Title: The Dante Club
Author: Matthew Pearl
Why I read this: Relief Society book club choice for June
Short Summary: When murders inspired by Dante’s Inferno hit Boston, the only ones who can solve the mystery are Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J. T. Fields.
Website: http://www.matthewpearl.com/dante/thebook.html
I quite liked this book. The beginning was a bit rough to get through, mostly because I mixed the characters up. There were lots of them, and Pearl switches points of view a lot. Still, I liked the fact that I knew more about what was going on than any of the characters, even though Pearl kept the identity and purpose of the murderer secret until the end. And by the end of the book, the characters were distinct and likable.
I also liked the feel of it. Because the main characters are the elite of Boston, they carried an atmosphere with them while they scouted around town, looking for clues. They always kept their civility, and they would sign autographs of the people that recognized them.
Pearl’s research really shows through in this book. The 19th century Boston feels real, as do the characters themselves. Pearl includes many details of the post Civil War atmosphere, as well as the lives of the poets.
There was only a small bit of swearing, which was by the ruffians that the characters came across. There was, however, gratuitous detail on the murders, including a judge getting eaten alive by maggots, and a man getting his feet set on fire while he was buried upside down, leaving him to only kick his feet in agony.
As for the murderer, I liked the red herrings and the intricate plot. I won’t say who did it, but I will say that I couldn’t guess who it was, even though there were some clues throughout.
Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
