The colorful island locale is populated by equally colorful characters. There is Sirki, an East Indian killer; Aria Chillany, Fell’s captain of assasins; Miss Minx Cutter, master of forgery and knife throwing; and Professor Fell himself, the Emperor of Crime. Oddjob and Pussy Galore’s invitations must have been lost in the mail. Allusions to James Bond aside, the novel is rather serious. It reads more like P.D. James or Patricia Highsmith, and while it may not have the thematic depth of the preceding novel in its series, the period language and accurate portrayal of the era give the book gravitas.
McCammon’s vivid portrayal of America’s infancy is what makes this novel of historical fiction so enjoyable. I feel that successfully immersing a reader in a bygone era can be as impressive a feat of world-building as creating a galactic adventure or a fantastical quest. My only complaint is that while McCammon nails the qualitative aspects of life in colonial New England he does not provide a wealth of quantitative facts that will make you rush to the Internet to learn more (excuse me while I push my glasses back up my nose). That minor flaw aside, I highly recommend the book and eagerly await Matthew Corbett’s future adventures.