His epic masterwork Speaks the Nightbird, a tour de force of witch hunt terror in a colonial town, was hailed by Sandra Brown as "deeply satisfying...told with matchless insight into the human soul."

Now, Robert McCammon brings the hero of that spellbinding novel, Matthew Corbett, to 18th-century New York, where a killer wields a bloody and terrifying power over a bustling city carving out its identity - and over Matthew's own uncertain destiny.

The unsolved murder of a respected doctor has sent ripples of fear throughout a city teeming with life and noise and commerce. Who snuffed out the good man's life with the slash of a blade on a midnight street? The local printmaster has labeled the fiend "the Masker," adding fuel to a volatile mystery...and when the Masker claims a new victim, hardworking young law clerk Matthew Corbett is lured into a maze of forensic clues and heart-pounding investigation that will both test his natural penchant for detection and inflame his hunger for justice.

In the strangest twist of all, the key to unmasking the Masker may await in an asylum where the Queen of Bedlam reigns - and only a man of Matthew's reason and empathy can unlock her secrets. From the seaport to Wall Street, from society mansions to gutters glimmering with blood spilled by a deviant, Matthew's quest will tauntingly reveal the answers he seeks - and the chilling truths he cannot escape.

Listening Length

23 hours and 23 minutes
Author

Robert R. McCammon
Narrator

Edoardo Ballerini
Audible release date

May 29, 2012
Language

English
Publisher

Audible Studios
ASIN

B00870F82U
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $7.49 after you buy the Kindle book.

Special invitation from Audible!

One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.

Learn more about Membership

List Price: ~~$31.95~~

You Save: $1.96 (6%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who viewed this also viewed

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Swan Song
Robert R. McCammon
5,302
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Mine
Robert R. McCammon
307
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Stinger
Robert R. McCammon
488
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Usher's Passing
Robert R. McCammon
420
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
The Listener
Robert R. McCammon
324
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Related to this topic

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

The Gods of Gotham
Lyndsay Faye
686
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Instruments of Darkness: A Novel
Imogen Robertson
222
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Cover Her Face
P. D. James
1,885
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
The Taxidermist's Daughter: A Novel
Kate Mosse
1,300
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
What Angels Fear: Sebastian St. Cyr, Book 1
C. S. Harris
1,156
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Product details

Listening Length	23 hours and 23 minutes
Author	Robert R. McCammon
Narrator	Edoardo Ballerini
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	May 29, 2012
Publisher	Audible Studios
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00870F82U
Best Sellers Rank	#29,788 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #407 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) #927 in Crime Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) #1,235 in Historical Thrillers (Books)

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		18%
3 star		2%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

K. Graff

Fascinating and riveting read

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a follow up to Speaks the Nightbird, the first in a 5-book series about Matthew Corbett, a most unlikely hero. I don’t typically read historical fiction, but was introduced to the series by my book club. I am ecstatic to have “met” this protagonist.

The Queen of Bedlam continues the storyline of an unassuming but very clever legal clerk named Matthew Corbett. This book is set in New York at the dawn of the 18th century. An avid chess player, Mr. Corbett has an uncanny ability to “solve problems”, and, as such, he finds himself in a new career as a junior associate of what we would consider to be a private investigation firm in today’s times.

His sleuthing activities lead him on numerous perilous journeys, which kept this reader mesmerized. The characters met along the way are unforgettable, and the interwoven storylines are breathtaking.

Yes, there is violence - some of it downright gruesome - but the violence is indicative of the times and is always germaine to the story at hand. In other words, the violence is not gratuitous. I can live with that!

I heartily recommend this book (as well as the first in the series) for an educational, enlightening and enjoyable read.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Adrienne Perry

Spellbinding!

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you don’t care for a great many details in your Historic Mystery, this is not a read for you! This author is as much a world builder as any SciFi or fantasy writer, the only difference being that this is a world that once existed, so wonderfully described that you find yourself immersed in the telling to the point that you ARE there, at least in your well-exercised & healthy imagination. This book is the sequel to Speaks the Nightbird, but you don’t have to have read that tale (although you certainly should) to appreciate this one; the only thing the two have in common is it’s the same brilliant magistrate’s clerk, Matthew Corbett, out to solve intriguing mysteries…one being what will Matthew do with his life now that becoming a lawyer has been ruled out. The setting is New York Town not long after it’s transition from New Amsterdam, it’s population only 3,000 or so individuals, so you can imagine the fear that infects the townsfolk when a serial killer emerges whom they dub “The Masker” because of the curious cuts made in the flesh surrounding the victim’s eyes. And then there’s a dignified & wealthy speechless woman in a nearby mental asylum that Matthew believes is somehow connected. Flawlessly written rich prose; exciting action! Now on to the next book of what has become the Matthew Corbett series.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Klapaucjusz

Historical fiction that is almost a fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is simply an amazing historical fiction/adventure/mystery book. The action takes place at the end in XVII century in New York that was back then a city of almost (sic!) 5000 people and the story is filled with captivating period details. The main protagonists, a young clerk, Matthew, gets entangled in mysteries that include (among others) a serial killer, priest losing his mind, mystifying agency and catatonic lady in insane asylum. Of course some (but not all) of these mysteries are connected.

