Cardinal Black

by Robert McCammon
462 pgs  (Matthew Corbett series #7)

Cardinal Black is the seventh book in Robert McCammon's fantastic series featuring Matthew Corbett. I've heard McCammon is only planning to have a couple more books in the series, which makes me both excited and disappointed at the same time. I can't wait to see how the story ultimately ends and how things end up for Corbett and the rest of the characters McCammon began introducing in Speaks the Nightbird. But at the same time, I don't want the story to end.

Events pick up in 1703, right where Freedom of the Mask left off. Matthew has found himself with no alternative but to assist the very man he's been trying to stop for months: Professor Fell. Fell has given Berry Grigsby, the girl Matthew has fallen in love with, an elixir that is causing her to rapidly deteriorate mentally to that of a child. She no longer recognizes Matthew, nor does she even know who she is anymore. Matthew has been forced to track down and retrieve a book of chemical potions, which was stolen from Fell, in order to find a possible cure for Berry.

He is joined on his search for the book by Julian Devane, one of Fell's assassins, and it doesn't take long for both of them to find themselves involved in a deadly game in London's underworld that will test both of their skill sets to their limits.

Each of the books in the series has been great, but Cardinal Black is one of my favorites so far. I found myself picking the book up every chance I could get, even if I only had a few minutes to read, and that's not something a book gets me to do very often. Once again, McCammon brings one installment of his overall story to a satisfying conclusion, only to jarringly set the stage for the next one. But that's a big reason why I enjoy his books so much.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Freedom of the Mask

by Robert McCammon
530 pgs  (Matthew Corbett series #6)

Speaks the Nightbird, the first book in Robert McCammon's Matthew Corbett series, is a massive book. It's over 700 pages long, and it's excellent. I've remained a big fan of the series ever since reading it several years ago, but I've worried as I've noticed each successive installment get shorter and shorter. The last book is only 257 pages, a trend I was happy to see reversed with this latest one. Freedom of the Mask is over 500 pages long, and each one is fantastic.

The last time Matthew Corbett's associate Hudson Greathouse saw him, was when he left New York for Charles Town, on what should have been a simple mission for the Herrald Agency. It's now been months since anyone has heard from Matthew, so Greathouse concludes something must have happened to him and he begins retracing Matthew's steps in an effort to find him.

Matthew has been taken against his will to London, where he now stands accused of murdering the man who kidnapped him. He's placed into the infamous Newgate Prison, where men quickly lose their minds due to the conditions there. Matthew must somehow find a way out of Newgate and get back to New York and the woman he loves. As an aside, I enjoyed the fact that McCammon inserted the famous author Daniel Defoe into his story and has Matthew interact with him while in Newgate, where Defoe actually spent time in 1703.

I can't recommend the series enough. It's set in the early 18th century, where Matthew works as a "problem solver" for the Herrald Agency in colonial America. His sharp mind and tenacity have pitted him against the enigmatic and ruthless Professor Fell throughout the series, a figure who I can best describe as an 18th-century version of a James Bond villain.

Like the rest of the books in the series, Freedom of the Mask has a captivating plot and a host of fascinating characters. It's proof that the series as a whole is progressing at full speed and that McCammon is on top of his game. I finished it anxious and impatient for the next book to come out.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The River of Souls

by Robert McCammon
257 pgs  (Matthew Corbett series #5)

The River of Souls is book number five in McCammon's ongoing series that he says will ultimately include ten books. The series features Matthew Corbett who is a "problem solver" in colonial America at the turn of the 17th century and it's one of my favorite series currently being written.

This time around Matthew finds himself back in Charles Town on an unusual assignment from the Hudson Agency. The assignment is only a precursor though to a much more dangerous adventure Matthew finds himself involved in, when the young daughter of a wealthy plantation owner is discovered murdered by a slave who then flees up river in an apparent attempt to avoid hanging. After examining the body, Matthew doubts that it was in fact the slave who committed the murder and decides to join the group following the escaped slave into the ominous swampland up river, hoping to convince the group to return with him alive so that Matthew can prove his innocence and discover the identity of the true murderer.

It doesn't take long for Matthew and the entire group to realize that the swampland they're entering is filled with its own perils and that they're own survival is in jeopardy.

Every one of the books in this series has been great. This one is no exception. But it's by far the shortest of any of them and so I feel a lingering resentment towards McCammon because of it. If it was up to me, each of the books would be as long as Speaks the Nightbird, the first in the series was and I'd be able to enjoy them for a couple of weeks instead of just a couple of days. But regardless, I highly recommend the series and look forward to the next one.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

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.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Mister Slaughter

Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon
440 pgs  (Matthew Corbett series #3)

This is the third book in the Matthew Corbett series, a series I'm very excited about, since in my opinion, each book has been better than its predecessor. The series takes place in colonial America, seventy years before it declares independence from England. Corbett, who is still in training as an employee for the London-based Herald Agency, finds himself tasked with the job of transporting Tyranthus Slaughter, a murderer being housed at an asylum near Philadelphia, to the docks in New York. Slaughter, who brings to mind Hannibal Lecter, makes Corbett and his colleague an offer they can't refuse.

McCammon is an excellent storyteller. His characters in this series are multi-dimensional and intriguing and the plot is engrossing, suspenseful, and full of unexpected twists. He does a great job of creating the look and feel of the early 18th century in America while incorporating real and unique individuals from our country's history.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