Pale Blue Eye

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Pale Blue Eye (2022, Murray Press, John)

English language

Published March 22, 2022 by Murray Press, John.

ISBN:
9781399801966

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3 stars (1 review)

From the critically acclaimed author of Mr. Timothy comes an ingenious tale of murder and revenge, featuring a retired New York City detective and a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe.At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of a young cadet's body swinging from a rope just off the parade grounds. An apparent suicide is not unheard of in a harsh regimen like West Point's, but the next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has stolen into the room where the body lay and removed the heart.At a loss for answers and desperate to avoid any negative publicity, the Academy calls on the services of a local civilian, Augustus Landor, a former police detective who acquired some renown during his years in New York City before retiring to the Hudson Highlands for his health. Now a widower, …

12 editions

Outstanding

3 stars

“The Pale Blue Eye” is an outstanding, if flawed, novel that blends historical fiction and mystery.

It's true that the mystery itself is not particularly engaging and it's maybe too easy to predict the outcome. As a consequence, the twists and turns feel rather forced.

So the novel's greatest strength is not its plot but its rich and atmospheric setting, served by an elegant, engaging style, suffused with humour. Some scenes are masterfully written.