false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171631063m/110076.jpg 110076 8 Bayard follows [book: Mr. Timothy], which brilliantly imagined the adult life of Dickens's Tiny Tim, with another tour-de-force, an intense and gripping novel set during Edgar Allan Poe's brief time as a West Point cadet. In 1830, retired New York City detective Gus Landor is living a quiet life at his Hudson Valley cottage, tormented by an unspecified personal sorrow, when Superintendent Thayer summons him to West Point to investigate the hanging and subsequent mutilation of a cadet. Poe aids Landor by serving as an inside source into the closed world of the academy, though Poe's personal involvement with a suspect's sister complicates their work. But the pair find themselves helpless to prevent further outrages; the removal of the victims' hearts suggests that a satanic cult might be at work. This beautifully crafted thriller stands head and shoulders above other recent efforts to fictionalize Poe. 403705 book 2005 The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel total:575|5:103|4:236|3:177|2:43|1:16| 575 2092 888 179 2 1 false false Wed Nov 12 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 06 07:17:04 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 11:41:19 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 11:24:34 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 11:25:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Aug 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 09:51:45 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 15:09:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 10 12:34:13 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 19:35:08 -0700 2007
Augustus Landor, retired New York constable, recounts his involvement in a murder investigation that takes place at West Point in 1830. Guest starring Edgar Alla...more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 16:10:48 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 09:29:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 02 21:28:32 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 21:30:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jun 05 16:59:54 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 17:10:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 05:22:06 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 16:32:27 -0700 2009
In brief, West Point cadet Edgar Allan Poe helps solve a murder mystery with a retired New York detective. Someone is killing cadets and removing their hearts. The author has done a good job in capturing Poe &...more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 09:18:30 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 08:27:37 -0800 2009
I liked the book -- not as much as I liked The Black Tower, but I liked it. I could have done without the twist, but maybe that's just me being embarrassed that I didn't pick up on it. After all, the "I'll be dead in four hours" at the start of t...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:39:35 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:39:35 -0800 2009 Louis Bayard's Mr. Timothy (2003) imagined Dickens's Tiny Tim as a young adult. Pale Blue Eye mines a similar theme; this time, Bayard fictionalizes Poe's stint at West Point. Filled with enigmatic clues, codes, cryptograms, and psychological suspense, the novel had most critics on the edge of thei...

more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Dec 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 13:36:20 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 03 08:49:47 -0800 2009 The Black Tower and enjoyed it tremendously. However, I think this previous offering is even better.

To be honest, initially, the early 19th century, Poe-esque language was a bit c...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 14:46:07 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 18:00:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 07:11:19 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 22:26:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 09:10:18 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 09:57:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:26:06 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:29:57 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 02 08:29:02 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 14:48:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 14:34:56 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 14:24:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 30 12:35:36 -0800 2009 Sat Jul 04 23:26:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 30 06:39:58 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 03 14:31:19 -0800 2009
I wont bother to share plot points, since there are so many elsewhere on this page. Some readers seemed to hate the surprise ending, or the fact that there WAS a surprise ending. I guess mystery fans dont like surprises, that's part of wh...more...]]> 3 0 false true Sat Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 28 20:29:23 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 28 20:59:57 -0700 2008
*** spoiler alert ***

Look. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the only book where the narrator can be the killer. Period. That's it. Doing...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=110076