I read the audio version of this tale. The narrator does such an excellent job of delivering the story. The length might seem daunting at more than 23 hours listening time, but the characters are so well crafted and the writing evoking the time in history that time seems to fly by when listening. I love the author’s use of language and the clever turns of phrase. This won’t be the last of his books that I read. ( )

With a mystery plot even more convoluted and outlandish than [b:Speaks the Nightbird|1525997|Speaks the Nightbird (Matthew Corbett, #1)|Robert McCammon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404931453s/1525997.jpg|16692325], McCammon never fails to entertain as Corbett, the problem solver, goes from one hazard to another like a curious cat. This time New York and Philadelphia provide the background and McCammon continues his masterful portrayal of character. The payoff disappointed me a bit compared to Nightbird and I hope McCammon isn't going to fall into the trap of focusing all the subsequent books on Dr. Fells' death vow and his crime "organization."

McCammon says he has eight more Corbett books in the hopper so this series has a long way to go as Corbett is still a young man.

It is nice to see a "horror" author able to break out of the pigeonhole, especially one this talented. ( )

Fucking LOVE this series. If you buy into the story and keep the faith, you will be rewarded with a storyline you never expected but 100% deserved. Clever, witty and full of continuously evolving, lovable and quirky characters! ( )

Poor Matthew Corbett. Dude kinda can't get a break.

Having read the first two novels now, I think I have the basic outline of a Matthew Corbett adventure:

1 - Become embroiled in a mystery.
2 - Go against his authority figure to solve the mystery.
3 - Along the way, get handed some deeply encrypted clues.
4 - Watch the only person that could possibly decrypt them disappear.
5 - Meet a girl and develop a heavy crush.
6 - Defend that girl against some sort of clawed wildlife and end up getting rather mauled.
7 - Get raped while drugged.
8 - Solve the mystery and earn the grudging respect of the authority figure he'd previously defied.
9 - Walk away from the girl he has a crush on for no good reason.
10 - Somewhere in between all this, get beaten up at least once.

For all of that, I actually enjoyed this one more than the first. The pace was a bit more brisk, the historical facts piled on a little more judiciously. Even though he doesn't get along with animals and can only get laid when he's drugged, the little bugger's kinda growing on me.

I'll give him another shot.

In this sequel to Speaks the Nightbird, McCammon offers such a breathtaking mix of suspense, historical fiction, and even sprinklings of horror, it's a bit breathtaking. As a character, Matthew Corbett is as real and flawed as he is entertaining, and it's wonderful to travel with him through the branches of this novel. More than in any of McCammon's other works, I found myself guessing as to how all of the threads could possibly come together, but of course they did. I read the last 200 pages of this one in one sitting--it was impossible to do otherwise--and the book has been a reminder of how entrancing McCammon's worlds are.

Absolutely recommended. ( )