The Queen of Bedlam

“Historical NYC is [the] setting for this superb serial killer thriller,” from the New York Times–bestselling author of Speaks the Nightbird (Fresh Fiction).

Manhattan, 1702. A bustling colonial town, New York is starting to see a rise in crime that is overtaking its fledgling law enforcement, namely a ragtag collection of constables whose job is mainly breaking up drunken tavern brawls and domestic squabbles.

After saving a woman from a witch-hanging in the southern colonies, magistrate’s clerk Matthew Corbett finds himself back in New York, driven by his obsession to bring justice to the abusive headmaster of the orphanage where he was raised. Familiar with the dark side of human nature, Corbett is still shocked to find a throat-slashing killer stalking the nighttime streets, one who leaves cuts in the flesh around the victims’ eyes.

Targeting some of the town’s prominent citizens, “The Masker” has all of New York on edge. And Corbett’s career takes a surprising turn that allows him to match wits with the killer, uncovering connections between the victims that will lead him straight into the shadowy recesses of the mind—and the blighted heart of a shocking conspiracy . . .

“The hero of Robert McCammon’s saga of colonial witch hunts, Speaks the Nightbird, returns to track a serial killer in 18th-century New York . . . A good book for a winter storm.” —Entertainment Weekly

“[A] spellbinding sequel to Speaks the Nightbird. . . . McCammon brilliantly captures colonial New York and closes with a tantalizing cliffhanger that suggests more exciting sleuthing to come.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)