"It is said: than to swear darkness, it is better to light a candle. However, in the summer of 1702, the city of New York could not do without curses, for the candles were small and the darkness was great." So, welcome to colonial New York, until recently the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The town - all 5,000 residents - is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new governor (rumoured to be a close relative of her majesty the Queen of England). And Matthew Corbett, the justice of the peace's clerk, is haunted by the mystery of a serial killer nicknamed Masochnik. And it seems that the key to his personality is kept by an elderly lady living in a distant shelter for the insane, known as the Queen of Bedlam... "A fascinating historical detective from an author who could compete in his field with the "king of horrors" Stephen King" (Publishers Weekly) is published in a new translation. The book also includes the first published story "Night Leap," which takes place shortly after the events of "Queen Bedlam."