BLACK PLUME: The Suppressed Memoirs of Edgar Allan Poe

A fictional memoir told in Edgar Allan Poe’s own literary style, “Black Plume” recreates in Poe’s strange marriage to his sickly bride, his struggle to make a living, his addiction to alcohol and his agonizing battle against the sensuality of his nature. Rather than violate the innocence of his wife, Poe indulges in an opium-laced affair with two mysterious fortune tellers, whose exotic allure blinds him to the danger that swirls around them. When the women are murdered, Poe is drawn into an adventure that inspires his dark imagination to create the first American detective story.

REVIEWS

“Poe enthusiasts will certainly enjoy this warm homage, discovering that Poe’s ominous spirit echoes forever more.”
–Los Angeles Times

“Madsen’s ability to see the world through funeral lenses in impressive. The voice, the mood, the violent, grisly crimes – all these evoke Poe at his most full blown. Madsen’s bizarre thriller would make Poe roll over in his grave and grin.”
–Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“It’s a must for fans of inventive gaslit amusement.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“Not only is it an engaging murder mystery, it captures Poe’s rollicking sentence rhythms and mixture of horror and hoaxing.”
–Library Journal