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An Unpardonable Crime

3.46 of 5 stars 3.46 · rating details · 933 ratings · 91 reviews

England 1819. Two enigmatic Americans arrive in London and soon after a bank collapses. A man is found dead on a building site; another goes missing in the teeming stews of the city's notorious Seven Dials district. A deathbed vigil ends in an act of theft, and a beautiful heiress flirts with her inferiors. A strange destiny connects each of these events to an American boy...more

Paperback, 496 pages

Published March 9th 2005 by Hyperion (first published January 1st 2003)

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Jan 31, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Laura by: fiona quinn

Shelves: xx-2010-xx

This is a great book. Andrew Taylor really should be more popular. Maybe the fact that he isn't as popular is a compliment? At any rate, plot and characterization were both fantastic here. I was sucked in very quickly, and it definitely has the feel of a 19th century work of fiction, even though it is a modern work.

This man is just a great talent and he continues to impress me. The books I've read of his have a completely different feel, but the writing is undeniably Taylor. Do yourself a favor...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Hilary G rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not like this book.

This is the second book (Fingersmith being the first) in our reading list which appears to have got at least half its ideas from Wilkie Collins. Perhaps if I had never heard of, or never read, Wilkie Collins, I would have enjoyed this book, but since I have heard of him, and The Woman in White, and the Moonstone are favourites of mine, and since The American Boy is (in my opinion) so inferior to either one of these, I found the book irritating in the extreme.

"An enthrall...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Helen Kitson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Labyrinthine historical novel (opening in 1819), written simply but engagingly.

My only puzzle is why the book is titled 'The American Boy'. Although the boy, Edgar Allan Poe, features in the story and is crucial to some of the plot developments, as a character he is rather colourless. The story is very much that of the narrator, tutor Thomas Shield, thrown by accident (via Poe's best friend Charlie) into a world of intrigue, corruption, family secrets and murder. Unprepared but dogged, Shield re...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: librarybooks

‘Sometimes it is easier to punish the wicked than to defend the innocent.’

The novel opens in England in 1819 where Thomas Shield (our narrator) takes a position as a junior usher at a school near London. Shield is fortunate to obtain the position - he was unable to complete his studies at Cambridge after his father died, he has no reference from his last position, and his brief military career was disastrous.

So, how does such a man become caught up in events which include a bank collapse and a m...more ‘Sometimes it is easier to punish the wicked than to defend the innocent.’

The novel opens in England in 1819 where Thomas Shield (our narrator) takes a position as a junior usher at a school near London. Shield is fortunate to obtain the position - he was unable to complete his studies at Cambridge after his father died, he has no reference from his last position, and his brief military career was disastrous.

So, how does such a man become caught up in events which include a bank collapse and a murder? How does he become involved in the affairs of the families concerned with the fortunes and misfortunes of Wavenhoe’s Bank? And what is the significance of the men from America, and who is Edgar Allan?

There are two boys at Shields’s school who are central to the events that unfold: Charles Frant and Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan and his foster parents have moved to England from America. Charles Frant’s father, Henry, is a partner of Wavenhoe’s Bank. Charles and Edgar become friends, and on a number of occasions Thomas Shield is sent to accompany the boys between home and school. As a consequence, Thomas Shield sees something of the world in which they live and becomes caught up in the series of events that occur after the Bank collapses.

This is not a fast moving mystery but its multiple layers kept me engaged. Poor Thomas Shields: he is drawn to both Sophia Frant, Charles’s mother, and her cousin Flora Carswall. There are family mysteries to puzzle over, strangers to identify and strange happenings to make sense of. While Edgar Allan (Poe) is not really central to the story, he is on the edge of mysteries and he represents a number of the links between new world and the old which are an integral part of the unfolding story. The settings are enhanced by the physical descriptions, especially the fogs in London and the winter landscapes of rural Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed this novel – in many ways Thomas Shields was the perfect narrator. His class enabled him to be both observer and participant. The ending was a little too neat for me, but still entirely fitting.

