The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Baylor

'The Pale Blue Eye' was a fascinating read! Set in the 1850s, this is a historical mystery of epic proportions.

The book is set at West Point. The Academy is still in it's relative infancy, still trying to prove itself as a producer of quality military officers. In a shocking turn of events, a cadet is found dead. Though it is still a scandal, the initial judgment that it is a suicide is somewhat of a relief to the leasers of the school. Imagine their horror when the cadet's heart is stolen from his body after it is discovered,thus making it fairly clear that his death was neither accident not suicide.

Enter Gus Landor, a retired New York City police detective who is renowned for his observational and crime solving skills. He is coaxed into working the case; because he needs eyes and ears within the closed-mouthed troop of cadets, he finds himself in need of assistance from a student. In an interesting twist, he asks for and is assigned an older cadet, one Edgar Allen Poe. Together they work the case, taking clues and extrapolating theories in a most entertaining and absorbing manner, until we are eventually presented with a murderer and motive. The ending of this book took me completely by surprise, which is not easy to do.

A book with the device of using a known and loved historical figure shouldn't (and usually doesn't) work. Most often, the historical figure is mythologized or torn apart to such an extent that the book becomes a parody at best and a shoddy mess at worst. Baylor, though... Baylor pulls this off delightfully. His story is neither a paeon to the genius of Poe, nor a scourgement of his character; Poe is recognizable, but still a fully realized, human character. Many reviews will lead you to think that he is the center of this book, but that is not, in fact, the truth. The real character and fascination of The Pale Blue Eye is the character of Landon. I've not found myself liking a character quite so much in quite a while. His wry sense of humor, intelligence, and flashes of vulnerability captured me utterly.

Aside from the strength of his characters, Baylor shows a finesse in story construction that is inspiring. I know little about him, but I'd judge him, by this book, to be a very experienced, mature writer. Each page, by necessity, has the responsibility of building logically and completely upon the previous page, letting the reader know just enough (but not too much) to lure us along the path of the story... so he can drop us thrillingly to the bottom.

I don't read mysteries. EVER. This book, though, with it's fine balance of mystery, history, and well-rounded, believable characters captured my imagination. Very well done! I give this four coffee cups out of five, and I'll definitely read it again. though I know who the killer is now, I can still savor Baylor's use of language and the wonderful characters he's created.