Tracy A. reviewed on 1/26/2012 + 3 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

While my overall experience of reading this book was positive, I agree with other reviewers that the pacing was extremely slow, especially in the first half of the book. I found it difficult to feel interested in the fate of the main character for the first half of the book, but got more interested as the plot started to finally develop. Some of the supporting characters seemed irritatingly unrealistic or one-dimensional. Having read many 19th century novels, the antiquated language seemed historically accurate to me, if tiresome at points.

I've lived in Baltimore, and enjoyed the novel's historical background of Baltimore and Poe. It ends with a well-reasoned explanation for Poe's death, and encapsulates practically all known information about that event. The author has melded historical fact with fictional characters in a mostly seamless way, and that's a feat worth praise.

In the end, my verdict was that I wished the author had been able to imbue the story with more dynamism and more endearing characters, as he did in The Dante Club, but even with its flaws, it was worth persevering through the slow spots. (And this one is far less gruesome than The Dante Club.) For anyone who, like me, is a fan of 19th century literature, Baltimore history, Poe, or mystery stories, it should be an interesting read.

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