Customer Reviews

Mister Slaughter

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm guessing most young readers today don't know who Robert R. McCammon is, but I remember buying his first horror novel, Baal, when it was published in 1978 as a paperback original. So, I've been reading Mr. McCammon's fiction for half of my life. Boy, that's a long time!

During the 1980s and early 90s, Robert McCammon was at the top of his career having written such horror novels as Bethany's Sin, They Thirst, Mystery Walk, Usher's Passing, Swan Song, The Wolf's Hour and then a number of suspenseful mainstream books like Boy's Life, Mine, and Gone South. The author then wrote a historical novel, Speaks the Nightbird, which was the first in the "Matthew Corbett" series and dealt with a young law clerk who travels with his employer and mentor to North Carolina in the late 1600s to try a woman accused of witchcraft. What Corbett encounters is an innocent woman in jail and a town filled with evil secrets, not to mention the dangers lurking around every dark corner. Strange as it may seem, no publisher was interested in this novel. They didn't think Mr. McCammon's fans would buy a historical novel. They were wrong. But, because of his frustration in finding a publisher for his book, Mr. McCammon stopped writing altogether for nearly ten years.

Fortunately for his fans, River City Publishing decided to give Speaks the Nightbird a shot in 2002 and published an extremely nice hardcover of it. The response from the readers for the novel was so enthusiastic that the author decided to write a sequel, The Queen of Bedlam, which was published five years later and continued the adventures of Matthew Corbett after his experiences in North Carolina. This time around, the young clerk is asked to join the Herald Agency, which was the first detective agency in the Colonies, and to become a problem solver with its other member, Hudson Greathouse. In this book, Corbett encounters an international crime cartel, which is led by the infamous Professor Fell and is nearly killed at the end by the good professor's accomplices. It definitely sets the stage for future things in the upcoming novels.

The third book in the series is Mister Slaughter, which picks up a few months after The Queen of Bedlam. Matthew Corbett is now a celebrity after his harrowing experiences in the second novel. He has also been marked for death by the notorious Professor Fell. To add to the mix, both Corbett and Greathouse are hired by the city to escort a prisoner, Tyranthus Slaughter, from an asylum outside of Philadelphia back to New York so he can be shipped to London for hanging. It seems Slaughter murdered several people in England before making his way to the colonies in order to hide. Now, what should be an easy task for Corbett and Greathouse proves to be more difficult than either of them expects. For you see, Slaughter is quick to figure out the weaknesses of each man and to put them to use as he entices them with the prospects of a hidden cache of money. Against their better judgment, they decide to have Slaughter lead them to the buried coins and then to keep him as a prisoner, rather than granting his wish and allowing him to escape. But, escape, he does. Hudson Greathouse is seriously wounded during the prisoner's run for freedom and then Corbett blames himself for the fiasco, knowing if he had only made a decision based on wisdom, Slaughter would still be in chains and on his way to face the hangman's noose. But, if that had happened, there would be no story for us to read.

With the help of a nearby tribe of Indians, Greathouse is given basic medical attention, while Corbett chases after Slaughter, determined to catch the man who almost killed them. To do this, he will have the assistance of Walks in Two Worlds, a warrior who has his own demons to battle, but decides to help Corbett in his quest. For me, this is when the adventure actually begins as Slaughter leaves a trail of blood and guts for Corbett to follow. You see, Slaughter isn't your ordinary, everyday killer. No, he's a special breed of psychopath who thoroughly enjoys the destruction of everything he encounters. Nothing makes him happier than butchering an entire family with his large knife or straight razor. In fact, Slaughter makes Hannibal Lector look like a Boy Scout by the sheer amount of carnage he leaves behind in his wake.

At first, Matthew is determined to capture Slaughter alive, but as time passes and more people are murdered, he changes his mind, realizing this person is a monster in disguise, and that the only way to stop a monster is to kill it. The journey of chaos and mayhem that Matthew takes will slowly aid him in becoming a man as he witnesses the death of friends and eventually has to kill another human being in self-defense. Even more, his whole outlook on life changes as he comes into contact with an evil so corrupting and vile that it leaves him shocked and disgusted by man's inhumanity to his brethren.

Robert R. McCammon, brings all of his creative talent to play in this grand adventure. His characters and scenes are vividly drawn and come to life in ways that profoundly touch the reader. I'll never forget the scenes in which the character of Tom is holding his wounded dog up to keep the animal from feeling the pain of its broken back, or when Walks in Two Worlds realizes the time has come for him to go with the spirits, and the moment when Lark and her mother attempt to save Matthew from being shot by Slaughter by surrendering their lives to the inevitable. This is writing at its absolute best, and few can do it as well as Robert R. McCammon.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am utterly addicted to the "Matthew Corbett" books and find it difficult to wait for each new novel to be published. I therefore have nothing but praise for this series of thick novels and their main character. If you want some well-written and entertaining fiction to help get you through the winter, you won't go wrong with Mister Slaughter, or the two books before it. Buy them, and then take a journey back into Colonial American for the adventure of a lifetime.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this novel before its release. For those who are interested in reading McCammon let it be known that this is the 3rd book in the series. Speaks the Nightbird, The Queen of Bedlam, and then Mister Slaughter. However, with that being said I personally think this novel stands on it's own pretty well. There are a few references of importance that occurred in Bedlam. If you start with this one, you will naturally want to go back and read the previous novels.

