- Paperback: 370 pages
- Publisher: Harvill Secker; First Edition First Printing edition (2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345496760
- ISBN-13: 978-0345496768
- Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 2.8 x 17.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
The Poe Shadow
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've always had a soft spot for the poetry and fiction of Edgar A. Poe, one of the greatest writers in American history, as well as the grandfather of whodunnits and modern horror.
And Matthew Pearl apparently has a soft spot too -- his follow-up to the bestselling "Dante Club" is a creepy, atmospheric, clever mystery surrounding the early death of Poe. The main character can be clueless, but it's made up for by genius detectives, retro writing, and musings on how a genius's art can affect others.
Edgar A. Poe is dead, unmourned and almost forgotten at the age of forty. This comes as a shock to pen pal Quentin Clark, who rapidly starts to suspect foul play. Even his recent engagement comes second to his wish to find out the facts. So he travels to Paris to find Auguste Duponte, the inspiration for Poe's brilliant C. Auguste Dupin, and convinces the reclusive ex-detective to come to Baltimore and solve the mystery.
Unfortunately, they are being followed by flashy Baron Dupin and his assassin wife; Dupin wants to make a name for himself, and pose as the REAL inspiration. Duponte ignores his obnoxious rival as he and Quentin go through Baltimore, collecting scant evidence, talking to witnesses and investigating Poe's own letters. But soon this investigation turns lethal, and Quentin finds himself as the primary suspect of Poe's death...
Edgar A. Poe's death is still something of a mystery, and people still debate what killed him. Rabies? Alcohol? TB? Nobody really knows, even now. So it was a brilliant stroke for Pearl to turn it into a murder mystery, complete with the real-life details as clues (such as Poe's dying cry of "Reynolds!"), and real-life people as characters.
Pearl writes like a 19th-century author transported to the 21st, with his true-to-the-time characterizations and slightly ornate prose. Even better, he spices up the whodunnit with meditations on genius -- how it can be misunderstood, how scandals can overshadow brilliant work, and even how great art can change our lives and free us from the mundane.
Atmospherically, it even resembles one of Poe's works. There are graveyards, misty streets, and the decayed grandeur of Baltimore. But Pearl includes a bit of comedy in the story, apparently to keep it from getting too grim, with the over-the-top Baron and his perky assassin/wife.
Quentin is probably the reigning flaw of the book. He's a naive, rather overeager young lawyer, but you'll want to kick him in the pants from time to time. But Duponte is a truly fascinating lead character in the vein of Poe's own writing, with his casual use of "ratiocination" (logical thinking) and his cool head.
"Poe Shadow" is not only a solid whodunnit, but a homage to one of the greatest American writers. Well-researched, dark and meditative, this is a wonderful historical mystery.
And Matthew Pearl apparently has a soft spot too -- his follow-up to the bestselling "Dante Club" is a creepy, atmospheric, clever mystery surrounding the early death of Poe. The main character can be clueless, but it's made up for by genius detectives, retro writing, and musings on how a genius's art can affect others.
Edgar A. Poe is dead, unmourned and almost forgotten at the age of forty. This comes as a shock to pen pal Quentin Clark, who rapidly starts to suspect foul play. Even his recent engagement comes second to his wish to find out the facts. So he travels to Paris to find Auguste Duponte, the inspiration for Poe's brilliant C. Auguste Dupin, and convinces the reclusive ex-detective to come to Baltimore and solve the mystery.
Unfortunately, they are being followed by flashy Baron Dupin and his assassin wife; Dupin wants to make a name for himself, and pose as the REAL inspiration. Duponte ignores his obnoxious rival as he and Quentin go through Baltimore, collecting scant evidence, talking to witnesses and investigating Poe's own letters. But soon this investigation turns lethal, and Quentin finds himself as the primary suspect of Poe's death...
Edgar A. Poe's death is still something of a mystery, and people still debate what killed him. Rabies? Alcohol? TB? Nobody really knows, even now. So it was a brilliant stroke for Pearl to turn it into a murder mystery, complete with the real-life details as clues (such as Poe's dying cry of "Reynolds!"), and real-life people as characters.
