Mister Slaughter (The Matthew Corbett Series Book 3)

The book was slow starting. The behavior of our heroes was so unexpected, that the reader was disbelieving of their actions. But the author redeems himself and shows this to be a fine series. You will get hooked.

This was actually a gift purchase, but I have read this book and it is definitely a 5 star. He is one of my favorite authors. He keeps the suspense going and it is a page turner for sure. I would recommend this book to anyone who favors historical fiction.

McCammon is a GREAT writer. And this is McCammon at his best.

I hope he writes more of this series. (SOON!)

I try to make his books last, but I read them too fast.

If you like historical adventure mystery fiction (and/or McCammon), you should love these books.

I love Robert McCammon. He is an excellent writer. Character development great. He brings people and places to life. I especially love his Matthew Corbett books. This one is really good. I loved the first one. The second not as much, but still good. This third one is again exciting and the action never stops coming.

Matthew Corbett is back, this time taking a job transporting a notorious serial killer from an asylum in Philly back to New York for trial and a proper hanging. Easy peezy. Tyranthus Slaughter has other plans however, and all hell breaks loose. The proverbial doo-doo hits the fan - just like the morning after eating a dozen Mrs. Sutch’s Spicy Sausages. Blam! What a mess. Matthew has some serious cleaning up to do.

Another solid entry in the Matthew Corbett series. A little actiony in spots, but still has the signature McCammon depth of character and appropriate amounts of wit throughout. Looking forward to the next installment.

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. He was 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 wouldn't be a 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 in their act of surrendering 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 suumer, 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.

One last note, it seems this novel hasn't been picked up by a paperback publisher though I was certain a Trade Paperback had actually been done. The only available formats at the present are the Hardcover edition and the E-book.

Written by Wayne C. Rogers from Horror Novel Reviews. Horror Novel Reviews does not receive payment for reviews. All books are promotional copies.

Once again Robert McCammon delivers a masterpiece. Matthew Corbett has really grown on as a character and the colonial era although never before a genre that I enjoyed is now one of my favorite epics. I had previously enjoyed Wilbur Smith's ancient Egyptian saga, and then onto his swashbuckling adventures, but they didn't contain the raw substance that McCammon is able to infuse into his writings. I was very glad to hear that there will be a fourth follow up to this series, as I had previously only thought that these novels were part of a trilogy.

The characters in this series are put together very well, and for the first time in this saga we get to witness a truly evil individual. Mister Slaughter, this guy is just plain wicked and the viciousness by which he dispatches is victims can be quick and other times drawn out. The sad truth is that the character in this book is extremely horrific but he is just that "fiction", however at the same fact there are people who live beyond this world of fiction and preform actions like this in reality. So although grisly and you want to tell yourself it's only a story the true fact is that these things happen in the news everyday.

Moving on, another thing that I really like the blending of elements from one novel to the next are seamless. Now it's on to a Agent Pendergast novel and then I will be taking a jump back to McCammon's "They Thirst" or "Usher's Passing".

Once again, a special thanks goes out to the author for entertaining with his story-telling!

This third installment of the Matthew Corbett series continues immediately after the second book. It's 1702 in the colony of New York and Matthew and his partner at the Herrald Agency are on their way to the mental ward in New Jersey where Matthew first met Slaughter while investigating the Queen of Bedlam. They are going to escort Mr. Slaughter to New York for his passage to England where he stands charged with several murders. Mr. Slaughter is intelligent, very cunning, and extremely dangerous. To make matters short, Slaughter escapes and a series of devastating events happen. The chase is on as Matthew and his partner Mr. Greathouse, along with a Native American and a young boy try to track and hunt down Slaughter before he causes any more death and destruction. The hunt also leads to a deadly Madame who works for the mysterious Prof. Fell. She runs what is probably the first retirement community and its story is so gruesome that it has to be covered up. If the truth were known perhaps there would be no retirement communities in the future.

This novel is different from the other two in that it's more of a personal struggle and good vs. evil. Whereas the other two novels have many different pieces of the puzzle and mysteries to solve. This novel is also by far the most brutal with violent murder, rape, gore, suicide and definitely has more horror elements. The only reason I give this and the second book 4 stars is because I believe the first book is the best but a 4 for McCammon is still a five in comparison to many authors. I look forward to the following book which should be out in May.

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.

This is the third book in the Matthew Corbett series, a series that 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.

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.

There is a huge difference between this book and the previous two. The gore and macabre in Mr Slaughter far, far exceeds not just the previous books but any tolerable threshold for story-telling. The reader is likely to be repeatedly revulsed with either what the supposedly good characters of the book stop down to or by what happens to them.

The book has no mystery unlike in the previous two books that made them wonderful-reads. There are just a couple of powerful sickos in the name of characters. Gone are the descriptions of the 17th century NY. The chase and catch story could have come from any 20th century jungle around a group of villages and tribes.

Rarely, I have seen such a divide between two consecutive books of same series.

Loved the first two books of this series immensely. I was tempted to buy all the books in one go after reading "Speaks the Nightbird." This third book is terrible on all levels. Pacing is very bad. The characters think too much during action scenes. Mr. Slaughter is ridiculous. There's no mystery in this book. The reader is not grounded in any sort of direction. In the first two books, you had a crisp idea of what was happening. This one, everything seems so random and serendipitous. I gave up close to the end. You shouldn't have to 'force' yourself through a book. I've given up on the series. Sorry.

