Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon

This review contains spoilers.



Mister Slaughter
by Robert McCammon
Subterranean Press, Jan 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59606-276-4
Hardcover
440 pages
Historical Fiction/Crime/Thriller

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Matthew Corbett is back. The quick-witted hero of Speaks The Nightbird and The Queen of Bedlam is now a New York investigator of some renown. He’s also a man marked for death by the elusive, master criminal Professor Fell.

When Matthew Corbett and his mentor, Hudson Greathouse, are assigned by Governor Lord Cornbury to collect Tyranthus Slaughter from the colonial asylum known as Bedlam, they aren’t happy about it. But £5 to escort a killer back to New York is just too much money to turn down.

“Mister” Slaughter, as he prefers to be called, is a man of many faces and a serial killer who makes today’s celluloid villains pale in comparison. When Mister Slaughter offers Greathouse and Corbett a treasure in exchange for his freedom, the men should have bound his mouth and whipped the horses. But Greathouse has a noble thing he wishes to accomplish and no money to do it with. He convinces Corbett to take Mister Slaughter up on his offer. After all, they have no intention of letting the madman go free.

But the two investigators underestimate Mister Slaughter’s ability to plant seeds of evil far in advance and patiently wait for those seeds to grow and bear fruit. Not only do the two men get cheated out of their treasure, Mister Slaughter manages to arm himself, seriously injure Greathouse, incapacitate Corbett and escape.

Rescued from their dire circumstances by Indians, Greathouse finds treatment for his wounds, while Corbett manages to acquire the services of the village outcast as a tracker.

Soon the adversaries are pursuing each other through the wilderness. A portrayal of a deadly serious and horrific game, this part of the book is real entertainment. Particularly, the few settlers who make their homes in the area have the gruesome misfortune of meeting Mister Slaughter, and we, the readers, finally see the fiend revealed. There’s also a night-time battle between the killer, Corbett and his guide, which is especially thrilling.

As the chase moves ever closer to civilization, Corbett, who has a secret he feels makes him responsible for the killer’s escape, experiences a gradual breakdown of his mental and physical abilities. It would seem that Mister Slaughter is unstoppable.

Corbett is poised on the brink of defeat when the two come upon a small village, so he plays his one last card: a name he remembers. In doing so, the young investigator stumbles across a connection between Mister Slaughter and a local business woman. While this puts him back on the killer’s trail, it also brings Corbett into greater conflict with the chilling Professor Fell.

The final meeting of Corbett and Mister Slaughter involves so many disturbing and complicated story lines, one has no choice but to rip through the pages of this unique and gritty thriller in order to find out if the horror being suggested is actually true.

Mister Slaughter is Robert McCammon doing what he does best. His descriptive abilities take us back to a world that is a composite of 30 some years of development in New York City (1700-1730). His characters, always larger than life and ever so quirky, never cease to entertain. And his story is complicated enough that Matthew Corbett can proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.

I noticed another reviewer complaining about McCammon’s overuse of cliffhangers (based on wordplay) in Mister Slaughter. I say the same thing to this critic as I did to the one who criticized the author’s over-the-top approach to character development in The Wolf’s Hour. It’s good to see a writer having fun and playing with his audience. McCammon’s willingness to play and experiment in his writing happens to be one of the reasons I’m a fan. Good for you, sir. And I hope to see much more from you in the future.


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009

Murder in Old Blood by Toni Sweeney

Murder in Old Blood
by Toni V. Sweeney
Double Dragon Publishing
August 24, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1-55404-374-3
384 pages
Horror/Mystery
Paperback/ebook

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Toni Sweeney’s unique vampire novel begins in the year 1794, when Honoria Neville turns Christopher  Landless into a vampire. Mates for over 600 years, the two hunt the world and then the galaxy, until humans learn to accept their existence. Once outed, vampires live in harmony with the “breathers” for decades, until the massacre at Bethel. From then on, all Undead are imprisoned in concentration camps, and blood is brought to them through transfusions. When one of the vampires imprisoned on planet Albidon-7 is destroyed, the local police are forced to investigate. Thus begins a love affair between lieutenant Kate Dalia and vampire leader Kit Landiss.

What happens when the boundaries between human and nonhuman and good and evil become blurred? The answer is Murder in Old Blood.

The characters in Murder in Old Blood are well developed and Sweeney’s writing simply carries you along. This was a most enjoyable read. Too enjoyable, in fact, to fit the category of horror selected by the author. The book was more of a futuristic and paranormal mystery.

But so what? I think all you vampire lovers who haven’t read Murder in Old Blood are in for a treat. There are so many unusual aspects to the story I hated to write the outline. Even so, I believe you’ll run into enough twists and turns that this little gem will entertain.

Reviewer’s notes: There’s a bit of spice. Not for youngsters. And, as I mentioned, the book just isn’t dark enough to be horror. I also found the concept of moving water as anathema to vampires a bit unbelievable.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009

To Inherit a Murderer (The Ward) by E. J. Reuk

To Inherit a Murderer (Book 1, The Ward)
by E. J. Ruek
Published by smashwords
Thriller
302 pages
eBook

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The Author

E. J. Ruek writes  “contemporary mainstream novels with just a nod of nerve-tingling what-if possibility.”

“In life,” the author says “things are not always as they seem — not on the surface and not underneath. I like that. I like to write about that. Your auntie might not be that nice lady you always thought she was. In fact, she might be nicer. If fact, she might have hidden knowledge that you never dreamed someone like her could harbor, much less use. She has secrets, and those secrets drive the neighbors crazy, because they just “know” that something isn’t quite as “normal” as it should be. …And it isn’t.”

“You just never know. You can never assume. Because, when you do, things happen.”


The Book

Both parents dead, William is to be raised by his mother’s friend Deborah Rheinhart–even though she suspects the twelve-year-old is a murderer.

Injured by the rage-driven boy on his first day at her home, Deborah’s reclusive and very private life is turned upside down. Her hired “chaperones” are forced to turn her beautiful ranch into a prison. Even Deborah’s activities become restricted.

A portrait of high-end ranch life and the “prestigious world” of Grand Prix show jumping, The Ward by E. J. Ruek is also the story of a woman dedicated to understanding and teaching her inherited child, despite how evil he seems to be.  Determined to make William earn companionship and privileges by actions, Deborah puts herself directly in the path of a force so destructive she may very well be the next victim on a growing list of strange deaths and injuries.


The Review

To Inherit a Murderer (Book 1, The Ward) is my first time reading the fiction of E. J. Reuk. I am, however, familiar with the author’s blogging, book reviews and editorials, and I’ve come to expect quality in all. Reuk’s fiction does not disappoint.

Reuk is up there with the best. Crisp, balanced prose. A unique, well-told story. And a protagonist and antagonist the reader won’t be able to get enough of. I’m thrilled The Ward is just the first book in a series.

Will appeal to: thriller buffs, horror fans, those who lean toward the paranormal.

What I didn’t like: the story bogged down a bit during a rather lengthy visit to the world of horse jumping.

Final comment?  The Ward is the reason I keep sifting through the galaxy of small and independent publishers; the novel is unique, and it’s very good.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009