Edgar Allan Poe and the Jewel of Peru

A Poe and Dupin Mystery

Karen Lee Street

Edgar Allan Poe and C. Auguste Dupin strive unravel a mystery involving old enemies, lost soul-mates, ornithomancy, and the legendary jewel of Peru.

Philadelphia, 1844.

As violent tensions escalate between nativists and recent Irish immigrants, Edgar Allan Poe’s fears for the safety of his wife, Virginia, and mother-in-law, Muddy, are compounded when he receives a parcel of mummified bird parts. Has his nemesis returned to settle an old score? Just as odd is the arrival of Helena Loddiges, a young heiress who demands Poe’s help to discover why her lover died at the city’s docks on his return from an expedition to Peru.

Poe is skeptical of her claims of having received messages from birds—and visitations from her lover’s ghost—but when Miss Loddiges is kidnapped, he and his friend C. Auguste Dupin must unravel a mystery involving old enemies, lost soul-mates, ornithomancy, and the legendary jewel of Peru.

Karen Lee Street was born in America but has lived in London for most of her adult life. She recently moved to Australia. Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster is her first novel.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"Edgar Allan Poe once again plays detective in Street’s excellent sequel to 2016’s Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster. Street enhances the Grand Guignol plot with a plausible and empathetic portrayal of her lead." Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Street excels at seamlessly joining history and fiction, displaying a literary style not unlike Poe’s, complete with touches of the macabre and melodramatic. Her depiction of Poe’s relationship with Sissy, his young wife, and Muddy, his mother-in-law, is skillfully drawn and very touching. Fans of Poe and Dupin will look forward to more adventures of the detecting duo." Library Journal

"An enjoyable romp through the drawing rooms, theaters, and docks of early-19th-century Philadelphia." Kirkus Reviews

"Street successfully combines historical fact with fiction. A particular treat for fans of the master of the macabre." Booklist

"Street’s slightly self-deprecating and occasionally darkly humorous narrative echoes Poe’s style and fashions him as the somewhat unwilling hero of his own story." BookPage

"Street’s writing is evocative and true to the period while the plot unwinds in unexpected ways. Recommended for lovers of Poe’s writings, for those who enjoy the Gothic and macabre, and for all historical mystery fans." Historical Novel Society

"Come for the mystery, stay for Street’s fantastic characters, gorgeous writing, and oodles of atmosphere. This is an utterly delightful treat that’s not to be missed." Criminal Element