5 Stars for Mr McCammon!!!!!! I loved this book! It sounds like he is planning to do a series of Matthew Corbett stories. I enjoyed this one as much as his first story with Mr Corbett, and I am looking forward to future books with this character! I have just picked up The Five by Mr McCammon, and am truly looking forward to reading that novel as well! If you are a McCammon fan, please put this one on your "to read" list!

I read the first two installments of Matthew Corbett's adventures and as remarkable as those books were, Mister Slaughter is simply better. I would recommend that you read the first two books simply because they are an excellent read but also because they will give you needed background material.
No need to rehash the plot, you can read other reviews for that. Simply stated, a well researched, well written and thrilling ride with a remarkable protagonist.

Excellent! This is the 3rd book in the trilogy set in Colonial America. I wish I had read the others first, but I will go find them now. The first several pages slowly set the stage, but once the main plot gets going it is a page-turner! I was reading with my book-light in the middle of the night. There are some graphic scenes but most of the novel is more suspenseful than gory. The tone and the writing is very lyrical and sensory and made reading this a pleasure. Highly-recommended!

I really enjoyed the first two books of this series, however this installment was very disappointing. The plot device that starts the chase is really unbelievable. Then there are multiple gruesome chase scenes interspersed with description. There is no mystery for Matthew to solve. The reader knows that Matthew will not be vanquished so it is no surprise when he gets out of out of an impossible situation. There just is no substance to this book. This is really unfortunate since I have read other books by this author and have been delighted with the intricate plot and character development. The author has a great idea...a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond in pre-revolutionary America. This book has only James Bond poorly done. The author promises a sequel to this, perhaps there will be more substance to the next book.

I enjoyed many of Robert McCammon's eariler works and enjoyed his first book in this Matthew Corbett series ("Speaks the Nightbird") a bit more. I found the second Corbett novel a bit of a bore but decided to read the third anyway, much to my disappointment. "Mister Slaughter" is a mess of a novel, built around a plot full of contrivances and one needing Corbett to make decisions so preposterous it's nearly impossible to view the character as anything but a fool. How we're supposed to root for him is beyond me.

The villain of the piece isn't so much textbook as he is cliched, a Revolutionary War era Hannibal Lechter, with a splash of Sweeney Todd thrown in, apparently for novelty and nothing more. The attempts are there for the cunning villain to trap the protagonists into corners from which they cannot escape but the traps are clumsy and the protagonists only seem to fall for them because the story requires them to. McCammon's attempts to up the outrage by having Slaughter commit heinous crimes against women and children are only outrageous because they're out of place, not because there's any vested interest in the characters he sets himself upon.

The real letdown in "Mister Slaughter," though, is McCammon's writing itself. Perhaps it's the nature of working in a period setting but McCammon spends endless time describing everything, hairstyles, clothing, trees and winds, but there's no point to it and it doesn't feed the narrative. It's description for description's sake and since the writing is so neutral, the descriptions lack personality and don't add anything to the drama or the tension.

"Mister Slaughter" is a surprisingly campy and pulpy entry into the Matthew Corbett story. Too bad it's such a bore.

I really enjoyed the first two books of this series, however this installment was very disappointing. The plot device that starts the chase is really unbelievable. Then there are multiple gruesome chase scenes interspersed with description. There is no mystery for Matthew to solve. The reader knows that Matthew will not be vanquished so it is no surprise when he gets out of out of an impossible situation. There just is no substance to this book. This is really unfortunate since I have read other books by this author and have been delighted with the intricate plot and character development. The author has a great idea...a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond in pre-revolutionary America. This book has only James Bond poorly done. The author promises a sequel to this, perhaps there will be more substance to the next book.

I enjoyed many of Robert McCammon's eariler works and enjoyed his first book in this Matthew Corbett series ("Speaks the Nightbird") a bit more. I found the second Corbett novel a bit of a bore but decided to read the third anyway, much to my disappointment. "Mister Slaughter" is a mess of a novel, built around a plot full of contrivances and one needing Corbett to make decisions so preposterous it's nearly impossible to view the character as anything but a fool. How we're supposed to root for him is beyond me.

The villain of the piece isn't so much textbook as he is cliched, a Revolutionary War era Hannibal Lechter, with a splash of Sweeney Todd thrown in, apparently for novelty and nothing more. The attempts are there for the cunning villain to trap the protagonists into corners from which they cannot escape but the traps are clumsy and the protagonists only seem to fall for them because the story requires them to. McCammon's attempts to up the outrage by having Slaughter commit heinous crimes against women and children are only outrageous because they're out of place, not because there's any vested interest in the characters he sets himself upon.

The real letdown in "Mister Slaughter," though, is McCammon's writing itself. Perhaps it's the nature of working in a period setting but McCammon spends endless time describing everything, hairstyles, clothing, trees and winds, but there's no point to it and it doesn't feed the narrative. It's description for description's sake and since the writing is so neutral, the descriptions lack personality and don't add anything to the drama or the tension.

"Mister Slaughter" is a surprisingly campy and pulpy entry into the Matthew Corbett story. Too bad it's such a bore.

Great reading but some events even difficult for me to imagine. The ending let me down some. There was not enough to lead me toward the next book. It flowed well and most times kept me on the edge. Great imagination like most of McCammon's books,