Andrew Taylor, An Unpardonable Crime (aka The American Boy)
An Unpardonable Crime is a mystery taking place in the early 1900′s and featuring young Edgar Allan Poe as a character…
Thomas Shield is a young man whose curriculum does not speak for him: he hasn’t be able to keep a job and has had an episode of lunacy after fighting in Waterloo. However, because he knows his aunt, Mr Bransby, director of Stoke Newington, a prestigious London school for boys, decides to give him a chance and hire him as an assistant-teacher. Soon, Thomas becomes acquainted with two young boys and their families: Edgar Allan, adoptive son of the Allans, a relatively wealthy American family who made its fortune in the tobacco industry, and Charlie Frant, whose father is in charge of the Wavenhoe bank in London. The two boys, who look a lot like each other, soon become inseparable.
As a strange man inquires about Edgar Allan, and on another occasion bothers Charlie, Charlie’s father Henry asks for Shield’s help in locating the man, thus involving him into his family affairs. When Henry Frant is found murdered in a brutal manner, Shield, who is already involved more than he should be, is asked to identify the body. Soon suspicion arises as to whose body was really found that day…
Thomas Shield becomes more or less willingly entangled in the Wavenhoe/Frant/Carswall family affairs, as Stephen Carswall, a disagreeable man who was apparently at odds with his cousin Henry Frant, wants him to find track of the mysterious man who used to bother Charlie and Edgar. Although reluctant to comply, Shield has his own reasons to want to remain as close as possible to the wealthy family since he becomes increasingly attracted to both Stephen Carswall’s daughter Flora and Henry Frant’s widow Sophia…
There is much to say for this novel: the atmosphere of early 19th century London and Gloucestershire is very convincing and chilling, the characters are multi-layered and interesting. The character of the narrator, Thomas Shield, is always class-conscious and realistic about his feelings for the ladies of the “good society”… However, as a mystery, this novel is too slow-paced and too long. I do not mind a long story when length is justified, but in this case, it could have easily spared 100 pages. The story is finally much more simple than its complex development suggests. Also, beside the obvious but remote allusion to the excellent short story William Wilson, I was a bit disappointed not to find more hints as to who would Poe become later (like episodes from childhood that could have inspired his future writings, other than the parrot/raven’s, which I would never have spotted without the notes at the end of the book…). As it is, the story could have been written without involving Poe at all. However, despite the flaws, I think I will try another book by Andrew Taylor, because he writes very well and can create an atmosphere suitable to a good mystery…
Rating: 3,5/5
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