Beyond Rue Morgue Anthology

July 21, 2014
Execution doesn't match concept in this uneven anthology, which includes Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and nine stories inspired by that classic tale introducing C. Auguste Dupin, the prototypical eccentric sleuth, whose brilliance is chronicled by an admiring sidekick. In Mike Carey's sly and witty "The Sons of Tammany," easily the volume's best entry, political cartoonist Thomas Nast narrates Dupin's experiences in 1870 New York City investigating the death of 20 men working on constructing the Brooklyn Bridge. While the authorities are quick to write off the fatalities as accidental, Dupin quickly ascertains the truth and the motive behind the crimes. Given that Dupin was created to be the master rational problem-solver, readers may be disappointed that some selections are thrillers rather than whodunits. Other contributors include Clive Barker, Simon Clark, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Massie, and Lisa Tuttle.