Note: this book has been published as both ‘An Unpardonable Crime’ and ‘The American Boy’.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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Dec 30, 2011 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A totally enthralling murder mystery with twists and turns aplenty! It's set in 1819 England and our narrator is Thomas Shield, a tutor to two young boys. One is Edgar Allan (the 'American Boy' of the title, destined to become the writer Edgar Allan Poe) and the other, his friend, Charles Frant. Through his involvement with these boys, Shield is unwittingly sucked into the lives of the Frant/Carswall family members and their murky dangerous secrets. The historical background is brilliantly and e...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Margaret Lawrenson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book reads as a 19th century novel of the kind that Wilkie Collins could have written: its language and tone are largely authentic, and like many books of the period, there is a large cast of characters from all walks of life. Thomas Shield, a schoolmaster with a troubled past is the narrator, and he introduces us to the wealthy Frants and Carswells, whose lives he becomes intimately involved with. There's the young Edgar Allan Poe too, though I'm not sure how important his part really is,...more

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Oct 04, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's such a great feeling when you have really enjoyed reading a book and find that there are plenty of other novels by the same author that you can add to your list of books to read.

I enormously enjoyed reading this. I'm not really a fan of historical novels and when I'm in a bookshop I'll usually ignore those that are set in another era. I'm not really sure why, as this is one of a number of historical novels that I have read which have been excellent.

Not having ever read any Poe, I'm sure mu...more

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Sep 28, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, historical-mystery

The American Boy is a pre-Victorian murder mystery set in 1819-20 but, amazingly, was written in the twenty-first century. It was inspired by the author's interest in the brief period that Edgar Allan Poe spent in England while still a young boy. Building on this real event and some of the real characters, such as Edgar's foster father John Allan and his natural father David Poe, Andrew Taylor spins a mystery out of this moment in the famous author's life. The result is a very satisfying mystery...more The American Boy is a pre-Victorian murder mystery set in 1819-20 but, amazingly, was written in the twenty-first century. It was inspired by the author's interest in the brief period that Edgar Allan Poe spent in England while still a young boy. Building on this real event and some of the real characters, such as Edgar's foster father John Allan and his natural father David Poe, Andrew Taylor spins a mystery out of this moment in the famous author's life. The result is a very satisfying mystery with a central character, Thomas Shields, who is a school teacher but becomes quite by accident an amateur sleuth as the mystery of several intertwined families, two murders, a banking scandal, and the identity of the victim of one of the crimes draws Shields gradually deeper into its depths. As a school teacher in a small school he has two students, Edgar Allan and Charles Frant, who become mutual friends and in whom he takes an interest as they are bullied by some bigger boys. Shields is somewhat impoverished and thus dependent on his "betters" with certain consequences for the story. He inhabits a sort of never-land somewhere in between the Parents of his students and their servants. Since he is living in their households for much of the story as tutor to Edgar and his friend Charles Frant this existence becomes somewhat oppressive for Shields. It is further complicated by his attraction to the mother of Charles. Murder, unacceptable love, questions of identity and missing money -- just the stuff of great mysteries. The best part of this novel is the pre-Victorian setting as Andrew Taylor effectively recreates the world of England in the last days of the reign of King George III. Told in the first person by Thomas Shield through his journal the story covers only nine months time but there is what becomes a tidal wave of events and plot twists before Shields' narrative is complete.
I was unfamiliar with Andrew Taylor when I discovered this book, intrigued by the connection with Poe. What I found was a master of mystery whose ability to create a believable labyrinthine plot keeps the reader guessing almost until the last page.
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Feb 06, 2009 Nigel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A labyrinthine murder mystery evocatively set in late Regency England. Andrew Taylor has obviously done his reasearch well and serves up a dense piece of historical fiction that works well as a detective story, a gothic romance and a slice of social history. The style is artful and the tale is full of colourful Regency characters up to no good. Comparisons have been drawn with Dickens as well as elements of Edgar Allen Poe, who features in a childhood supporting role. The complex plot unwinds at...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