The colorful characters, the series of unlikely coincidences, Matthew’ luck and his deducing talents make this book almost a fantasy read. They also make it a page turner never letting reader to catch a breath between chapters. The author has a way of describing people and scenery that makes it very easy to visualize all of them. And once the vivid images started popping in my mind I was hooked. I read every chapter with unwavering attention, including some quite bloody ones toward the end, the kind that I usually skip through. It helped a little to know that there are other books in this series so Matthew will survive his ordeals ;).

This is a second book in the series but it stands on its own. Except for the very beginning when Matthew’ behavior seems dimwitted. But this part allows author to remind a reader about Matthew’ past.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

David W Putnam

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

This one is four and a half stars. Could've been five but the wrap up at the end, though satisfying went on a little too long throwing off the story ARC. And a good chunk of the wrap up was "told" instead of being shown. This next part is rewrite but the crisis really ended with the battle at the farm. It was wonderfully depicted and realistic. Mathew fought the way he had been motivated (MAR, motivation action reaction). In so many books now days the character is flawed enough and when the crisis comes he or she steps into a phone booth and steps back out with a big S on their chests. I have been in many violent confrontations and this one was so real it was chilling. Some authors might want to pick up this book just to read the battle at the farm scene. Truly an outstanding piece of writing. This is why when the book was wrapped up quickly afterward the story arc had a slight droning-on effect.
Absolutely loved the first one in this series and loved this book a great deal I would definitely. recommend it.
I mostly dwell in the mystery genre but all of my favorite books of all time are historicals. This book spans both, mystery and historical. It's a serial killer loose in the fledgling city of New York in the early 1700's. The setting carries equal weight to a main character which I absolutely love and require in my historicals. The language and syntax has just enough flavor of the time period to really make it work well.
I also like a book that leads me one way with motivation and then does a hard shift to keep to knock me off the track I had been on. That happened in the farm battle. The person I thought that would come to the rescue did not factor in at all. Yet it was motivated that he would. Another character who had been motivated in a different direction saved Mathew. I know this might sound like I'm talking in circles but I don't want to give away any spoilers.
After writing this I have talked myself into five stars. Maybe I was being unfair by comparing this one to the first one in the series. I will definitely continue on with the series and continue to highly recommend these books.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Squeaky Joe

A fascinating and thrilling read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

When a respected doctor is murdered in 1700s New York, a tide of fear sweeps through the city. Branded ‘the Masker’ by a local printer, a second body is soon discovered, spreading further alarm amid the community. Law clerk Matthew Corbett has questions he wants answered, but no-one is willing to listen to him – least of all High Constable Gardner Lillehorne, so Matthew takes on his own investigation and quickly finds himself in deep water.

In Robert McCammon’s second book featuring Matthew Corbett, the young clerk is faced with several challenges, not least discovering who is going around slashing throats. As with ‘Sings the Night Bird’ the story is riveting from start to finish and demonstrates the author’s skill as a consummate storyteller. The plot weaves together numerous storylines, pitching its hero against a talented swordsman, a cross-dressing Govenor and old enemy Eben Ausley, as well as throwing him into a possible romance with his new landlord’s daughter.

The language, as always, is perfect and paints a vivid picture of early New York, as well as the vagaries and occasionally murderous habits of its inhabitants. A fascinating and thrilling read from the first page to the last.

4 people found this helpful

Ian Williams

A thriller to rank with Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2010

Verified Purchase

-which I coincidentally read immediately before this.

Set in growing colony town of New York in 1702, it continues the story of the young clerk, Matthew Corbett, (whose story begins in Speaks The Nightbird, though prior knowledge of his activities is not required). The town is terrified because of the activities of a violent murderer (and possibly serial killer) nicknamed The Masker. This is only the beginning of an exquisitely written authentically detailed historical thriller which grows more and more complex as the highly intelligent Corbett begins to investigate the dark secrets of the new society and the dark and dangerous world in which he lives. It is populated with a number of vivid and fascinating characters who range from the kindly and the charming to the deepest black. It is stunningly inventive with a rich use of language and vernacular and a plot that twists and turns in many unexpected directions.

I really don't want to say to much otherwise I might spoil the many pleasures that this rich and readable novel possesses. Perhaps it's best if I end this review by saying I read this book on holiday and within hours of my return (and about half an hour before writing this review) had ordered the third in the series which was published earlier this year.

3 people found this helpful

Watty

Slow starter

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

A good historical murder mystery, it was very slow in its build up in fact I nearly cast the book aside it was so overly descriptive-the book is set in New York and yes the story needed to give you the sense of the city as it was but most of this was only relevant if you were a New Yorker, anyway I finished the book and it turned out to be an enjoyable read once past the boring first chapters.

Mr Macabre

Superb!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2016

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this as much as [book:Speaks the Nightbird|1525997] Matthew Corbett is a hugely likeable character and placing him in the New York of this age works beautifully. Mr McCammon has the knack of making you read without ever realising that's what you're doing! Some writers can take a while to take you into the pages but he does it in a matter of one sentence.

A beautifully written story and I'll definitely continue with this series.

One person found this helpful

High toned sob

The queen of bedlam

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have been a massive fan of Robert mccammon for twenty years and these Matthew Corbett books are a happy return to stories very reminiscent of his early work full five stars as long as you don't retire again !!!!

See all reviews

The Queen of Bedlam: A Matthew Corbett Novel, Book 2 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Read & Listen

Free with Audible Trial $0.00

Buy with 1-Click $29.99

People who viewed this also viewed

People who bought this also bought

Related to this topic

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Free with Audible Trial

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$29.99