I picked this book up on a total whim.  I saw it and said, “sure why not.”  Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised.  This books is some weird amalgamation of CSI, Sixth Sense, and Sleepy Hollow, the movie with Johnny Depp.

We’re introduced to Edgar Allen Poe who has clearly lost it after his wife’s death and he is found in the dead of night at her grave.  He’s also been staying at an asylum where his brother, William an inspector, has set him up.  This is where we find out that Edgar can see dead people as a girl hung herself in his room a while ago.

Poe’s bother, William, is actually asked to take Edgar away from the asylum as he disturbs other guests.  I found this mildly amusing like he’s the equivalent of Brad Pitt from Twelve Monkeys always causing trouble or something.

Not soon after they leave William has to stop at a crime scene.  Edgar uses some tactics and methodology to scan the scene for clues similar to his short story Murders in The Rue Morgue.  It is also shown that Edgar knows many things about the dark arts, most likely from writing, but even possibly from practicing a little himself.

Edgar and William use the clues that Edgar finds to track down an item the victim purchased and subsequently another person who bought a similar item.  The story ends with a cliff hanger which I will leave unspoiled.

I have nothing to really say in regards to the art in this book other
than it got the job done.  The colors were dark like I suspected they
would be before opening that book.

Overall this book was fun.  Being riddled with Poe story references, my favorite being followed by a Raven everywhere Edgar goes, along with being a genuinely new idea on such a famous writer.  I know that I will at least be trying the second issue.