Speaks the Nightbirdby Robert R. McCammon
One of the fiction best-sellers this winter is bound to be the new book, The Queen of Bedlam, featuring the character Matthew Corbett. Matthew made his first appearance, however, in this gripping, highly entertaining novel of witchcraft and intrigue set in a small Colonial Carolina town. The year is 1699, and Matthew is acting as law clerk for a magistrate who has been called upon to hear the case of a woman suspected of witchcraft. The two men run into trouble almost immediately, and the path of their investigation never does run smoothly. There's a lot going on behind the scenes in the settlement of Fount Royal, and no one is who he or she seems to be. Pirates, Spanish gold, Satanic manifestations and more figure into this suspenseful and detailed story. Is the lovely Rachel Howarth guilty of trafficking with the Devil, or is she the victim of those who will gain by her death? That's the question that Matthew sets out to answer, and his search takes him down a twisting, turning path of deceit and death. Prepare to stay up late reading this one, and don't forget the sequel, which is getting great reviews. -- recommended by Lisa V. -- Bennett Martin Public Library/Reference
Have you read this one? What did you think?
Ten new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.
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4 comments:
I've read both Speaks the Nightbird and The Queen of Bedlam, both are extraordinary stories that illustrate the profound talent of one of America's best authors. I highly recommend them, and the should be read in sequence. Perfect for those long snowbound winter nights.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. McCammon's writing is quite simply literature which belongs in the same category as Jane Austen and Dickens. He transports you to Colonial America in this book and you can smell the air and feel the atmosphere of this time so clearly. The characters and story will stay with you forever - would that all historical fiction was this authentic. And the character of Matthew Corbett...a man before his time and a hero of the 21st century for sure. The humour shines out also like a beacon - such laugh out loud comedy and then Hichcockian drama in the next moment. McCammon promises up to ten volumes in this series. If he delivers then our lives will be all the richer for it.
George, Northern Ireland.
I can't wait to read "Queen of Bedlam" ! I agree whole-heartedly with both comments. McCammon truly does transport the reader through time. I know I have read some criticism that the book contains too many anachronisms (and I am usually the first to complain about things like that), but the story was so compelling, and the writing was so good, I didn't mind the few inconsistencies I noticed. I will never forget the book, and that is the mark of a great author.
Check out the Robert McCammon website at www.robertmccammon.com for a mention of and link to our BookGuide review of "Speaks the Nightbird" !
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