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The Pale Blue Eye

A Novel

By Louis Bayard

(2)

| Hardcover | 9780060733971

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Book Description

From the critically acclaimed author of Mr. Timothy comes an ingenious tale of murder and revenge, featuring a retired New York City detective and a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe.

At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of aContinue

From the critically acclaimed author of Mr. Timothy comes an ingenious tale of murder and revenge, featuring a retired New York City detective and a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe.

At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of a young cadet's body swinging from a rope just off the parade grounds. An apparent suicide is not unheard of in a harsh regimen like West Point's, but the next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has stolen into the room where the body lay and removed the heart.

At a loss for answers and desperate to avoid any negative publicity, the Academy calls on the services of a local civilian, Augustus Landor, a former police detective who acquired some renown during his years in New York City before retiring to the Hudson Highlands for his health. Now a widower, and restless in his seclusion, Landor agrees to take on the case. As he questions the dead man's acquaintances, he finds an eager assistant in a moody, intriguing young cadet with a penchant for drink, two volumes of poetry to his name, and a murky past that changes from telling to telling. The cadet's name? Edgar Allan Poe.

Impressed with Poe's astute powers of observation, Landor is convinced that the poet may prove useful -- if he can stay sober long enough to put his keen reasoning skills to the task. Working in close contact, the two men -- separated by years but alike in intelligence -- develop a surprisingly deep rapport as their investigation takes them into a hidden world of secret societies, ritual sacrifices, and more bodies. Soon, however, the macabre murders and Landor's own buried secrets threaten to tear the two men and their newly formed friendship apart.

A rich tapestry of fine prose and intricately detailed characters, The Pale Blue Eye transports readers into a labyrinth of the unknown that will leave them guessing until the very end.

Critics

  • THE PALE BLUE EYE

    Shotsmag Reviews - The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard Edgar Allan Poe, that troubled progenitor of our genre, always seems to have had a hold on his literary descendants. John Dickson Carr put him in a novel, Marc Olden wrote one called Poe Must Die, ... (read full critics)

    shotsmag published on Tue, 28 Sep 2010

  • The Pale Blue Eye

    The Pale Blue Eye Louis Bayard HarperPerennial Paperback 448 pages June 2007 It is 1830, and the well-appointed halls West Point Military have been rocked by a bizarre and grisly murder. A young cadet by the name of a Leroy Fry is found hanged, his c ... (read full critics)

    curledup published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

1 Review

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  • This is a great book! I read his "Black Tower" and was so impressed with it, that I decided to explore another of his works. This one is even better! The language is wonderful. The story is so compelling and his introduction of Edgar Allan Poe as a major component is extraordinary. The incorporation ... (continue)

    This is a great book! I read his "Black Tower" and was so impressed with it, that I decided to explore another of his works. This one is even better! The language is wonderful. The story is so compelling and his introduction of Edgar Allan Poe as a major component is extraordinary. The incorporation of poetry and poetic thinking makes one really believe that Poe could be writing it himself! And, the plot is an exquisite tale of complex involvment with a twist that was, for me, totally unexpected. I, now, will read another of Bayard's books. This one is highly recommended.

    Is this helpful?

    Kerry Jacobson said on Jul 26, 2010 | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (2)
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  • English Books
  • Hardcover 432 Pages
  • Edition: 1
  • ISBN-10: 0060733977
  • ISBN-13: 9780060733971
  • Publisher: HarperCollins
  • Pub date: Jun 01, 2006
  • Dimensions: 1548 mm x 1032 mm x 258 mm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Paperback
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