Cardinal Black

Matthew Corbett, Book 7

By: Robert McCammon

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Cardinal Black is the latest installment in Robert McCammon's unique series of historical thrillers featuring Matthew Corbett, professional problem solver, who has been called "the Early American James Bond."  

December 1703 finds Berry Grigsby living as Mary Lynn Nash in a small English village where she has fallen victim to Professor Fell's involuntary drug experiments. Her mind is quickly deteriorating under the drug’s influence, and the only way to save her is a potion book that was stolen in an attack on the village orchestrated by a mysterious madman going by the name Cardinal Black.  

Matthew Corbett has volunteered to travel with Julian Devane, a self-proclaimed "fool and bad man" in the employ of Professor Fell, to hunt down the potion book. They follow the trail to London, where the book will be sold at a secret auction. Matthew and Julian manage to secure a seat at the auction by masquerading as respected and feared underground operatives, but to prevail in their high-stakes mission, they will require help from a very unlikely source. Even if they are successful, their race to save Berry Grigsby will leave a trail of destruction in its wake.  

Cardinal Black is another extraordinary achievement from one of America's most skilled authors, and it features some of the most memorable, compelling, and chilling characters in the Matthew Corbett series to date, each with their own competing agendas. This masterful historical adventure is perfectly balanced for long-time fans of the series and new listeners alike who are now joining the adventure.

©2019 Robert McCammon (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Least favorite of the series

I'm a dedicated McCammon fan and I love the entire Matthew Corbett series. However, I have to say this is probably my least favorite book of the series. As always, Edoardo Ballerini does a fantastic job...can't say enough about his amazing narration. The story though...eh. There were times my mind wandered and I often found myself thinking that there was little point in some of characters that were introduced. I also found this book to be VERY gory compared to some of the others. I think I can handle violence, but I found this completely over the top and gratuitous. I'd still recommend this as a listen to anyone who loves the series, but prepare yourself for a ' just okay' story.

Entertaining

I think the problem I have with this series is that it changed from historical fiction to steampunk thriller. Speaks the Nightbird was an incredible piece of writing. Intense and deep in character development though admittedly a little slow in places. The rest of the series is much more upbeat and action oriented, but throws in a lot of things requiring copious amounts of suspended disbelief including automatons and potions that cause fantastical effects but can be reversed months later with the proper antidote. It's an entertaining series. It just isn't what it started out to be and it's getting a little harder to excuse some of the more far-fetched plot devices.

Robert: Your violence is toxic & gratuitous

McCammon is a consummate storyteller, which draws me in, but every few minutes he feels a need to descend into grisly details of horrific violence that turns his otherwise intriguing tales of Matthew Corbett into toxic & unnecessary sludge. Do we need this? I don’t. Sorry, Mr. McCammon , I’m taking a moral stand against it. You can do better.

another great addition to series!

I bought this book when there was only a single review and that was 1 star. I don't know what that person voted so low because it thought the book was great. entertaining, unpredictable and lots of depth in characters. solid addition to the Matthew Corbett series.

The problem solver lives on

I adore this series. However, in this book, I struggled a bit with the unending gore and that Matthew was almost secondary to Julian Devane.
Nevertheless, I can't wait for the next one.

Again.../cliffhanger hell! But what a story!

Loved it! Finished it in two days! And it still felt shorter than it’s 14 hours. Be forewarned that our man Matthew is amongst some Badddd men and women. And they do bad things. Not for the faint of heart. Also if you are unfamiliar with this series this will just seem like an excuse to shock. But if you love this series you’ll get it. Sort of reminds me of Comeron Strike if he was in the 1500 hundreds. All these books are highly recommended. But note the warnings above. Next one, please!

Great follow up, just too short

I was awaiting this follow up. The characters were great.....spoiler.....but dispatched too quickly. I get that another chapter to this story is going to follow, and in the earlier books of this series, it seemed to drag on at first. I hope the next book takes a little more time to develop. I have grown accustomed to the story development and was a ......little, not much, but a little disappointed at the quickness of this book. I must say I can't wait for my favorite author to follow this one up.

NOT LIKE THAT

I love this book and the Matthew Corbett series, but out of all the other books I did not like how this book end. The previous books left me wanting more, this one left me wondering "What the hell was that" and why end like that.

