Speaks the Nightbird

By: Robert R. McCammon

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 30 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fiction, 2013

Judgment of the Witch

The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies - and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Issac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal....

Evil Unveiled

After hearing damning testimony, magistrate Woodward sentences the accused witch to death by burning. Desperate to exonerate the woman he has come to love, Matthew begins his own investigation among the townspeople. Piecing together the truth, he has no choice but to vanquish a force more malevolent than witchcraft in order to save his beloved Rachel - and free Fount Royal from the menace claiming innocent lives.

©2002 Robert McCammon (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Edoardo Ballerini performs this story of accusation and fear flawlessly. He effortlessly switches his pitch, accents, and timbre to suit the unfortunate Rachel Howarth, the endless curious Corbett, and the various determined characters, good and evil.” (AudioFile)

"a compelling story that should find a wide readership. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections." (Library Journal)

"An excellent story, full of tension and suspense.” (Stephen King)

Wow! Was this Long!

"Speaks the Nightbird" is a mystery. Is Rachel really a witch, or is she being framed?

Because the story takes place in 1699, there are no modern methods of testing for fingerprints, no Internet for background checks, no telegraph or telephone ... so an investigation takes legwork and time. LOTS of time. Perhaps it is my modern world impatience with the main character's slow approach necessitated by the era, but this book was difficult for me to get through.

Audible divides this book into four parts. At the end of Part I, I thought, "This is painfully slow. I'll never get to the end." There was virtually no suspense to encourage my interest and persistence.

However, the fourth quarter made it all worthwhile. Most of the action, all of the explanations, and of course the big reveal of "who dunnit" were in this quarter.

I should also add that the main character is fabulous, and the narrator is spectacular. Almost all of the characters had British accents, so Ballerini had to create a different tone and rhythm of speech for each. Absolutely perfect.

If you like really BAD bad guys and really GOOD good guys, you will enjoy this book.

Just be patient.

Wonderful audio

So much fun, some history, some witches, great narrator. Well worth the time spent. Loved it

Engrossing! Great story great performance.

I kept finding things to do like going for extra long walks or washing the dishes [my husbands chore] so I could keep listening. I purchased it based entirely on the ratings not at all interested in period pieces but I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Never heard such a great narrated performance and given the amount of characters, accents and the time period, it could have gone horribly wrong. Instead it was perfect and so believable.

The story is an A1 murder mystery [I usually hate mysteries] set in a time when supernatural beliefs were the norm. The characters are all so complex and I miss them already. I can't say enough. One the best I've audiobooks I've listened to.

Very Dark brilliantly witten mystery

If you could sum up Speaks the Nightbird in three words, what would they be?

Gruesome, Captivating! Heart wrenching.

What other book might you compare Speaks the Nightbird to and why?

Follet!s trilogy books. Many mentally twisted characters, a few truly "good" characters embedded in a very accurate, detailed description of the historical period.

Which scene was your favorite?

Spiritual mud house at Indian compound.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

In sickness and in health.

Any additional comments?

Don't listen to this series if you are prone to depression!

A Thrilling Mystery

This was, in all honesty, not the type of book I thought I would have enjoyed - but, as it turns out I think it was one of the most enjoyable things I've listened to in quite a while. It presents a thrilling mystery full of twists and turns, historical drama, and even a sense of horror the time period presents. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Great story!

Although it started out slow, soon the story was gripping and hard to put down.

Very Slow

The story is a but slow, drags a bit, but all other aspects of the writing are excellent, and the setting was very interesting. You get so many historical fiction stories set in the same places, london, ny, etc- setting the story in the early colonial south was a unique choice and the author obviously did his research and managed to bring the time and place to life.

Wonderful narrator.

Where does Speaks the Nightbird rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my first listen to Mr. Ballerini and I'm putting him on my list of favorites. I can't imagine that this listen would have been as enjoyable with any other narrator. Bravo!

FABULOUS NARRATION..black, black fiction

What did you like best about Speaks the Nightbird? What did you like least?

The narration of this audiobook by Edoardo Ballerini was incredible. He more than did his work on this sordid novel and I will look for his other work. For me, the word putrid comes to mind in the needlessly long descriptions about the foulest of human conditons. I found this novel depressing and nauseous and could just as well have passed it by without missing
a thing, except the exceptional 'acting' of Mr. Ballerini.

Was Speaks the Nightbird worth the listening time?

NO !!!!!

Any additional comments?

SAVE YOUR CREDIT FOR SOMETHING MORE UPLIFTING

Mystery of Early America

What did you love best about Speaks the Nightbird?

The mystery was intriguing, and the lead character's persistent, highly proper manner as he unraveled that mystery was fun to hear. His relationship with his mentor was touching.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Speaks the Nightbird?

There is a final mystery in the story that is resolved in a beautiful manner that I appreciated.