The Pale Blue Eye, (Paperback)

from Dorritt

It's the beginning of the 19th century and a murderer is praying on West Point cadets, hanging them and then - literally - cutting out their hearts. Fortunately, a retired police detective of some cunning lives locally: the Commandant of West Point calls him in to solve the crime. But Augustus La...

from theokester

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not an avid reader of mystery novels in their pure "detective" form. I've read most of Sherlock Holmes. I've also read numerous "juvenile" mysteries over time (Hardy Boys and the like). I've also read numerous short stories including the "first" detective st...

from miyurose

One surefire way to make me interested in historical fiction is to throw someone who actually existed into the mix. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm strangely compelled by fictional depictions of real people. In this case, the subject is Edgar Allen Poe. I'm sure there are many liberties taken w...

from karieh

It's summer. When I'm looking for books to read in the summer - I'm looking for something that will suck me in, grab my attention during a lazy, sunny afternoon and yet not ask too much of me. And yet, I've moved past the days of my twenties where I could grab the latest mass market paperback fro...

from beserene

So, have I mentioned that I really like Louis Bayard? Yeah, I sure do. This novel is true historical fiction, emphasis on the fiction. Bayard picks a time and location -- West Point academy in the 1830s -- and a few key historical figures -- including, in this case, one Edgar A. Poe, West Point c...