The Poe Shadow [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Matthew Pearl (Author), Erik Singer (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 2006

This title is set in Baltimore, 1849. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. The conclusion that Poe was a second-rate writer who died a drunkard is accepted by all. But none of this deters Quentin Clark, an ardent admirer who risks his own career and reputation in a passionate crusade to salvage Poe's. Clark discovers that Poe's last days are riddled with vital unanswered questions. But just when Poe's death looks destined to remain a mystery, Quentin seeks out the one person who can solve this strange case: the real-life model for Poe's brilliant fictional detective character, C. Auguste Dupin. Having successfully recruited the man he believes to have inspired Poe's Dupin, Clarke is confronted by another claiming to be the true model. The two master detectives each seek to prove he is the real 'Dupin' by solving the mystery of Poe's death. Clark finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations involving international political agents, a female assassin, the corrupt Baltimore slave trade and the lost secrets of Poe's final hours. With his own future hanging in the balance, he must turn master investigator himself to unchain his now imperilled fate from that of Poe.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pearl's second historical thriller involving literary figures (after 2003's The Dante Club) is set in 1849, when young lawyer Quentin Clark's desire to burnish the tarnished reputation of his favorite author-poet, the recently deceased Edgar Allan Poe, drives him to such extremes he eventually winds up on trial for insanity and murder. His defense forms the novel. Singer provides Clark with a splendidly appropriate voice: young, intelligent, yet naïve and idealistic. He's also adept at capturing the attorney's shifting moods, from his indignation at journalists' shoddy sendoff of Poe (labeling him a debaucher and drunk) to an increasing obsession as he puts his practice and his impending marriage on hold, ocean-hopping to Europe to seek the aid of the real-life model for Poe's genius-sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin. Some listeners may raise an eyebrow at Singer's use of fractured French for one of the Dupins and an equally arch British accent for the other. They should be reminded that all of the characters are being filtered through the sensibilities (and vocal capabilities) of a not terribly sophisticated Baltimore barrister. Simultaneous release with Random House hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 13).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Matthew Pearl's best-selling The Dante Club (2003) successfully meshed history, literature, and mystery. Though he tries to duplicate this formula and honor a great American writer, The Poe Shadow fails to garner similar interest. First, Pearl's attempt to echo 19th-century prose is fusty and verbose. Second, Clark, though he has his eccentricities, is rather "poor company" (Wall Street Journal). Third, while the subplots offer intrigue, they rarely advance the plot and never attain the macabre tone of Poe's tales. The historical context, however (though weighed down by ponderous if meticulous research), provides new insights into Poe's personal life and literary career. The verdict: for Poe (or Pearl) fans only.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (May 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743552660
• ISBN-13: 978-0743552660
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,097,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "...the truth about this man's death..", June 17, 2006

By 

Gary Griffiths (Los Altos Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Poe Shadow (Hardcover)

It is difficult to be overly critical of "The Poe Shadow", as Matthew Pearl's illumination of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life makes for a fascinating tale. The extent and detail of Pearl's research is evident - this is clearly a labor of love - and the author deserves full credit for his diligence and for his efforts in updating the historical record. The problem is an uneven pace that, while riveting in parts becomes tedious in others and, despite being a unique and often gripping window into the life of an American genius, tends to drag beyond its initial appeal.

"Shadow" tackles Poe's mysterious death in Baltimore in 1849 at the young age of 40. While fiction, the author goes to great lengths to remain true to the historical record, while uncovering and disclosing new facts to bolster his own theory surrounding Poe's ill-fated plans to travel from Richmond to New York in his final days. Told through the journals of the fictional Quinton Clark, a young and well-to-do attorney, the narrative is written in the vernacular of the period - a style that takes some getting used to and definitely requires more attention from the reader than the typical pop thriller. The story opens with Clark's chance observation of a burial, notable in its scant attendance and absence a grave marker. The burial, of course, was Poe's, but the contemporary press was kind to neither the author's work nor the circumstances surrounding his death. Clark, a fan of Poe's works and sometimes correspondent, vows to find the real life inspiration for Poe's C. Auguste Dupin, detective extraordinaire and hero of a number of Poe tales, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". By finding the real Dupin and enlisting his help, Clark figures the truth behind the author's demise will be uncovered. This leads to a convoluted tale of deceit and deception from Baltimore to Paris, set in rich historical detail and an authoritative cultural backdrop.