Read as :An Unpardonable Crime

Set in the years following the War of 1812 in England, it follows a former solider turned school teacher ,Thomas Shield. Mr.Shield meets a young student in Edgar Allen , an American adopted by a British family and sent to school at The Manor School House in the village of Stoke Newin...more THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

Read as :An Unpardonable Crime

Set in the years following the War of 1812 in England, it follows a former solider turned school teacher ,Thomas Shield. Mr.Shield meets a young student in Edgar Allen , an American adopted by a British family and sent to school at The Manor School House in the village of Stoke Newington . Mr.Shield is then charged with riding to London to pick up a Charles Frant, the son of a wealthy banker and bring him to Manor House where he is to be instructed in the proper way. While in London he comes across a disheveled Irish American who claims he is looking for the Allens ( the adopted family of Edgar) and like wise encounters the mother of Charles Frant ( who feels an immediate attraction to) and her cousin ( whom he like wise is attracted too).

When he brings the boy to Manor House, the child has a rough go of it as the older boys at the school takes to bullying him but young Edgar Allen and Charles strike up a friendship of mutual surival and soon the two are best of friends. Ironically enough both boys look quite alike and are often mistaken for each other. Then the drunk Irishmen comes and accosts the children in the village and is chased away by Mr.Shield but the episode vexes him. When Mr.Shield is invited to the Frant's estate as a means of saying thank you, he is employed by the boys father to keep an eye out for the drunk Irish American and report to him any new developments. Then one day while cruising the wharf, he spots the Irishman and chases him through the streets of London till he finally catches up with him. Finally after buying the man dinner and some beer he reveals that he is an unemployed actor by the name of David Poe, and that Edgar Allen is his son.

From there the pace of the book speeds up with the collapse of a major bank run by the Frant family , the subsuqent discovery of a mauled corpse discovered in a muddy field that may or may not be Charles Frant's father . Mr.Shield finds him drawn further and further into the mystery against his will through his association as a teacher of boy Charles Frant and Edgar Allen. Enter an American business man, a Mr.Noak and his black clerk, Salutation Harmwell who may or may not have something to do with the death of Charles father. Add to this tangle weave of mystery is Mr.Shields feelings for Sophia Frant ( the widowed (?) mother of Charles) and Flora Casawell( her cousin).

It a very well written mystery that goes into great detail on the life of the 19th century. The author has obviously done a great deal of research on the language and customs of that period. If you love the english language and the beauty of elqouence, this a good book to read. Only problem with the book was the first three chapters were kind of slow. After that the action began to pick up and you really could not put the book down without reading a few more pages. If you have ever studied the biography of Edgar Allen Poe, I suggest getting this book because you might have some "wait a minute!" moments when reading it.
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Nov 04, 2009 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, own-hardback, lapl, gilded-research, favorites, written-review, historical, mystery, family-room, books-for-sarah, books-for-megan, author-i-love, gilded-fiction, books-for-bettie

I loved this book.

I've read many of the reviews, and while I agree with some of the criticisms (more on that later) I was so thoroughly caught up in this murder mystery set in the pre-Dickensian era that I have to put it on my list of favorites. The atmosphere, the details, the environment was richly rendered, the characters were fully fleshed and three-dimensional, and the mystery was intriguing, properly grisly, intricate and always compelling.

It is about a schoolteacher named Thomas Shield wh...more I loved this book.

I've read many of the reviews, and while I agree with some of the criticisms (more on that later) I was so thoroughly caught up in this murder mystery set in the pre-Dickensian era that I have to put it on my list of favorites. The atmosphere, the details, the environment was richly rendered, the characters were fully fleshed and three-dimensional, and the mystery was intriguing, properly grisly, intricate and always compelling.

