The Pale Blue Eye - by Louis Bayard (Paperback)

About the Book

In this ingenious tale of murder and revenge at West Point, a retired New York City detective recruits a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe to help him narrow down the suspects, even as they deal with their own personal demons.

Book Synopsis

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"Shockingly clever and devoutly unsentimental . . . reads like a lost classic. Bayard reinvigorates historical fiction." -- New York Times Book Review

An ingenious tale of murder and revenge at West Point, featuring a retired detective and a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe--from the author of Courting Mr. Lincoln.

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. The next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has removed the dead man's heart.

Augustus Landor--who acquired some renown in his years as a New York City police detective--is called in to discreetly investigate. It's a baffling case Landor must pursue in secret, for the scandal could do irreparable damage to the fledgling institution. But he finds help from an unexpected ally--a moody, young cadet with a penchant for drink, two volumes of poetry to his name, and a murky past that changes from telling to telling.

The strange and haunted Southern poet, for whom Landor develops a fatherly affection, is named Edgar Allan Poe.

From the Back Cover

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. The next morning, an even greater horror comes to light. Someone has removed the dead man's heart. Augustus Landor--who acquired some renown in his years as a New York City police detective--is called in to discreetly investigate. It's a baffling case Landor must pursue in secret, for the scandal could do irreparable damage to the fledgling institution. But he finds help from an unexpected ally--a moody, young cadet with a penchant for drink, two volumes of poetry to his name, and a murky past that changes from telling to telling. The strange and haunted Southern poet for whom Landor develops a fatherly affection, is named Edgar Allan Poe.

Review Quotes

"Shockingly clever and devoutly unsentimental...reads like a lost classic. Bayard reinvigorates historical fiction." -- New York Times Book Review

"Another literary tour de force....At novel's end, the reader may want to start again from the beginning." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred)

"(A) tour-de-force...intense and gripping ...(a) beautifully crafted thriller " -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Ingenious...with a rich knowledge of Poe's life and work." -- Entertainment Weekly

"Seemlessly blends Poe into an engrossing whodunit worthy of its inspiration. " -- USA Today

"Exquisitely rendered character study, imaginatively Gothic, compelling." -- Miami Herald

"Gracefully written...Bayard's prose flows like silk, weightless but enveloping, and never shows its seams. -- Salon.com

"Bayard has produced a nuanced, wonderfully written tale, one worthy of the old master himself." -- Baltimore Sun

"An uncanny and original portrait. Captures the imagination with exquisite details and a compelling, disquieting story." -- Denver Rocky Mountain News

"Gruesomely entertaining." -- New York Times

"Full of delightfully unexpected twists that continue to the very last pages of the novel." -- Denver Post

"Brilliantly plotted and completely absorbing, ending with the kind of shock that few novelists are able to deliver." -- Sunday Times (London)

"What makes this more than a well-crafted thriller...is Bayard's gift for language. He paints incredibly vivid pictures." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Poe, an exacting critic...would have been impressed by Bayard's intelligence and fluidity as a writer." -- Oregonian

"A superb, lyrically written yarn. Deft and delicious." -- Providence Journal

"Well-wrought and suspenseful." -- Buffalo News

"Finely executed prose...An exquisitely rendered character study, imaginatively gothic, compelling." -- Memphis Commercial Appeal

"Skillful...lyrical...Moves methodically to the suspects, the motives, and the clues that twist and turn like the Hudson itself." -- Library Journal

"Worthy of...high praise." -- Bookreporter.com

"This book has it all--prose, plot and a terrifying conclusion...it will have you guessing to the very end." -- Hamilton Spectator (Canada)

"A rich and finely wrought psychological study that is a fitting tribute to Poe himself." -- The Straits Times (Singapore)

"Recommended. This novel is moody and rich in historic detail." -- Tucson Citizen