The Pale Blue Eye: A Story of Murder - Softcover

Bayard, Louis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0719567041 ISBN 13: 9780719567049

Publisher: John Murray, 2007

Synopsis

So begins the chilling last testament of Gus Landor, a retired New York City police constable, whose numerous talents include code-breaking, riot control and the 'gloveless interrogation'. A young cadet has been found hanged at a military academy on the shores of the Hudson River. Before his body could be buried, however, it was stolen and his heart brutally carved out.

Fearing a scandal, the top brass at West Point have summoned Landor to help catch the culprit, and keep his discoveries away from prying eyes. As Landor embarks on a thrilling adventure to solve the case, he uncovers a series of dark secrets and finds unlikely assistance in the form of a mischievous young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe.

THE PALE BLUE EYE is a brilliantly atmospheric historical mystery, full of drama and unexpected twists. From the events of one seemingly ordinary afternoon, Louis Bayard conjures a tale as haunting as it is entertaining.

About this title

Review:

'Really outstanding crime fiction is rare . . . so it's a joy to see Louis Bayard pull off this coup . . . As gory and melodramatic as Poe's own writing . . . brilliantly plotted and completely absorbing, ending with the kind of shock that few novelists are able to deliver' (Sunday Times / Culture)

'Hardback fiction worth looking out for' (Publishing News)

'A most satisfying murder mystery' (Bookseller 24 Feb)

'Bayard's shockingly clever and devoutly unsentimental new mystery reads like a lost classic . . . Bayard reinvigorates historical fiction, rendering the 19th century as if he'd witnessed it firsthand' (New York Times Book Review)

'An immensely satisfying whodunit, richly imaginative . . . Good, clean homicidal fun' (The Times: Kate Saunders)

'The Pale Blue Eye kept me transfixed . . . a moody, cunning mystery . . . In the course of the narrative, Bayard ingeniously weaves in motifs from Poe's work to thrilling effect' (Observer/ Review)

'A Dickensian thriller strong on atmosphere' (Sunday Telegraph)

'Louis Bayard is a writer of remarkable gifts: for language, for imagination, for that mysterious admixture of audacity and craftsmanship that signals a major talent in the making' (Joyce Carol Oates)

'A tour de force, an intense and gripping novel . . . This beautifully crafted thriller stands head and shoulders about other recent attempts to fictionalise Poe' (Publishers Weekly)

'In THE PALE BLUE EYE, Louis Bayard pays a stunning and fitting tribute to Edgar Allan Poe - not only in his crafting of a twisty, Gothic mystery that would have delighted the master himself, but in his use of a young Poe as a character. A gorgeous, melancholic tale from a fearless writer. I can't wait to see what Bayard does next' (Laura Lippman, author of To the Power of Three)

Book Description:

April 19th, 1831. In two or three hours I'll be dead.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Murray
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0719567041
• ISBN 13: 9780719567049
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432