Edgar Allan Poe and The Empire of the Dead

(Paperback)

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Description

Edgar Allan Poe owes his old friend Auguste Dupin a favour Dupin needs Poes help solving a deadly crime. Poe agrees and soon becomes enmeshed in Dupins quest to bring down the man who singlehandedly ruined his family. This rival now wishes destruction upon Poes head too. Caught in a deadly cat and mouse game within Paris famous necropolis Poe and Dupin must use their wits to survive. And they discover that when venturing down into the Empire of the Dead, its not so easy to return from the darkness.

Reviews

'Street fulfills the promise of the tantalizing opening with a twisty and nail-biting plot. Fans of other superior fictional treatments of Poe will be enthralled.' * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
'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 Poes lasting literary legacy.' * Booklist, starred review *
'The plot unfolds in a series of juicy set pieces.' * Kirkus *
'A feast for all the senses; Karen Lee Street is a painter with a palette of exciting, unusual, and provocative words.' * Criminal Element *
'The twists and turns of the plot are cunningly weaved, and Streets expertly crafted prose and dialogue could easily have come from the pen of Poe himself.' * British Fantasy Society *
'Empire of the Deadis everything a reader of traditional mysteries or an admirer of Edgar Allan Poe could possibly want.' * Mystery Scene Magazine *
'An exciting and wonderfully atmospheric read.' * Crime Review *

'Street evokes Poe's unique sensibility through passages of inspired prose, in a narrative that preserves the spooky penumbra surrounding Poe's enduring legend.'

* Wall Street Journal *

'A gripping read, and a worthy homage to Poes genius.'

* Historical Novel Society *

Extremely clever in the writing and the plotting. With its postmodern ironic playfulness and the intertextual weaving of Poes own life and Poes fiction, it is a highly intellectual contribution to crime fiction. And a great read as well. Recommended

* Mystery People *
'A heady mix of the macabre and enigmatic.' * History Revealed Magazine *
'The most important thing about a whodunnit, in whatever sub-genre, is that it should be a page-turner, which this is. But it also helps to have engaging characters and a fluent writing style, as this does. Our narrators voice is not pastiche Poe but does sound a completely credible voice for someone of his time and place.' * Sheenagh Pugh, author of Stonelight *

Praise for Edgar Allan Poe & The Jewel of Peru:

Streets work is richly detailed and atmospheric, with equal parts delicious strangeness and sparkling historical research.' Elle Wild, author of Strange Things Done

'Glittering and dark, this is a veritable Cabinet of Curiosities.' Philip Gross, author of T.S. Eliot prize-winner The Water Table

'Rich in colour and layered with literary texture, the jewels of Karen Lee Streets second novel in her mystery trilogy are her exquisite writing and the further development of returning characters Poe and Dupin.' Kate Mayfield, author of The Undertaker's Daughter

Author Bio

Karen Lee Street is a British/American dual national. She has a PhD in Writing from the University of South Wales and has worked for many years in the European film industry. She is the author of Edgar Allan Poe and the London MonsterandEdgar Allan Poe and the Jewel of Peru.