The Providence Rider

by Robert McCammon
416 pgs  (Matthew Corbett series #4)

The Providence Rider is the fourth book in McCammon's series featuring Matthew Corbett, a self-described "problem solver" living in New York at the start of the 18th century. In the last two, The Queen of Bedlam and Mister Slaughter, McCammon gave us brief glimpses of the mysterious crime lord Professor Fell and his far-reaching empire of criminals. In this book McCammon reveals the man behind the curtain completely.

At the end of Mister Slaughter someone slipped one of Fell's trademark death cards under Matthew's door, signifying that his time left on earth was near its end and that Fell would soon be coming for him. As The Providence Rider begins buildings are being blown up throughout the city and Matthew's name is being painted on the building right next to it. It's Fell's unique way of coercing Matthew to his island in the Bermudas where he has a proposition for the young detective. Fell believes that there is a traitor in his organization and he's willing to cancel Matthew's death card if he will put his deductive mind to use for the Professor.

McCammon excels at creating fascinating characters, and in The Providence Rider he doesn't disappoint, introducing us to a whole host of colorful characters who work for Professor Fell, each of whom would fit in well in a Dickens novel. He also excels at his storytelling, and once again, he doesn't disappoint here either. The Providence Rider and each of the books in the series are fantastic. I attended a book signing with the author a year or so ago and he revealed that he anticipates writing a total of ten books featuring Matthew Corbett. I was very happy to hear that and am looking forward to the next one, The River of Souls sometime next year.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