The third novel in this acclaimed series sees the Gothic story master travel to Paris to visit Auguste Dupin, the sleuth who starred in several of his tales, in order to help him hunt down the elusive criminal who brought the Dupin family to ruin during the French Revolution. Soon after, the duo are engaged by the prefect of police to recover the stolen letter of an infamous Parisian salonni re.
It is a feast for all the senses; Karen Lee Street is a painter with a palette of exciting, unusual, and provocative words ... a historical mystery that will entice readers into exploring Paris’s magical, mysterious past and will no doubt eventually lead them to revisit Poe’s literary masterpieces.
The reader is taken on a dark and dangerous journey through 19th century Paris ... The twists and turns of the plot are cunningly weaved, and Street’s expertly crafted prose and dialogue could easily have come from the pen of Poe himself. I really enjoyed this novel, found it very easy to get into...and genuinely didn’t want to put it down. I found myself emotionally invested into Poe and Dupin’s battle against their respective nemeses and even though I’d not read the previous books in this series, I was able to get straight into the story. Whether you’re a fan of Poe himself, or just detective stories, this is one series to get onto your book shelf (or e-book reader of choice).
... macabre ... In a brisk, vivid narrative that includes magic, alchemy, metempsychosis (the transfer of souls between bodies), and the pain of loss, Street details new life for Dupin, and for Poe, a reunion with his beloved. Superlative historical mystery, capturing the tone of the time and Poe’s lasting literary legacy.
