Includes Matthew Pearl's exclusive audio afterword on the truth behind Poe's death!
Baltimore, 1849. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. Everyone seems to accept the conclusion that Poe was a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end—except for a young Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark, an ardent admirer who puts his own career and reputation at risk in a crusade to salvage Poe's.
As Quentin explores the puzzling circumstances and unanswered questions of Poe's demise, he realizes that he must find the one person who can help: the real-life model for Poe's brilliant fictional detective character, C. Augustine Dupin, the hero of ingenious tales of crime and detection. Soon Quentin finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations involving international political agents and the lost secrets of Poe's final hours. If Quentin is to escape Poe's grisly fate, he must become a master investigator himself.
Drawing on original, groundbreaking research, the bestselling author of The Dante Club has once again crossed literary history with sublime craftsmanship and devious twists to create a beautifully detailed, ingeniously plotted tale of suspense.
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"An intensely riveting, psychological, historical portrayal of a man who becomes so obsessed with Poe's life and death that he seemingly becomes the writer himself. Pearl does a fantastic job of mimicking Poe's theory of ratiocination throughout the text disguised as stream of consciousness."
— Yeti (5 out of 5 stars)
“Poe would have liked it.”
— Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel“[An] enticing second novel.”
— Bloomberg Press“Pearl demonstrates a clear mastery of Poe mythology and uses his knowledge of 1850s Baltimore to excellent effect.”
— Library Journal“The Poe Shadow is an entertaining tale of ratiocination that would make Poe himself proud.”
— BookPage" I found this book to be quite enjoyable with many interesting facts and educated suppositions about Edgar Allan Poe and his final days. "
— Ann, 2/20/2014" I really enjoyed this. Incredible historical detail at, at times, I almost felt transported to the era. "
— Adrian, 2/19/2014" I couldn't get through it. I'm going to change this back to still reading, but it is an extremely hard, very boring read. "
— Melinda, 2/10/2014" Being a huge fan of everything Poe, I snagged this book up. What a mistake. Do yourself a favor. Imagine yourself stalking the ghost of something, a memory of something. Now imagine that you lose all of your money, family, dignity, and everything that you can call yours, because you were chasing nothing. Good. Now you just read The Poe Shadow. Sorry to disappoint you. "
— Dustin, 2/5/2014" This was a tedious read. "
— Lennis, 1/28/2014" What a good audio book! It was very Sherlock Holmes. Anyone who likes a good mystery mixed with history will love this book. I probably should not have listened to it while driving b/c I had to "back it up" a few times to make sure I didn't miss any details. "
— 'Chele, 12/26/2013" I suppose it is not very fair to base judgment of a novelist's second book on his first, but I shall do so anyway. This text was very disappointing and tiresome, particularly in comparison to The Dante Club. "
— Seth, 10/24/2013" this one was a little easier to read - but, to me, it just went NO WHERE. It was like the old, mountain out of a mole hill. The theory seems plausible, but at times I felt like yellling at the main character, "Get A Life!" "
— Mark, 10/5/2013" Somehow preferred this more than The Dante Club, altho' the end is kinda long-winded and almost anti-climax. But still an absorbing read. Not exactly the conventional whodunit, imo. "
— Nura, 7/18/2013" I really enjoyed this book,it felt like I was there, his previous book "the Dante club" is also a great read. "
— Johanna, 6/19/2013" I expected to like this one as I loved, loved The Dante Club. The first-person narrative really bugged me here....I couldn't stand the narrator. Think I got to page 12? Very disappointed. "
— Karen, 11/13/2012" Great piece of fiction with outstanding historical accuracy surrounding the death of Poe. "
— Becky, 4/27/2012" Mystery + History "
— Celine, 3/30/2012" I listened to the audiobook and thought it was quite good. I really liked the story. Very interesting! "
— Autumn, 8/21/2011" Being a huge Poe fan I had high hopes for this book. But for the most part I found it disappointing. "
— Christopher, 7/11/2011" I admire the fact that Pearl performed literary archeology and provided the reader with new insights into Poe's curious demise. However, the book could have been half as long and twice as impactful and I had a difficult time sympathizing with the voice of the narrator. "
— Jeana, 5/15/2011" It seemed to be well researched, although I know very little about Edgar Allen Poe myself. However, the characterization and details of Baltimore and Paris seemed to ring true. Mostly, though, it was difficult to get through, even boring in some places. It did pick up towards the end. "
— Lavonne, 3/24/2011" As mysterious and OCD as a Poe story. "
— Sschnitker, 3/13/2011" The plot moved like molasses in January in Alaska. The characters are unbelievable, unlikable, and pretentious. The narrator had lost all credibility about halfway through. Half of my book club didn't finish the book. Only one of us liked it. The ending is trite and unbelievable. <br/> "
— Lacie, 3/7/2011" It was alright. I prefer Matthew Pearl's other book way more! Loved the "Dante's Club." "
— Praggya, 2/2/2011" The beginning of this book was not sufficiently interesting to warrant finishing the book. Except for The Dante Club, I've found this to be the case with Pearl's other books. "
— Christy, 1/23/2011" Basta yavas ilerliyor ve hiçbir sey anlatmiyor gibi görünse de sonlara dogru biraz heyecan vermeye basladi. Sonu bekledigim kadar aydinlatici olmasa da fena bir kitap degil. "
— Gozde, 1/21/2011Matthew Pearl is an author whose novels have been international and New York Times bestsellers translated into more than thirty languages. The Taking of Jemima Boone is his nonfiction debut. His nonfiction articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Atavist Magazine, and Slate. He has been chosen best author for Boston Magazine's Best of Boston and received the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.
Erik Singer’s theatrical credits include the title role in The Hostage (off Broadway), A Life in the Theatre, Greetings!, and national tours of Othello and The Taming of the Shrew. He has also appeared on All My Children and As the World Turns, and was the voice of Vincent van Gogh in the A&E Biography about Van Gogh and Gauguin. His audiobook narration has twice won him the AudioFile Earphones Award.