Not convinced by recent new reports that Poe died of rabies? Would you believe that he was poisoned instead? When the news of his death reaches Paris, followed by his literary executor Rufus Griswold's notoriously malignant obituary, one man vows to travel to America to investigate: the Chevalier Auguste Dupin, Poe's companion and fellow-detective in ``The Murders in the Rue Morgue'' and ``The Purloined Letter.'' Taking the first ship to Baltimore, Dupin loses no time in arranging an unofficial exhumation of his friend's body, then falling into an affair with Elmira Royster Shelton, the fiancÇe of Poe's last days. His stint of grave-robbing confirms that Poe was poisoned by arsenic—but it's impossible to say who could have administered the fatal dose, especially since the jealous rival editors and authors savaged by Poe's reviews seem to be outnumbered only by the bevy of women romantically linked with Eddie Poe, and their male relatives who'd vowed to horsewhip him or worse. Which one is masquerading as Henry Reynolds, the frustrated writer who, claiming that Poe had stolen all his best material, repays the favor by entrapping Dupin in a climactic scenario cribbed from one of Poe's most popular tales? Hatvary (The Suitor, a 1981 paperback) does yeoman work tracing the literary and amatory tangle of Poe's last years, though, except for despicable Griswold, none of his suspects comes to life on the page. But Edgarphiles may not be able to resist the conceit of his murder being avenged by his most famous fictional creation.
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-7867-0358-X
Page Count: 224
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
This ran in the S.E.P. and resulted in more demands for the story in book form than ever recorded. Well, here it is and it is a honey. Imagine ten people, not knowing each other, not knowing why they were invited on a certain island house-party, not knowing their hosts. Then imagine them dead, one by one, until none remained alive, nor any clue to the murderer. Grand suspense, a unique trick, expertly handled.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 1939
ISBN: 0062073478
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1939
SEEN & HEARD
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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