Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Burton, MI : Subterranean Press, 2010.
Description
The world of Colonial America comes vibrantly to life in this masterful new historical thriller by Robert McCammon. The latest entry in the popular Matthew Corbett series, which began with Speaks the Nightbird and continued in The Queen of Bedlam, Mister Slaughter opens in the emerging metropolis of New York City in 1702, and proceeds to take both Matthew and the reader on an unforgettable journey of horror, violence, and personal discovery. The journey begins when Matthew, now an apprentice "problem solver" for the London-based Herrald Agency, accepts an unusual and hazardous commission. Together with his colleague, Hudson Greathouse, he agrees to escort the notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from an asylum outside Philadelphia to the docks of New York. Along the way, Slaughter makes his captors a surprising - and extremely tempting - offer. Mister Slaughter is at once a classic portrait of an archetypal serial killer and an exquisitely detailed account of a fledgling nation still in the process of inventing itself.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kasthu
Mister Slaughter is the first book in a series that began with Speaks the Nightbird and continued with The Queen of Bedlam. Mister Slaughter is sort of a continuation of The Queen of Bedlam (I certainly recommend reading that book first, since this book references some of the events and people of
This is a very strong addition to the series, all the more so because Matthew’s character develops significantly in this novel. He suffers from the sins of vanity, greed, and pride (which often go hand in hand), and part of his development in this book involves his learning to be more humble and willing to admit that he’s made mistakes—and he makes one or two here. He’s young, too, which leaves a lot of room for development over the course of more books. Hudson Greathouse takes a backseat (since he gets injured about halfway through), but the book is complimented by the introduction of a few new associates, including a Seneca tracker who’s considered mad by his tribe mates; and a teenage boy intent on revenge. Slaughter is a delightful (if a mass murderer can be called that) villain, who manages to make people trust him, even while the reader thinks, “no! Don’t trust him!”
The plot too is very good, with the right amount of tension. Robert McCammon is a little less skilled at the historical parts (retirement communities in 1702?), but I thought the book was well-researched nonetheless. In addition, at times, the characters seemed a bit too modern (at one point, one of the characters exclaims, “I’ll blow the shit out of him!”). Robert McCammon is famous for his earlier horror novels, and there’s certainly a fair amount of that kind of gruesomeness here (I’m not going to say anything, but remember what happened to Frank Bennett in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café… totally different book, I know…). Despite the books minor flaws, I really enjoyed this book. You can definitely see the inspiration of the great heroes of the 1950s and ‘60s (James Bond, in particular; there’s a ship named the Golden Eye, plus an inventor whose last name begins with Q). And indeed, there’s a lot of action and adventure in this novel. I can’t wait to read what’s next for Matthew Corbett and his associates.
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the first. Speaks the Nightbird is more of a stand-alone novel). Here, Matthew Corbett (a “problem solver” for the Herrald Agency in New York) and his associate, Hudson Greathouse, are charged with the task of transporting a murderer named Tyranthus Slaughter from an insane asylum to New York, where he will be sent back to England to await trial—and, inevitably, the hangman’s noose. But this being a Matthew Corbett novel, things don’t go quite as planned, and Matthew and Greathouse find themselves hunting Slaughter through the woods of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Their search eventually brings them to the attention of Professor Fell, who was a major part of The Queen of Bedlam.This is a very strong addition to the series, all the more so because Matthew’s character develops significantly in this novel. He suffers from the sins of vanity, greed, and pride (which often go hand in hand), and part of his development in this book involves his learning to be more humble and willing to admit that he’s made mistakes—and he makes one or two here. He’s young, too, which leaves a lot of room for development over the course of more books. Hudson Greathouse takes a backseat (since he gets injured about halfway through), but the book is complimented by the introduction of a few new associates, including a Seneca tracker who’s considered mad by his tribe mates; and a teenage boy intent on revenge. Slaughter is a delightful (if a mass murderer can be called that) villain, who manages to make people trust him, even while the reader thinks, “no! Don’t trust him!”
