
Matthew followed the maze with his glass, deeper and deeper, deeper still.

Curving and circling, ending here and going there, snaking and twisting and cut by a slash. How like the unknown streets and alleys of a strange city. “How like a maze a fingerprint was, he thought. “‘Twas said better to light a candle than to curse the dark, but in the town of New York in the summer of 1702 one might do both, for the candles were small and the dark was large.” From The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon In addition to his considerable storytelling skills, Robert McCammon can really write a great sentence–when he wants to. I can see why McCammon has developed such a devoted following, and yet…Īlthough I had never read him before, McCammon strikes me as one of those authors who develops a passionate following. Part of the mystery in this book - who is the Queen of Bedlam - Matthew investigates as a member of this agency, and part of it - identifying the dread Masker and stopping his murderous rampage - Matthew undertakes as a private commission. After solving a complex case in the Carolinas (the plot of the first Matthew Corbett book, Speaks the Nightbird), Matthew is recruited as a member of the fledgling Herrald investigative agency. To give you a bit of background: Matthew Corbett is a 20-something former clerk who turns out to be pretty good at solving mysteries.

Book Review: The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon As a result, this book is both the second book in the Matthew Corbett series and the second McCammon novel I’ve read. Although Robert McCammon has a long history of writing best-selling horror novels, I generally avoid horror.