It is about a schoolteacher named Thomas Shield who gets caught up in the private lives of two of his students, one of whom is the young Edgar Allan Poe. Neither one of the boys plays a huge personal role in the drama (Taylor has been criticized for calling his book "the American boy" when it is not actually about Poe per se) but their extended families are front and center, enmeshed in a web of greed, love, and lust for power. Thomas finds himself a pawn in the hands of powerful people and has to fight to resolve the mystery in order to save himself from doom.

Some people have said that Thomas Shield is not a wholly sympathetic character (I've noticed before this that Andrew Taylor tends to portray his male characters warts and all) but he's certainly sympathetic enough, and working my way through the mystery in his intelligent and perceptive hands felt very comfortable for me. Maybe he's not the most emotive of men, but I could imagine myself spending a very enjoyable afternoon talking with him, and what more can you want from a narrator?

Another complaint is be that the book is too slow and psychological in places. For instance, when they first go to the country there is a long section where relationships are being worked out almost in the manner of Jane Austen. Conversations are had, discoveries are made, links are forged day by day, and some readers found this tiring. I personally loved it, because I knew it was all working toward the setting up of whatever terrible thing was to come, and I found the character development fascinating in itself.

So I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. And for those who like to really experience the feel of a different time and place, I say this was one of the best. The atmosphere of both London and the country was so well rendered that I felt I was experiencing firsthand the stink of the factories, the bustle and clang of the street traffic, the gray miasma of coal-infused fog, the frigidity of the "great estate" parlors, the jouncing of carriages over hard country ruts. When I finished I really felt I had come back from a journey to the past.(less)

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Sep 06, 2012 Freya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: allan-edgar-poe-fiction-detective

V prvním záchvatu jsem se pokoušela vylíčit celý příběh. Nicméně ten je natolik složitý a propletený, že jsem to vzdala. Ačkoli kniha má víc jak 400 stran, ještě ten den jsem ji měla přelouskánu. Právě propletenost jednotlivých dílků činí knihu trochu nepřehlednou. Je potřeba se soustředit. Celkový dojem je neutrální. Dobře zabaví, když potřebujete ale nenechá ve Vás žádnou výraznou stopu. Nejedná se o typ románu, který si založíte v knihovničce na čestné místo s tím, že si ji s láskou přečtete...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Kirsty Darbyshire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fabulous trip back to 1819 in the company of Thomas Shield. He's one of Edgar Allen Poe's schoolmasters and gets involved in the affairs of the Frant family - Charles Frant is the young Edgar Allen's best friend in the book. Murder and intruige of course but it's an unconventional detective story. At times I got a bit wound up with the slow pace the narrator was happy to go along at but on the whole the detail in the story made it well worth reading.

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Mar 06, 2013 DonQuijote rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mi-biblioteca

Me costó bastante leerlo, ya que era en un inglés del siglo XIX en una sociedad del mismo siglo. De todas formas no se me hizo pesado, la historia era bastante ágil aunque al final me decepcionó un poco porque parece como que después de 400 páginas de historia el desenlace de todo se precipitara en las últimas 40.

Pero estoy segura de que me quedé sin saber muchos matices de la historia por desconocimiento del vocabulario.

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Nov 21, 2012 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, historical-fiction

At first, I liked this very much, but my interest and my patience started to wane about three-quarters of the way through. I would have liked the book better if there had been just one or two fewer twists. It's not that I don't like convoluted plots, but the convolutions here seem manufactured (and then require complex manufactured explanations to tidy them away) by the author rather than arising organically out of character and situation. And the Poe connection is tenuous to the point of pointl...more

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Apr 28, 2009 Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the title refers to Edgar Allan Poe,though the book is not about him per se,but about his school master and the mystery and intrigue he becomes inveigled in as a consequence of associating with the boys friend and family.
The description of 1830's London and Gloucestershire are very atmospheric.There are many twists to the plot and the ending was a surprise.