This story starts out with our hero Matthew in a different light. He's popular, a city hero, and thinks he's wealthy. So he becomes a bit of an elitist that "spends money he doesn't have to buy things he doesn't need to impress people he doesn't know or doesn't like. (someone else said that, I'm not sure who, it's paraphrased). So we start out kind of annoyed at Matthew for being greedy and stupid with his money. We've grown to really respect him, and you see him making bad choices and a particularly greedy choice that is inevitably, and very obviously going to lead to Mister Slaughter killing a lot of innocent people.

Mister Slaughter offers him something that in previous circumstances we know Matthew would refuse, but he's been slowly digging himself into a pit that you understand and find yourself saying, "Matthew, please don't do that... oh great, you did it!"

Matthew redeems himself by chasing after Slaughter with an Indian buddy we meet in the book. - Which is a fantastic character. Slaughter is very violent and the very description of evil. He's selfish, arrogant, a liar, deceiver, he's destructive, violent, heartless, and truly enjoys the suffering and mutilation of others.

In the end Matthew redeems himself, and is able to forgive his deadly mistake. McCammon does a great job of winding the book down, and bringing it to a close. He also brings a new character into the novel that I thought was in very good timing. I won't give that away. The best way to describe this is redemptive. There is good and evil out there. People are flawed human beings, that even when put on a pedestal will more than likely fall (as Matthew does), Evil wants to destroy anything in it's path, it hates what's good, and often our own selfish choices can bring about horrible outcomes. And through it all, redemption and forgiveness are just around the corner, but the door was opened and the desert still has to be crossed.

Wonderful read from a good author. It begins with Matthew Corbett living beyond his means and accumulating debits. When he finds some money, he keeps it a secret from his partner, Hudson Greathouse, which, in turn, creates a situation later on when transporting Ty Slaugher to New York that causes great havic, evil and remorse. But Matthew redemns himself.

This is shorter than the first two stories but it is still a good read and holds the readers interest, beginning to end. McCammon introduces some interesting characters into this story, both good and bad. This story has moments of sheer horror in it for those readers who would rather not embark on that kind of reading.

I look forward to the next book, but I'll have to wait for Mr. McCammon to write it. I'm so glad that he decided not to give up writing altogether.

Like many reviewers here, I discovered Robert McCammon in the 1980s, when he carved his own niche in the horror market with masterpieces such as Stinger, The Night Boat, They Thirst and The Wolf's Hour. While the premises of these books were often not entirely original, they stood apart due to McCammon's deft writing style, flowing plots, detailed description, and memorable characters.

McCammon took his unique talents to the next level with the superlative Boy's Life, which remains one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. With his next book, Gone South, McCammon seemed poised to take his place as a niche horror-fantasy author who attained mainstream success.

Then, nothing. For YEARS.

At long last, Speaks the Nightbird appeared, and fans everywhere, including myself, were overjoyed. It was as if the years between vanished in the blink of an eye, as the inspired and moving Speaks the Nightbird ranks among McCammon's best.

Then a sequel, The Queen of Bedlam, arrived, and now we have Mister Slaughter, the third book in what has become an official series starring colonial-era investigator Matthew Corbett.

I realize I'm in the minority here, but it's my opinion that this series has declined in quality since Nightbird. McCammon has stated himself that he never intended this to become a series, and I think it shows in the inconsistent writing and seemingly forced plots, especially in this third installment.

There are certainly glimpses of the McCammon of old; the writer who effortlessly balanced the horrific with the beautiful, but I wonder if the extended break has taken something out of him.

Characters do questionable things in Mister Slaughter, and make choices that are wildly out of character, serving only to move the fractured plot toward its somewhat unfulfilling and abrupt ending. Mister Slaughter himself is an odd creation, a seemingly unstoppable insane genius, but he, like Matthew, engages in inexplicable behavior that seems contrary to his intriguing nature. There are also graphic sequences in the novel that feel quite out of place, almost as if McCammon forced himself to write them.

I reread The Wolf's Hour recently, and it almost seems the product of a different author, full of deep imagination, naturally flowing scenarios, and richly portrayed characters.

I have nothing but the deepest respect for Robert McCammon, both for standing up for what he believed in, and for returning to give his fans what they'd craved for so long. However, I think that his writing has lost much of its former magic. While Half-McCammon is still better than most contemporary fantasy authors, knowing that he's capable of producing superior work made Mister Slaughter a disappointment for me.

This is the 3rd book in the Matthew Corbett series, concerning the exploits of a young detective during the Colonial period spanning from New York to North Carolina. This one reads like the other two: wonderful, descriptive writing at a break neck pace.

