Pearl, Matthew

This is a stimulating read which honors the complexity of the events described. History buffs will eat it up.

Pearl uses his literary knowledge to excellent effect as he crafts a sinister tale of obsession and manipulation. This should appeal to fans of Victorian murder mysteries, such as those by Alex Grecian or Anne Perry, and poetry enthusiasts who will enjoy seeing these well-known lyricists come to life. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]

This swashbuckling tale of greed and great literature will remind you why Pearl (The Dante Club; The Poe Shadow) is the reigning king of popular literary historical thrillers. His latest is guaranteed to delight lovers of history and mystery and will likely find an enthusiastic crossover audience among those who enjoy the works of Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Watcher in the Shadows), Erik Larson (In the Garden of Beasts), and Katherine Howe (The House of Velvet and Glass). [See Prepub Alert, 11/10/14.]

Pearl has a special talent for making likable detectives out of historical figures (The Dante Club) and for pulling compelling plotlines from biographies (The Poe Shadow; The Last Dickens). Here, MIT and Harvard are brought to the foreground and so well depicted that they become historical characters in their own right. This thriller won't disappoint Pearl's many fans. [Library and academic marketing; on December 5 the publisher released an e-original short story as a tie-in to this novel.—Ed.]