The Last Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe : The Troy Dossier
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books
plain
2014-06-07T17:18:03-07:00
Meyers, Manny. The Last Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe : The Troy Dossier. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1978.
Police Superintendent Hollis Beckwith wants to work with Edgar Allan Poe on a case of murders in the city. Beckwith is a fan of Poe and believes the author can help solve the murders. The general opinion of Poe is that he is a drunk, drug-addict, womanizer, and un-Christian. Still, most people they encountered seem to be fans of Poe. The pair work together to solve the murders.
Poe is very ill. His house is sparse as an obvious sign of the poverty he was living in. Although ill, Poe’s deductive skills are sharp. Poe is bitter at being taken advantage of by the publishers. He is also pessimistic that his situation will improve at all. Although first introduced as looking deathly ill, Poe seems to be fine when working with Beckwith. The book mentions that the illness does not effect him physically. One of Poe’s women, Marie Louis, gives a medical account of his “brain fever” illness.
Story features Maria Clemm and Virginia Poe. There is a mini timeline in the guise of Beckwith reading up on Poe. Poe’s military history is also referenced. The book uses the viewpoints, language and slang of the time period.