Pearl writes like a 19th-century author transported to the 21st, with his true-to-the-time characterizations and slightly ornate prose. Even better, he spices up the whodunnit with meditations on genius -- how it can be misunderstood, how scandals can overshadow brilliant work, and even how great art can change our lives and free us from the mundane.
Atmospherically, it even resembles one of Poe's works. There are graveyards, misty streets, and the decayed grandeur of Baltimore. But Pearl includes a bit of comedy in the story, apparently to keep it from getting too grim, with the over-the-top Baron and his perky assassin/wife.
Quentin is probably the reigning flaw of the book. He's a naive, rather overeager young lawyer, but you'll want to kick him in the pants from time to time. But Duponte is a truly fascinating lead character in the vein of Poe's own writing, with his casual use of "ratiocination" (logical thinking) and his cool head.
"Poe Shadow" is not only a solid whodunnit, but a homage to one of the greatest American writers. Well-researched, dark and meditative, this is a wonderful historical mystery.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've always had a soft spot for the poetry and fiction of Edgar A. Poe, one of the greatest writers in American history, as well as the grandfather of whodunnits and modern horror.
And Matthew Pearl apparently has a soft spot too -- his follow-up to the bestselling "Dante Club" is a creepy, atmospheric, clever mystery surrounding the early death of Poe. The main character can be clueless, but it's made up for by genius detectives, retro writing, and musings on how a genius's art can affect others.
Edgar A. Poe is dead, unmourned and almost forgotten at the age of forty. This comes as a shock to pen pal Quentin Clark, who rapidly starts to suspect foul play. Even his recent engagement comes second to his wish to find out the facts. So he travels to Paris to find Auguste Duponte, the inspiration for Poe's brilliant C. Auguste Dupin, and convinces the reclusive ex-detective to come to Baltimore and solve the mystery.
Unfortunately, they are being followed by flashy Baron Dupin and his assassin wife; Dupin wants to make a name for himself, and pose as the REAL inspiration. Duponte ignores his obnoxious rival as he and Quentin go through Baltimore, collecting scant evidence, talking to witnesses and investigating Poe's own letters. But soon this investigation turns lethal, and Quentin finds himself as the primary suspect of Poe's death...
Edgar A. Poe's death is still something of a mystery, and people still debate what killed him. Rabies? Alcohol? TB? Nobody really knows, even now. So it was a brilliant stroke for Pearl to turn it into a murder mystery, complete with the real-life details as clues (such as Poe's dying cry of "Reynolds!"), and real-life people as characters.
Pearl writes like a 19th-century author transported to the 21st, with his true-to-the-time characterizations and slightly ornate prose. Even better, he spices up the whodunnit with meditations on genius -- how it can be misunderstood, how scandals can overshadow brilliant work, and even how great art can change our lives and free us from the mundane.
Atmospherically, it even resembles one of Poe's works. There are graveyards, misty streets, and the decayed grandeur of Baltimore. But Pearl includes a bit of comedy in the story, apparently to keep it from getting too grim, with the over-the-top Baron and his perky assassin/wife.
Quentin is probably the reigning flaw of the book. He's a naive, rather overeager young lawyer, but you'll want to kick him in the pants from time to time. But Duponte is a truly fascinating lead character in the vein of Poe's own writing, with his casual use of "ratiocination" (logical thinking) and his cool head.
"Poe Shadow" is not only a solid whodunnit, but a homage to one of the greatest American writers. Well-researched, dark and meditative, this is a wonderful historical mystery.
And Matthew Pearl apparently has a soft spot too -- his follow-up to the bestselling "Dante Club" is a creepy, atmospheric, clever mystery surrounding the early death of Poe. The main character can be clueless, but it's made up for by genius detectives, retro writing, and musings on how a genius's art can affect others.
Edgar A. Poe is dead, unmourned and almost forgotten at the age of forty. This comes as a shock to pen pal Quentin Clark, who rapidly starts to suspect foul play. Even his recent engagement comes second to his wish to find out the facts. So he travels to Paris to find Auguste Duponte, the inspiration for Poe's brilliant C. Auguste Dupin, and convinces the reclusive ex-detective to come to Baltimore and solve the mystery.
