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It's 1830 and Augustus Landor, retired Constable of the Law of New York City, is now living in the bucolic beauty of upstate New York. He is called upon by the head of West Point Military Academy to investigate a crime. Gus was hoping to stay retired but he is intrigued by the request and accepts the task to help the academy keep its good name. A cadet had been found hanging from a tree, an apparent suicide. After he had been cut down and put in safekeeping at the academy, the body had been stolen. When it was found again it had been mutilated. The heart had been removed. Landor meticulously interviews everyone who knew the cadet but it soon becomes apparent that he needs an inside man in the academy to get to the truth. Having met a cadet who has shown some insight, he requests that the student become his helper. The cadet's name is Edgar Allen Poe. Though outwardly opposites, both men work diligently to find the truth and in doing so find that they share a lot in common. Both are brilliant men, both have sorrow in their pasts and both have inquiring minds whose questions must be answered. Rich in the details of the time period, of the location and history of West Point, THE PALE BLUE EYE is a fascinating book. There are even chapters written by cadet Poe that are eerily in the real Poe's style. The mystery and investigation is solidly crafted and masterfully executed. The characters are unforgettable and unique. Nothing is as it seems and the story has some astounding twists that will make the readers gasp. Author Louis Bayard really knows how to write histories and has a talent for including well-known characters like Poe into his stories. THE PALE BLUE EYE is a wonderfully written and worthwhile book.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, June 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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