The plot too is very good, with the right amount of tension. Robert McCammon is a little less skilled at the historical parts (retirement communities in 1702?), but I thought the book was well-researched nonetheless. In addition, at times, the characters seemed a bit too modern (at one point, one of the characters exclaims, “I’ll blow the shit out of him!”). Robert McCammon is famous for his earlier horror novels, and there’s certainly a fair amount of that kind of gruesomeness here (I’m not going to say anything, but remember what happened to Frank Bennett in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café… totally different book, I know…). Despite the books minor flaws, I really enjoyed this book. You can definitely see the inspiration of the great heroes of the 1950s and ‘60s (James Bond, in particular; there’s a ship named the Golden Eye, plus an inventor whose last name begins with Q). And indeed, there’s a lot of action and adventure in this novel. I can’t wait to read what’s next for Matthew Corbett and his associates.
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LibraryThing member Suzanne520
awesome suspense and action! This book had me on the edge of my seat and anxious to read more! I look forward to the next in this series!
LibraryThing member Timothy_Dalton007
Once again Robert McCammon delivers a masterpiece. Matthew Corbett has really grown on as a character and the colonial era although never before a genre that I enjoyed is now one of my favorite epics. I had previously enjoyed Wilbur Smith's ancient Egyptian saga, and then onto his swashbuckling
The characters in this series are put together very well, and for the first time in this saga we get to witness a truly evil individual. Mister Slaughter, this guy is just plain wicked and the viciousness by which he dispatches is victims can be quick and other times drawn out. The sad truth is that the character in this book is extremely horrific but he is just that "fiction", however at the same fact there are people who live beyond this world of fiction and preform actions like this in reality. So although grisly and you want to tell yourself it's only a story the true fact is that these things happen in the news everyday.
Moving on, another thing that I really like the blending of elements from one novel to the next are seamless. Now it's on to a Agent Pendergast novel and then I will be taking a jump back to McCammon's "They Thirst" or "Usher's Passing".
Once again, a special thanks goes out to the author for entertaining with his story-telling!
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adventures, but they didn't contain the raw substance that McCammon is able to infuse into his writings. I was very glad to hear that there will be a fourth follow up to this series, as I had previously only thought that these novels were part of a trilogy. The characters in this series are put together very well, and for the first time in this saga we get to witness a truly evil individual. Mister Slaughter, this guy is just plain wicked and the viciousness by which he dispatches is victims can be quick and other times drawn out. The sad truth is that the character in this book is extremely horrific but he is just that "fiction", however at the same fact there are people who live beyond this world of fiction and preform actions like this in reality. So although grisly and you want to tell yourself it's only a story the true fact is that these things happen in the news everyday.
Moving on, another thing that I really like the blending of elements from one novel to the next are seamless. Now it's on to a Agent Pendergast novel and then I will be taking a jump back to McCammon's "They Thirst" or "Usher's Passing".
Once again, a special thanks goes out to the author for entertaining with his story-telling!
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LibraryThing member flashflood42
The third in the Matthew Corbett series and by far the most violent. It was so violent that it was hard to read (to listen to as an audible.com book) because one bad situation turned immediately into another that was almost as horrifying, if not more so. The plot turns on taking a Mr. Slaughter
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from Bedlam to Philadelphia so that he be shipped back to England and put on trial. But Mr. Slaughter's powers of persuasion combined with his vicious, murderous character leads to his escape and a nightmarish chase to catch him. Do pay attention to those yummy sausages that Greathouse loves in the beginning of the novel. They play a role later.... Show Less
LibraryThing member jenzbaker
Matt Corbett gets in trouble when a serial killer "Mister Slaughter" tricks him and escapes his custody. 1702 NYC setting. Surprising plot twists, depth of characters, setting well-drawn, atmosphere of impending doom, gruesome, metaphor.
LibraryThing member TobinElliott
Getting Matthew Corbett out from civilization and on a good old-fashioned manhunt was a brilliant move on McCammon's part. This one played to the author's strengths.
He's already laid the groundwork of Corbett's world in the first two novels, so this time around, he digs into a meaty story about an
Easily the best book in the series so far.
He's already laid the groundwork of Corbett's world in the first two novels, so this time around, he digs into a meaty story about an
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18th century psychopath, and he obviously has a hell of a lot of fun with it.Easily the best book in the series so far.
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Language
Original publication date
2010-01
Physical description
492 p.; 24 inches
ISBN
1596062762 / 9781596062764