Unfortunately, they are being followed by flashy Baron Dupin and his assassin wife; Dupin wants to make a name for himself, and pose as the REAL inspiration. Duponte ignores his obnoxious rival as he and Quentin go through Baltimore, collecting scant evidence, talking to witnesses and investigating Poe's own letters. But soon this investigation turns lethal, and Quentin finds himself as the primary suspect of Poe's death...
Edgar A. Poe's death is still something of a mystery, and people still debate what killed him. Rabies? Alcohol? TB? Nobody really knows, even now. So it was a brilliant stroke for Pearl to turn it into a murder mystery, complete with the real-life details as clues (such as Poe's dying cry of "Reynolds!"), and real-life people as characters.
Pearl writes like a 19th-century author transported to the 21st, with his true-to-the-time characterizations and slightly ornate prose. Even better, he spices up the whodunnit with meditations on genius -- how it can be misunderstood, how scandals can overshadow brilliant work, and even how great art can change our lives and free us from the mundane.
Atmospherically, it even resembles one of Poe's works. There are graveyards, misty streets, and the decayed grandeur of Baltimore. But Pearl includes a bit of comedy in the story, apparently to keep it from getting too grim, with the over-the-top Baron and his perky assassin/wife.
Quentin is probably the reigning flaw of the book. He's a naive, rather overeager young lawyer, but you'll want to kick him in the pants from time to time. But Duponte is a truly fascinating lead character in the vein of Poe's own writing, with his casual use of "ratiocination" (logical thinking) and his cool head.
"Poe Shadow" is not only a solid whodunnit, but a homage to one of the greatest American writers. Well-researched, dark and meditative, this is a wonderful historical mystery.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read Dante Club with great pleasure, I was eagerly looking forward to Poe's Shadow, which sounded like a great idea for a historical/literary thriller. Unfortunately Poe's Shadow left me cold, bored and wondering where exactly it went wrong for Matthew Pearl... Maybe he focused too much on his (admitedly) meticulous research and undoubted passion for Poe and his writing, but the plot lacks interest, rambles on for pages and pages (which should have been edited considerably) and most of the time has nothing to do with Poe's death...Add to that characters lacking credibility and logic in their motivations and actions, and really annoying 19th century literary style and you have a book which you can safely put on your 'to avoid list'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
wooden performance
I was looking forward to this as I am a fan of Poe's short tales, Hop Frog being my favourite. However, I found this book disappointing - the dialogue was wooden and unconvincing -... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Timothy John Myall
Convincing 19th Century literary style
This is a novel where the narrator is a 19th Century Lawyer in Baltimore, with no pretensions to literary ability, and then another reviewer complains it has an "annoying 19th... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lewis Duckworth
Dull but inspiring in some respects
I was looking forward to this book by Matthew Pearl after enjoying the Dante Club. However, it definitely didn't follow up on that particular book. Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by MartyMac
Wish I'd read the reviews before buying !
Just had to add my comments to the readers who found this book dull and rambling. The characters were dreary and completely failed to grip me - the likelyhood of Quentin the main... Read more
Published on 25 April 2010 by Ali H
A struggle to enjoy
Usually this is just the sort of book I'd go for - a dark Gothic novel with elements of mystery. Unfortunately, for me, it was extremely difficult to get into the book. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2010 by MISS L M ALLPORT
A BIT OF A LET DOWN
We really, really wanted to like this book - Poe was a great writer and had a fascinating life with quite a few mysteries in it. Read more
Published on 5 July 2008 by Book Grouper
Very disappointing
If, like me, you really enjoyed "The Dante Club", you should avoid "The Poe Shadow". Pearl revisits the "literary thriller", but this time the outcome is trully disappointing. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2008 by E. Samara
Big disappointment
Having read Dante Club with great pleasure, I was eagerly looking forward to Poe's Shadow, which sounded like a great idea for a historical/literary thriller. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2008 by Magda Majkowska
Overkill
Pearl's latest foray into the literary thriller genre (following The Dante Club, which I did not read), revolves around the mysterious real-life death of Edgar Allen Poe. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2007 by A. Ross
Lowly lies...
I've always had a soft spot for the poetry and fiction of Edgar A. Poe, one of the greatest writers in American history, as well as the grandfather of whodunnits and modern... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2007 by E. A Solinas
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