The Mask of Red Death

Harold Schechter's Edgar Allen Poe mystery series is one of my favorites, and I was pleased to find the third one just as engrossing as its predecessors. The books, written in the first person, freely adopt Poe's literary style--sometimes to comedic effect. Schechter does poke affectionate fun at Poe now and again, but not at the cost of dehumanizing the character. His Poe feels like a warm and admirable (if pretentious and squeamish) human being. Schechter, who is more commonly known as the writer of many above average historical true crime books, handles the adventure adroitly, too. For the full flavor, I would recommend that new readers begin with Nevermore. While the books could be taken out of order (if not without losing some context), Nevermore is powerful at establishing Poe as a character and really shouldn't be missed.

In 1845, the Raven and several scathing reviews in newspapers have brought fame to Edgar Allan Poe He relocated to Manhattan accompanied by his fragile spouse and his mother-in-law. However, the city is in an angry uproar as someone is killing and scalping people. The locals believe that Indian Chief Wolf Bear, working in P.T. Barnum's sideshow, is the serial killer and a lynch mob forms. However, Kit Carson arrives in time to prove that Chief Wolf Bear is innocent and that the reprehensible John "Liver-Eating" Johnson is the killer. Joining ranks Kit and Edgar follow the deadly trail that includes a mysterious albino client of the author. While Edgar would prefer to say NEVERMORE and Kit believes a big city is HUM BUG, both know they must stop this vicious murderer before he adds more to his scalp collection. The obvious comparison between the writer and the frontiersman is a delight and much of the historical tidbits add a sense of mid nineteenth century New York to the historical mystery. Johnson, who ate the livers of his victims, comes across as macabre and authentic as the real person he was. However, the flashbacks that provide much of the period piece also take away from the suspense building to a final confrontation between the mountain man serial killer vs. the amateur sleuth writer and his western scout partner in the canyons of New York. Harriet Klausner