Disquiet Heart: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Poe and Augie investigate the disappearances of several young women in this gripping, atmospheric historical mystery "A master storyteller." - New York Times Book Review Pittsburgh, 1847- A cholera epidemic rages, and young women are disappearing... Poe is devastated by the death of his beloved wife and travels to Pittsburgh for a change of scenery, reuniting with Augie Dubbins, now a young man in search of adventure. Upon their arrival in Pittsburgh, Augie and Poe discover that several young women have disappeared over the past six months, adding to the unease caused by a recent cholera epidemic. Poe and Augie traverse the gritty city in hopes of discovering the whereabouts of these women, and their captor.

Reviews

"There have been, in the past five or six years, several books written with Edgar Allan Poe as a protagonist. None has brought the man so clearly to life as Mr. Silvis has done." - The Blue Iris Review
"Atmospheric and cleverly researched, (Disquiet Heart) races to a sparkling denouement." - Publishers Weekly
"Moody, emotionally tortured, and convincingly atmospheric, (Disquiet Heart provides) a graphically described descent into Poe's opiate addictions." - Kirkus Reviews
"Randall Silvis has a well-deserved reputation as a writer of stylish crime fiction. This most recent effort, a sequel to On Night's Shore, takes us to America in the 1840s, specifically to Pittsburgh, as Edgar Allan Poe and his Watson/Boswell, August Dubbins, track down a serial killer of young women.... Silvis' sly symbolism, intellectual play and literary allusions make his novel an appropriate portrait of the twin-souled, enigmatic man whose detective stories have shown us both the dark motives of the soul and the power of reason to penetrate its mysteries." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The brash, budding city (of Pittsburgh)--a mere sapling to New York City--breeds chaos in its developing neighborhoods, industry and identity...the perfect backdrop for 17-year-old Augie Dubbins' struggle with manhood. The novel offers intrigue--the mysterious disappearance of five women from the city's gritty working class--but is most compelling when exploring Dubbins' growing pains and the depths of his disquiet heart." - The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"The novel's appeal lies in its haunted atmosphere and its morally nuanced portrait of Poe himself. Silvis creates a flawed Poe who vividly embodies the moral polarities." - Washington Post Book World
"Disquiet Heart is atmospheric and engaging...especially noteworthy for its accurate and evocative portrayal of early 19th century Pittsburgh. What's more, the climax to the story-and the absolutely chilling solution to the mystery-reads almost like something out of one of Poe's own stories.... The final pages with Poe and Dubbins together on the trail of the miscreants literally vibrate with energy, tension and electricity.... Part ratiocinative detective story, part literary thriller, and part gothic horror tale, Disquiet Heart succeeds on any number of different levels. This is a richly textured story, vivid with emotion and period detail that is not afraid to probe both the heights and depths of human experience." - The Mean Streets Journal

Author Bio

RANDALL SILVIS is the internationally acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels, one story collection, and one book of narrative nonfiction. His essays, articles, poems, and short stories have appeared in various online= and print magazines. His work has been translated into ten languages. He lives in Pennsylvania.