The Pale Blue Eye - Couverture souple

Bayard, Louis

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 071956851X ISBN 13 : 9780719568510

Editeur : John Murray Publishers Ltd, 2006

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

“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)

Présentation de l'éditeur :

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, and restless in his seclusion, Landor agrees to take on the case. As he questions the dead man's acquaintances, he finds an eager assistant in a moody, intriguing 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 cadet's name? Edgar Allan Poe.

Impressed with Poe's astute powers of observation, Landor is convinced that the poet may prove useful—if he can stay sober long enough to put his keen reasoning skills to the task. Working in close contact, the two men—separated by years but alike in intelligence—develop a surprisingly deep rapport as their investigation takes them into a hidden world of secret societies, ritual sacrifices, and more bodies. Soon, however, the macabre murders and Landor's own buried secrets threaten to tear the two men and their newly formed friendship apart.

A rich tapestry of fine prose and intricately detailed characters, The Pale Blue Eye transports readers into a labyrinth of the unknown that will leave them guessing until the very end.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: John Murray Publishers Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2006
• ISBN 10: 071956851X
• ISBN 13: 9780719568510
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 432