystery & Detective - General
Reviewed: 2007-08-15
Five years after Speaks the Nightbird, prolific, best-selling author
McCammon once again features Matthew Corbett in a pre-Revolutionary War
adventure. Working as a clerk for a local magistrate, Matthew becomes involved
in the hunt for a serial killer terrorizing New York in 1702. At the same time,
he is obsessed with the man in charge of the local orphanage where he lived as
a youth. As each murder occurs, Matthew finds himself more involved with the
investigation, even as he is recruited by a new employer. Throughout, he
believes that many seemingly unrelated events are actually part of a larger
conspiracy. McCammon continues to build on the world he created in his earlier
novel, working to present the everyday life of the period as a backdrop to the
main story. His characters are well drawn, and McCammon keeps the story moving.
Fans of Speaks the Nightbird will certainly enjoy this follow-up, and new
readers should appreciate it as well. Recommended for all public library
collections.-Joel W. Tscherne, Cleveland P.L.
- OnyxReviews.com, August 21, 2007
- Review by Bev Vincent.
This review reveals a lot of the plot, so beware!
- Entertainment Weekly, October 26, 2007
- Capsule review by Karen Karbo. Contains a mild plot spoiler.
- www.reviewingtheevidence.com, July 2007
- Review by Sharon Katz. Full review contains plot spoilers.
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...Author McCammon makes New York come alive for the readers. He perfectly
describes the bustle of the city and the lives of its people. The author adds
enough history to give us a view of what really happened, but he's never
boring. The writing is fascinating.
As Matthew roams New York we visit Trinity Church, Broad Way (which eventually
became Broadway), and we meet some factual historical characters like New
York's new governor, Cornbury, who dressed in his wife's clothing.
The mystery of how the Masker intertwines with The Queen of Bedlam is solid and
well crafted. There are numerous story lines that weave in and out of the main
plot in this massive book, but eventually they all come together to make a
magnificent story.
If you've never read any of McCammon's books try this one out. Though the
author writes some superb science fiction, The Queen of Bedlam is not in
that genre. Visit New York City in its early years and meet all the people who
helped it become what it is today.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, July 2007
- Sleuth of Baker Street, November 2007 Newsletter (PDF file)
- Review by Leeanne.
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I have not had occasion to read ROBERT MCCAMMON before but am very happy that
The Queen of Bedlam ($29.99 hardcover, $18.99 trade paperback) made its
way into my hands. A solid, well described book, coming in at just under
650 pages, but well worth each one. It has everything! A main character
with a grudge against the corrupt governor of the orphanage he grew up
in, a clandestine group known as the Herrald Agency, a headstrong love
interest who's nothing but bad luck to those around her, a conspiracy to
take over the world through a secret university, and, of course
"The Masker," a serial killer that has kept the inhabitants of
New York rushing home before curfew in fear of being the next victim. A
ton of plots and ideas swirling around in this novel but the author
keeps them all straight and weaves them into an excellent read. It'll
surely lead up to another novel, and that's fine with me.
- RoundtableReviews.com, November 20, 2007
- Review by Tracy Farnsworth. Contains a mild plot spoiler.
- The Fright Site, November 2007
- Review by Adam Groves at The Fright Site.
- FreshFiction.com, November 2007
- Review by Suan Wilson.
- I Love a Mystery
- Review by Bob Walch.
- BlogCritics Magazine, December 19, 2007
- Review by Dave Nalle.
- Shots Magazine, January 24, 2008
- Review by Ali Karim.
- From Midwest Book Review, April 2, 2008
- Click here to read the review.
- Review by Daniel Allen.
- New!!
From SandStorm Reviews, June 5, 2008
- Click here to read the review.
- Review by Alice.
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