It took me awhile to get used to the narrator, he grated on my nerves at first. But after a few chapters, I grew to like, then to really enjoy his narration. The story was gripping and overall a great read.

Less tedious detail. I gave it two stars because I managed to finish it, but I was tired of it within the first half hour. I agree that the narrator was better than the story.

I'm currently listening to Conspirata, by Robert Harris.

Measured. Too slow.

Some of the descriptions, perhaps, but in general just way overdone and bloated.

Outlander series fans, don't be misled. It is insulting to compare this author to Diana Gabaldon.

The wonderful language and the fact that it was so well written

The mystery kept you guessing right up until the end

Or course - Matthew Corbett

This narrator is excellent and managed to have different "voices" for each character

I downloaded this book for two reasons: 1) I love mysteries placed 200 (or more) yrs ago; and 2) reviewers gave this narrator very high marks. This lived up to my expectations and then some!

The book has one overall story arc which is faithfully advanced and completed with no loose ends hanging ... it also has a number of supporting sub-plots that very nicely give legs to the larger story. The characters are excellently drawn with all the necessary human foibles and traits. The story has many of the details needed to credibly create an end 17th century setting and satisfy what we know of life in America during that time period.

The primary reason I bought this book was other reviewers giving this narrator rave reviews. He absolutely did not disappoint. I don't believe the story fabric could have held together this well without his reading and fantastic painting of many, diverse characters.

A very, very satisfying book!

There was unnecessary vulgarity that was not relevant to the storyline. There was no need for several of the explicit scenes, which narrowed the book's appeal and made it totally inappropriate for younger readers.

I enjoyed the mystery in an interesting time period and setting.

Yes. The story keeps one guessing as to who actually committed the crimes.

Matthew as he was the only one who could see through all the superstitions of the people and his belief in the accused never wavered. His character is great as he thoughtfully worked out who was the criminal.

No, but I must say that he is an excellent narrator and this made the book so much more interesting as he brought each character to life as a result of his talent, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was sorry when it came to an end.

I found the end of the story about the magistrate very sad.

A good listen. The story takes place in an era when people were superstitious, uneducated and cruel and were easily aroused to violence. The belief in sorcery forms the background of the story The the storyline is very good and there were times when I was sitting on the edge of my seat and found it difficult to stop listening.

Mr McCammon weaves a rich tale set in the late 1600's that I found very entertaining. Toward the end of the story it was difficult to turn it off. Mr Ballerini has a beautiful voice for reading & gives the characters wonderful voices.

Yes there is a richness to the storyline which will benefit from a repeat listen.

The scenes with the rat catcher were memorable

The variation to the voices was very good

The story had a wonderful pace. It's suspenseful and beautifully written. No boring dragged out places and the character development was fabulous. I highly recommend this book. It truly is a piece of art.

The narrator pulled off many characters. Amazing TALENT!

I have never been able to get interested in "Series" books before "Speaks the Nightbird". I am almost finished the second book of the series "The Queen of Bedlam". Believe it or not It is better than the first book. I am ready to purchase and download the third. The story line is new and refreshing. McCammon descriptions of the characters and surroundings makes is better than watching it on the big screen. A movie of these books could never do them justice, but it would be interesting to see who would play the lead character Mathew Corbet.

At the moment I believe there are only four books. I hope McCammon is in the process of writing the fifth book and it will be published soon.

Edoardo Ballerini's narration is perfect for this series. I am definitely going to check other books he has narrated.