An Unpardonable Crime

An irresistible literary thriller in the tradition of The Alienist and An Instance of the Fingerpost, set in early 1800s England and involving a young Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe is an American boy in England, a child standing on the edge of mysteries. In 1819, two Americans arrive in London. Soon afterward a bank collapses. A man is found horribly mutilated on a building site and an heiress flirts with her inferiors. All the while, Poe's young schoolmaster struggles to understand what is happening before he and his loved ones are destroyed. But the truth, like the youthful Poe himself, has its origins in the New World as well as the Old--in a bitter episode of corruption during the War of 1812.

With settings ranging from the coal-scented urban jungle of late Regency London to the stark winter landscapes of rural Gloucestershire, An Unpardonable Crime is a multilayered literary murder mystery, a historical novel, and a love story. In addition to shedding fascinating light on Edgar Allan Poe, the book is a fast-paced suspenseful read, filled with shocking revelations.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Published: 03/01/2004
ISBN: 9781401301026
Pages: 496
Weight: 1.70lbs
Size: 9.66h x 6.40w x 1.41d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 11/10/2003 pg. 39
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2003 pg. 1421
Booklist 01/01/2004 pg. 835
Library Journal 01/01/2004 pg. 166
Booksense '76 Mar/Apr_2004 03/01/2004 pg. 1
New York Times 04/04/2004 pg. 23
People Weekly 04/19/2004 pg. 50