Matthew Pearl, The Poe Shadow

Matthew Pearl's The Poe Shadow attempts to be two things at once:  a mystery novel, and a serious attempt to unravel the mystery of the death of the great master of horror, Edgar Allan Poe.  Although he gained a cult following in his life, Poe was never a financial success, and died a dismal death, surrounded by questions.  This book tries to capture something of the dark tone of the works of Poe, and does not succeed, here.  It has a bit of a gloss of nostalgia, which is somewhat deadening in a work of historical fiction, but the narrative is compelling enough and keeps the reader moving along.  For a fan of Poe, or of 19th century literature, an entertaining read.  For others, probably not.  (The endorsement on the cover from Dan Brown ought have been a warning, but then, I picked it up for a pound at a charity shop in Scotland, so no harm there.)