The American Boy - Softcover

‘Hugely entertaining. Its beguiling story and atmospheric evocation of Regency London and the winter landscapes of Gloucestershire cry out for a wingback chair by a blazing fire.’ Observer

'In the end, the myriad mysteries of “The American Boy” are all neatly accounted for, as one would expect from a thriller writer such as Taylor. But he has transcended any limitations of genre in this novel, for it is a wonderful book, richly composed and beautifully written, an enthralling read from start to finish.' The Times

'Creates an atmosphere close to Sarah Waters' “Fingersmith” in the convincing depiction of a sadistic underworld. Taylor's deeply absorbing and beautifully written book is a fitting tribute to the founding father of crime fiction.' Independent

'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill, and it will have you desperate to search out a quiet corner to continue your acquaintance with it.' Daily Telegraph

'It is as if Taylor has used the great master of the bizarre as both starting and finishing point, but in between created a period piece with its own unique voice. The result should satisfy those drawn to the fictions of the 19th century, or Poe, or indeed to crime-writing at its most creative.' Spectator

Interweaving real and fictional elements, ‘The American Boy’ is a major literary historical crime novel in the tradition of ‘An Instance of the Fingerpost’ and ‘Possession’. Repackaged as part of the Perennial fiction promotion.

England 1819: Thomas Shield, a new master at a school just outside London, is tutor to a young American boy and the boy’s sensitive best friend, Charles Frant. Drawn to Frant’s beautiful, unhappy mother, Thomas becomes caught up in her family’s twisted intrigues.

Then a brutal crime is committed, with consequences that threaten to destroy Thomas and all that he has come to dearly value. Despite his efforts, Shield is caught up in a deadly tangle of sex, money, murder and lies – a tangle that grips him even tighter as he tries to escape from it. And what of the strange American child, at the heart of these macabre events – what is the secret of the boy named Edgar Allan Poe?