If you haven't yet pick up Speaks the Nightbird, followed by the Queen of Bedlam, before you read this.

I'm not a big reader of historical fiction but I have read this writer since way back when he was thought of as a "horror" writer. This series is excellent. You really get pulled in. Mr. Slaughter makes you want to keep reading just to see the bad guy get his due. When a writer can actually make you despise or love a character he is really in a class of his own. I absolutely wanted to see "Slaughter" get slaughtered. You are in the hands of a master here. I never would have thought I would get pulled in to a "historical" fiction novel but this series is great. I look forward to his future work. I'm really glad to have Robert Mccammon back writing again.

Every time I finish a McCammon novel - be it the first or the fifth reading of a given work - I am amazed that this author is not a household name on the order of a Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc. Granted, he's nowhere near as prolific in his output, especially given the nearly 10-yr hiatus, but the quality and readability of his books are without equal among his contemporaries . . . and I'm big fan of both King and Koontz.

That said, Mister Slaughter is certainly among his best books, and is as good - if not better - than the two preceding Corbett novels. I just finished it, and I already can't wait for the next installment.

It is the elaborate plot that rescues Robert McCammon's novel, "Mister Slaughter" from becoming just another "penny dreadful." This story is of Matthew Corbett, wannabe journalist, who joins the Herald Agency's New York Office managed by Hudson Greathouse in eighteenth century America. Their assignment as "problem solvers" is to escort Tyranthus Slaughter, one of the new world's most vicious serial killers, from a Quaker Asylum in Pennsylvania to a waiting ship in New York for transport to London where he will be hanged. With that beginning, the story takes on the twists and turns of classic journeys, complete with Slaughter's massacre of innocent families, including clergy and the family dog, all along the way from rural outskirts of Philadelphia to New York City.

The plot is thickened in its earliest days when Greathouse and Corbett bargain with the villain, Slaughter, for his freedom in exchange for a share of the buried treasure of highwaymen's plunder. Of course the deal is dishonest, but then so are the motives of our heroes, Hudson and Matthew--a detail that makes them difficult to care about.

Author McCammon does a creditable job of describing his characters, including assignment of memorable and sometimes hilarious names (e.g., the most evil woman in the story is Mrs. Lovejoy, etc.). More problematic, however is the unbending nature of the characters; villains are always villanous, their motives never explained as more than an assumption that "the devil made me do it." One wonders, for instance, what it was that created the disgusting sickness that is Tyranthus Slaughter.

A more serious problem for me, as an avid historical fiction fan, was the author's slipping into contemporary language, e.g., metaphors using terms like "tinfoil," "snoot," "on the house," and colloquial terms for "urination," etc, which did not exist until the 19th Century. The author's final caveat about such terms as "breakfast, lunch, dinner" vs. "breakfast, dinner, supper" do not relieve the interruption of believable historical fiction. If you can ignore the violation of historcal accuracy, you won't go wrong with "Mister Slaughter" as a rollicking search for a truly evil cast of characters.

Robert McCammon just flat out knows how to write and everything I have ever read by him has been compelling.

Having spent the majority of his career writing in the horror genre, he took some time off and wrote some non-fiction historical novels. Those works must have sparked his historical bone because "Mister Slaughter" is the 3rd in the Matthew Corbett series that is set in the late1600's/early 1700's. Corbett is a Colonial American who is now a full-fledged member of the London-based Herrald Agency that performs various investigations. Working with his mentor, Hudson Greathouse, they are tasked with picking up a hardened criminal named Tyranthus Slaughter and must escort him from a Philadelphia asylum to the docks of NYC where he is to be shipped back to Mother England and hung for his numerous murderous offenses.

However, Mr. Slaughter has other plans in mind. This evil character is like a bizarre hybrid of Sweeney Todd and Hannibal Lecter and he outsmarts his would-be escorts and nearly kills Greathouse in the prcoesss. Corbett is now on his own, escorted by an Indian guide, chasing Slaughter throughout the country and following his path of destruction along the way. This book never lets up on the suspense and the characters are highly believable. McCammon's latest series breathes this era of Colonial America to life and appeals to fans of thrillers and historical fiction. Another winner from one of our finest writers!

Robert McCammon is a great story teller. I've read most of his books and they are all good. Over the years he has moved from horror into mainstream suspense and is now writing historical. Actually, I think Mr. Slaughter is a thriller that just happens to be set in the 1700's.
This is McCammon's third Matthew Corbett thriller. It is a pretty good book. But it starts off very slow. The first 80 pages or so take forever to get through. I actually put the book down and read another book. But when I atarted in again the main plot kicked into gear, and it got interesting. By the end of the story I understood why McCammom wrote the first 80 pages. But they were still hard to wade through.
I ended up liking the book alot. But I think it would have been better if it was nearly 100 pages shorter.
If you are a Robert McCammon fan or enjoy historical fiction you'll like Mr. Slaughter a lot.