The Poe Shadow

Matthew Pearl’s novel The Poe Shadow (2006) tells the story of a young lawyer’s attempt to solve the mystery behind Edgar Allan Poe’s death. When Poe dies in Baltimore in 1849, the public, the press, and Poe’s family and friends all accept that he died a second-rate writer and a drunkard. However, Quentin Clark, an admirer of Poe’s work, explores the puzzling facts surrounding Poe’s last days. When Quentin finds himself caught in a sinister plot, he must become a master investigator to solve the strange case of Poe’s death and to ensure his imperiled fate does not follow the same path.

Quentin Clark lives in Baltimore and is pursuing a career as a lawyer. The son of wealthy parents, he is engaged to the beautiful Hattie Blum. Quentin’s law partner and best friend is Peter Stuart. Quentin has had correspondence with Edgar Allan Poe regarding legal support for Poe’s new publication, The Stylus.



An avid fan of Poe’s work, Quentin is immediately struck by the mysterious circumstances surrounding Poe’s death. He died at the age of forty on October 7, 1849. Four days before he died, he was found at Ryan’s Inn and Tavern in distress. He then reappeared at the tavern and was found dead. The gap between these events is what troubles Quentin the most. Furthermore, Poe was not even supposed to be in Baltimore. He was on a trip from Richmond to New York and planned to stop in Philadelphia. No one knows why he came to Baltimore or how he ended up in the tavern. Poe also bizarrely requested that one of his relatives post a letter to him while he was in Philadelphia under the pseudonym “EST Grey.” He is reported to have said different things as his last words, including “Herring,” “Reynolds,” and “Lord help my poor soul.”

Quentin happens to witness Poe’s funeral and is struck that only four mourners are in attendance. He only learns the following day while reading the newspaper that the funeral he witnessed was his favorite writer’s. In an attempt to find answers, Quentin revisits Poe’s grave and the hospital where he died. He also finds and speaks with Poe’s cousins, but all his efforts are fruitless. He is either met with indifference or obstruction. Hattie waits patiently during Quentin’s investigation, but her controlling aunt increasingly dislikes Quentin’s probe into Poe’s death.

That’s when Quentin decides to turn to the pages of Poe’s mysteries that feature C. Auguste Dupin, a clever Frenchman who solves crimes that are too baffling for the police. Quentin notes that in the stories, Dupin follows a method Poe referred to as “ratiocination,” which involves using one’s imagination to analyze and using one’s analysis to achieve a greater sense of imagination.



Quentin comes upon an item in a newspaper that suggests Dupin was based on an actual Frenchman, and he quickly sends letters to France in search of potential candidates. He then leaves to go to France. There, a man named Baron Claude Dupin claims to be the inspiration for Poe’s Dupin, and soon, the Frenchmen heads to America to grasp whatever glory he can from Poe’s death. Baron is accompanied by a beautiful woman named Bonjour, and Quentin becomes interested in her when his fiancée is persuaded by her relatives to break off the engagement.

Quentin eventually meets Auguste Duponte and determines that he was the inspiration behind the character in Poe’s stories. Claiming he has abandoned his life as an investigator, Auguste refuses to help Quentin. When he learns of Baron’s insistence that he is the real Dupin, Auguste decides to return to Baltimore with Quentin to solve the mystery.

Back in Baltimore, the competition between Baron and Auguste intensifies. Baron is desperate to solve the crime, using theft, bribes, blackmail, and intimidation to get information about Poe’s death. He plants stories about Poe’s death in newspapers and attempts to sell tickets to his dissertation about who truly killed Poe, be it truthful or not. Auguste agrees to stay at Quentin’s mansion to study the information Quentin brings to him, but he is not as interested in discovering the truth as he is in restoring his reputation and fame.



Meanwhile, someone is sending notes to Quentin, warning him to stop his search for answers. People are also very reluctant to supply Quentin with any information. Peter attempts to convince him that he is wasting his time and should be focusing on the law practice. Auguste’s past has followed him to Baltimore. Some men threaten Quentin, believing that he works for Auguste.

Quentin and Auguste race Baron and Bonjour to interview funeral attendants and witnesses as they attempt to obtain Poe’s final letter, which is discovered by funeral attendant Henry Reynolds. In the end, the literary magazine is the secret the men were willing to kill Poe over.