Say the name Edgar Allan Poe and dark, gothic tales and poetry come to mind. But he was so much more than that brooding figure we have all come to recognize. From his poor beginnings to time at West Point to creating the detective that birthed Sherlock Holmes, Poe has a much bigger tale to tell. And then there’s his death – strange, mysterious and still unsolved after all the decades since. A Mystery of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak covers all of this and more, providing a deeper look at the man known for “nevermore”.

I have been a fan of Poe’s stories and poems since I was a pre-teen. I even made sure to pay a visit to his grave when I was in Baltimore a few years back. But I will admit that I have never gone beyond the well-known darker tales that created the image of Poe we all know. This biography has inspired me to look into other works and reread many in closer detail, especially those following his detective C. Auguste Dupin.

And though I knew a little about Poe’s life, it was enlightening to read of just how much hardship he faced almost constantly, from family to health to money. He led an exceedingly stressful life. Of course, like so many artists, he was not universally well-received during his time nor did his work provide a comfortable life. He moved around so often, it’s difficult to keep track of where he was living at various points in his life.

But the biggest mystery of Poe’s life is, of course, his death. The circumstances are well-suited for creating a mythology around any figure, but the fact that there are still merely theories and no definitive answers is amazing. No one knows why he was in Baltimore on that fateful day, nor why he seemed to not even be wearing his own clothes or why he was acting so strangely when he was found. Dawidziak does a good job covering some of the more reasonable theories and does provide a good basis for the most likely explanation. A Mystery of Mysteries is worth a read for Poe fans.