Like "The Dante Club" before it, this is an ambitious and refreshingly unique novel, a welcome change from the typical thriller/mystery fare. It would have benefited from some additional editing, tightening the plot and streamlining a bit of the minutia. "The Poe Shadow" may not be for everyone, but it is nonetheless another notable effort by the extremely talented Matthew Pearl, and reason enough to look forward to his next novel.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars For Theory; subtract 2 for execution, November 15, 2006

By 

C. Ebeling "ctlpareader" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Poe Shadow (Hardcover)

I recently read and loved Matthew Pearl's THE DANTE CLUB, so I grabbed THE POE SHADOW as soon as I saw it. The new book is to be admired for the artistic risks taken by the author in an era when few artistic risks are taken, but, alas, it just isn't the achievement that his previous literary historical fiction is.

In this outing, Pearl has taken up the very real confusing and thus mysterious circumstances of the early death of Edgar Allan Poe at age 40. Pearl has given Poe an obsessive fan, a young, affluent Baltimore lawyer, Quentin Clark, engaged to the perfect socialite, who is abhorred by the error-ridden, sensational accounts of his hero's unexpected death in the local media of 1849. Clark decides to investigate. Realizing that he is no Dupin, Poe's famous detective character, Clark goes to France to find Poe's real life model. Instead, he unwittingly opens a Pandora's box of French intrigue that returns to America with him, including the person he is sure is Dupin's model as well as a con-man impersonator. There ensues, as Clark risks losing everything, by turns the fiancé, the job his inheritance and his life, a competition to reveal the truth behind Poe's death.

For those still in the thrall of THE DANTE CLUB, THE POE SHADOW presents a problem because it is entirely told through Clark's unrelenting first person narrative. We are stuck with his voice, his myopic grasp of things and his naiveté. You want to kick him in the pants sometimes. Then there is the problem of Baltimore: the setting never becomes a character or imbues character as Boston does in the first book. It's just so much pavement under the action. The red herrings are bloated beyond relief, making what can be deduced as the truth as light as a feather. The last problem is, you really need a recent reading of Poe's stories, and perhaps of his presence in American literature to appreciate the plot engine of this book.

Pearl's central inspiration is great. It just got lost in the details.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mere "Shadow" of "The Dante Club"?, August 1, 2006

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Poe Shadow (Hardcover)

I enjoyed THE DANTE CLUB so much that halfway through it, I decided to buy Matthew Pearl's next novel, sight unseen and reviews unread.

In retrospect, this may have been a bit hasty on my part. In THE POE SHADOW, Pearl's choice to revisit the genre of historical literary mystery seems a bit forced. But before going any further, let me hasten to add that THE POE SHADOW contains many rewards. It gives a gritty and realistic description of the Baltimore of Poe's time, there are many amusing episodes, and the writing and mood are often beautifully wrought.

The bugaboo lies with the characters and plot. Our protagonist and narrator, Quentin Clark, is motivated by an obsession to clear the name of Edgar Allan Poe after the writer's death. This obsession is NEVER BELIEVABLE. It isn't logical, nor is it compellingly drawn. Now add in the fact that Quentin is also a gullible ninny who is prone to fainting spells. Mix in a creaking plot that takes a while to get moving down the tracks, and you have a tale suffering from bloat; it would, however, have made for a fine short story or novella.

Because of Pearl's prodigious skills at depiction and his obvious research, I'm rating THE POE SHADOW a bit more favorably than perhaps I should. Nonetheless, I suspect that I will still read Matthew Pearl's next work... AFTER taking a spin through its reviews.