Review of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," by Edgar Allan Poe

Review of

The Murders in the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allan Poe ISBN 9781434242594


Five out of five stars

 Despite his short career and limited financial returns for his writing, Edgar Allan Poe left a lasting legacy in American literature.  Considered to be the inventor of the genre of detective fiction and an early pioneer of science fiction, it is fitting that one of the major awards for writing fiction is called an Edgar. This book is a graphic novel adaptation of one of Poe’s unusual short mystery stories.

 Two women are brutally murdered in a second-floor room, one has their head severed and the other is strangled. Several men heard their screams, raced up the stairs and broke down the door in an attempt to help them. The murderer is nowhere to be found and did not exit through the door, the only other possible escape route is to go through what appears to be a locked window and somehow reach a thick lightning rod that goes up the side of the building.

 The ace detective in this case is Auguste Dupin, a man of very modest means but possessing great acumen. Faced with a situation that appears impossible, he uses his mind to chip away at the features that make it appear impossible and zeroes in on the killer. It is a brilliant line of reasoning, and the killer is most unusual, someone that would not ordinarily be on the list of “usual suspects.”

 The rendition into graphic form is very well done, the colors are dark and dreary, fitting for a Poe story. You don’t have to be a fan of Edgar Allan Poe to enjoy this novel.