Paradise Square [Paperback]

E. M. Schorb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

This title won the Grand Prize Fiction, which is one of the largest monetary awards for liturature, at the prestigious Frankfurt International eBook Awards in October of 2000.

Now it is available for the first time in paperback!

Edgar Allan Poe is called upon for assistance in solving the shocking murder of a young hot corn girl in the Five Points section of Manhattan. A former classmate of Poe's at West Point, Peter Van Brunt, is accused of the crime, and Poe, always the gentleman, is honor-bound to help clear the young man who had years before helped to save him from complete disgrace upon leaving the Academy. Young Detective Sergeant Jonathan Goode is assigned to the case and though he finds the poet's insights into solving the matter invaluable, his patience with poetic genius is occasionally severely tested.

Sergeant Goode and Poe follow all leads from the murder scene, through the thug-infested streets, taverns, and tenements of the Five Points to the more genteel environs of Washington Square. The victim's employer, Dr. Eleanor Whitney, administrator of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, lends aid in discovering the truth of the crime while becoming friends with the poet and more than friends with Sergeant Goode. Their adventures lead them into the struggle between the corrupt political regime, whose Boss is also the leader of one of the largest outlaw gangs in New York, the Plug Uglies, and the reform party. Things get so hot in the city for Poe and Sergeant Goode, that they decide to seek refuge at Poe's cottage at Fordham. Dr. Whitney goes along with the two in order to keep an eye on Poe, who has developed a high fever. During their stay of several days at Fordham, Sergeant Goode and Dr. Whitney fall in love, Poe recovers, and all are menaced by a strange lone rider with a rifle.

Their return to the city brings the story to a thrilling climax, when Poe, Goode, and a squad of Municipal police, called leatherheads for their protective headgear, attempt to arrest Boss Meade. A riot ensues between the Plug Uglies and various factions of the police, and the United States Cavalry is called in to restore order. But Meade escapes into the Old Brewery with Goode and Poe in hot pursuit, only to be assassinated by the true killer. The killer is at last cornered in the Phoenix Theatre. What happens next is a bit of Poesque legerdemain.

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . impressively researched and skillfully written. -- Lawrence Peel Ashmead, Executive Editor, Harper Collins Publishers

A crackling good story told in the compelling, precise prose of a poet. -- Award citation by Walter Anderson, Chairman, CEO and Publisher, Parade Magazine

A modern blend of literary history and spunky humor that deserves its Frankfurt nod. -- Publishers Weekly, October 2000

About the Author

E.M. Schorb's most recent poetry collection is Murderer's Day, winner of the Verna Emery Poetry Prize and published by Purdue University Press (1998). His other books are 50 Poems, Hill House New York (1987) and The Poor Boy and Other Poems, Dragon's Teeth Press (1975) and Scenario for Scorsese, Denlinger's Publishers (2000).

His stories and poems have appeared in: The American Scholar; The Antigonish Review (Canada); The Beloit Poetry Journal; The Carolina Quarterly; The Chattahoochee Review; Chelsea; The Chicago Review; The Dark Horse (Scotland); Dramatists Guild Quarterly; The Formalist; Frank (France); Gallery (England); The Hollins Critic; Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine; The Kansas Quarterly; Keats Prize Poems (London Literary Editions, Ltd.); The Laurel Review, The Massachusetts Review; Negative Capability; New Letters; The New Welsh Review (Wales); Outposts (England); Outrider (Australia); Painted Bride Quarterly; Poetry Northwest; Prism International (Canada); Puerto Del Sol; Queen's Quarterly (Canada); The Roanoke Review; The Sewanee Review; The Southern Review; The Southern Humanities Review; The Southern Poetry Review; The Southwest Review; Stand (England); The Texas Review; The Wascana Review (Canada); Whiskey Island Magazine; The William and Mary Review; The Windsor Review (Canada); Writers Forum; The Xavier Review; and The Yale Review, among others.

Grants and Awards include:

Senior Fellowship in Literature, The Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center
Regional Artist Project Grant, North Carolina Arts Council
Fellowship in Literature, North Carolina Arts Council
Carnegie Fund for Authors
The Dramatists Guild
The Authors League Fund
Mystery Writers of America
The Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation
The Verna Emery Poetry Prize, Purdue University Press
International Keats Poetry Prize, London Literary Editions, Ltd.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Denlingers Pub Ltd (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877147116
• ISBN-13: 978-0877147114
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,830,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great atmosphere, great read!, January 10, 2002

By 

Elizabeth H. "MurderExpress.net" (Coos Bay, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Square (Paperback)

E.M. Schorb has written a wonderfully atmospheric novel of murder set in the historical Five Points district, New York's most infamous slum, in the 1840's. Poor Mary Hart, the beautiful Hot Corn Girl, is brutally murdered in the middle of Paradise Square. When Peter VanBrunt is found kneeling beside the butchered woman with a meat cleaver in his hand it looks like an open-and-shut case. But Sergeant Jonathan Goode of the Municipal Police isn't convinced that VanBrunt is guilty. Sergeant Goode enlists the help of renowned author Edgar Allan Poe and a cast of colorful cohorts to solve the mystery.

The setting is as much of a star in this book as the characters. Schorb brings 1840's New York to life quite vividly. I'm not an expert on either Poe or that era of history, but Schorb certainly made it FEEL authentic to me. In my humble opinion, PARADISE SQUARE is a must-read for all connoisseurs of historical mysteries and Poe aficionados. There's a reason E.M. Schorb won The Frankfurt eBook Grand Prize in Fiction for PARADISE SQUARE. And the reason is it's a bloody good read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GRAND PRIZE WINNER - FRANKFURT eBOOK AWARDS, March 14, 2001

By A Customer

This witty and amusing Frankfurt eBook Award winner positions Edgar Allan Poe, that most mysterious of literary legends, in the appropriate medium of murder and mystery. A clearly delineated plot and straightforward prose make this a quirky mystery right up an ebook reader's alley. It's a modern blend of literary history and spunky humor that deserves its Frankfurt nod. ~Publishers Weekly

4.0 out of 5 stars It's the language, the language! Excellent!, July 9, 2003

By 

Pat Mullan (County Galway, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Square (Paperback)

I could describe this book, the plot, the characters and do a classic review. But I won't! This book deserves to be read simply because of the use of the English language. E.M.Schorb writes in a style that places the book alongside contemporary literature of the very period that he writes about. That is not an easy feat. If you're a fan of Poe you should read it too. And if you've just seen (or plan to see) Scorcese's 'Gangs of New York' then come and visit the Five Points district of New York, so capably brought to life here. And if you're Irish, get familiar with part of your history: did you know that Poe was of Irish descent? I'll bet you didn't!