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Oct 18, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to give this book a 3.5 as the enjoyment factor wasn't *quite* a 4. But The American Boy is a very well written and woven tale, which you realise more and more as the story progresses. When I was half-way through I told a friend I was reading a book that had me "intrigued" but that I wished would "get to the point". It did, and I'm glad I stuck with it. I would read Andrew Taylor again.

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Sep 27, 2007 Mary rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ???

I couldn't finish this book. I hate the device of literal foreshadowing. Quote-pg. 8: "Nor did I realise that X and Y would lead me, step by step, towards the dark heart of a labyrinth, to a place of terrible secrets and the worst of crimes." Up until that sentence I was interested in the story. I find this only works for me when I've already been introduced to the character who is narrating and have some sympathy for him/her at that point when they begin the story. But to throw these bombs into...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Joe Stamber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010

Atmospheric murder mystery set in the early 19th century, although slotting it in as a murder mystery doesn't really do it justice. The story unfolds at a fairly steady pace, but AT's writing ensures that it never becomes a chore. If you enjoy historical fictional of this era, you could do a lot worse.

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May 08, 2010 Jeane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Dear Fiona)

The first thing I had to keep in my mind was that The American boy is set in 1800 London. The story gets told by Thomas Shield whose life changes he gets a position as tutor to the American boy Edgar poe and his best friend Charles.

Things seems to be going finally better in his life, he is respectable and has a job. But his life will complately change for the better but for sure also for the worse the moment he meets Charles and Edgar's family.

The way the story is written, different...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Linda Moore rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was it; the book that led me to the far less satisfying The Poe Shadow. It is really well written and compelling. I remember now I was reading it under the gun with the library's wacky return-it-in-under-3-days-and-its-free scheme. I'll have to go back and read it again.

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Nov 04, 2012 Chagword rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We look forward to hearing Andrew Taylor speaking in Chagford, Devon in March 2013 at the ChagWord literary festival, where he will also be signing copies of his latest book "The Scent Of Death".

See http://www.chagword.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Aug 02, 2010 Manda Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of Taylor's best books - and all of his books are exceptional - the language is pitch perfect, the plot is precise, intelligent and clear and the suspense is just enough to keep you reading to the small hours... well worth a read.

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Jun 24, 2009 Sherry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

nice mystery set in the time period when edgar allen poe was a small boy. Author does a great job with historical accounts and lingo to make you feel transported back to London in the early 1800's. Not quite enough closure for me to be satisfied in the end but a good read still.

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Jan 10, 2009 Kylie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting and well paced. I had some trouble getting a fix on the narrator, what sort of man he is, and I didn't really find him that appealing. But the plot was interesting enough and kept me engaged.

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Oct 30, 2010 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story seems extremely long and meandering but it neatly tied up at the end. Even the significance of the title doesn't become clear until the end. A good read for the Halloween weekend and a mystery that remains surrounding Edgar Allan Poe and his family even today.

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Nov 11, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was slow-moving at times but overall a pretty gripping read. But despite the title and the jacket synopsis, the story doesn't have all that much to do with Edgar Allan Poe.

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Jun 09, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Parts of this were really interesting and engaging, but at times I lost interest. It was well-written and the plot came together well, if I remember correctly.

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Jan 09, 2012 George Ilsley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

A mixed genre book. Historical/ gothic / murder mystery / thriller. The use of language was very impressive, in that it felt like it had been written back in the day, but was not gimmicky or obviously contrived.

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Dec 20, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As well as being a brilliant read I love this author for incorporating Gloucester into his historical novel, a wonderful city, much maligned.

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About Andrew Taylor

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of critically acclaimed crime novels, including the Lydmouth series, the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy and The American Boy, his bestselling historical novel which was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection.

He has won many awards, inc...more

More about Andrew Taylor...

Books by Andrew Taylor

The Four Last Things (The Roth Trilogy, #1)

The Judgement of Strangers (The Roth Trilogy, #2)

The Office of the Dead (The Roth Trilogy, #3)

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