Best in series since Mr. Slaughter.

really great performance by Eduardo Ballerini. Only Robert McCammon could write a period historical fiction series that could hold my attention. But, from "Sings the Night Bird" which is the first one right on through to this one it has for the most part been a winner. Don't start with this one. You need a fuller story line since this is a continuation from the previous entry. This one is really well done. Highly recommended.

More, more, more!

What a wonderful adventure. What an amazing world has been created here! The reader is lost in such an adventure. 7 books in and I want more!

The Spirit Of Dick Van Dyke

Burns fiercely within the soul of Edoardo Ballerini and is unleashed with joyous abandon here. As a lengthy lesson in how to utterly murder a variety of British accents, this is a perfect reading. This lesson was not what I hoped for, but I got it anyway. I desperately wanted to enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed most of this series, but I have to admit that EB's accents defeated me less than half way through. I doubt my difficulties will be shared by any US listeners.

Far too gory!

The writer is gradually letting his horror writing take over from what started out as a brilliantly described historical series. This book seemed just to be composed of fights, the more bloody and horrible the better! Well, not for this listener! The narrator, though excellent, is running out of voices, and is getting defeated by the various kinds of English accent.
If Matthew and Greathouse get to Sicily, I hope they will have at least a modicum of problem solving, and much less violence to deal with. I wish they could go back to New York (where the author is on less shaky ground)!

I have previously pointed out the inapproriate menus in the last review:
Corn (maize) was never a cereal crop in Britain, so references to 'corn cakes' mean nothing to many listeners.
Yam (presumably sweet potato?) won't grow in Britain, so wouldn't appear on any menu.
These were encountered IN THE COLONIES by the first settlers, and never really migrated 'over the pond'
What Britons DID eat as staple foods were bread ( made from wheat flour and probably introduced by the Romans), and potatoes, (brought to the country 100 years earlier and by then a widely grown food crop)

'Biscuits' mean cookies everywhere except US. To Britons they are 'scones' and eaten with afternoon tea!

History lesson over...sorry!!

hooked

I can't believe I now half to wait for book 8 to be written. I'm dying to know what happens next. I loved this series from the very first book, and watching Matthew Corbett grow into a man. if you like twists and turns, this series is for you. the narration is beautiful, I can almost see the characters from the voices that were chosen.

Needs a new editor!

As much as I love the Matthew Corbett series, I’m forced, as a Brit, to grit my teeth every time he has a meal in a British setting. Even now in our multi cultural setting, corn cakes and yams are not staples of meals on this island!
This said, for action, you can’t beat these books. Matthew is of course just too good to be true, and gets himself into ridiculous scrapes. Waiting for the next with bated breath!

Another fantastic tall tale!

Woah what a cliff hanger - I love this series, you’re rooting for our hero Matthew the whole way through with the endless scrapes he finds himself in. Come on Robert McCammon, chip chop, get there next one written!

ends on a cliff hanger......

The perfect command of words and intrigue...Robert McCammon had me hooked again to the adventures of Matthew Corbett. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

Fabtastic addition to the series

I pre ordered this, having listened, and enjoyed hugely, the rest of the series. I was not disappointed. I love the intrigue in these books. There were genuinely moments where I didn't know how Matthew would extract himself without his own death. I actually cheered at a few points. The book has finished on a cliff hanger, clearly showing there is another leg of this adventure. I wait in eager anticipation.

Another fantastic narration by Ballerini

I’ve waited with growing excitement for this next instalment. McCammon is still the master of storytelling. His talent is undoubtable but much like the electricity supply to Frankenstein’s monster it is animated and given life by Ballerini. The perfect duo. A bit too much fighting in this one, hence only 4 stars from me, but enjoyable all the same. Well done!

Brilliant

Again left me wanting more hurry up with the next instalment f Mathew Corbett’s adventures please

loved it

I've enjoyed all of these books for the same reason, they are well performed mad cap adventures and almost pure escapism. The characters have become more bizarre as the series has progressed and the ones in Cardinal Black are definitely the weirdest.
My only criticism is that there are maybe a few too many oddities in this tale, but they didn't slow the pace. The roller coaster of heroic rescues, escapes, chases, mystery solving and battles is almost exhausting to listen too. Really good fun from start to finish.