It all started when Thomas Shield threw his Waterloo Medal at a public officer and shouted nasty words.  There were many witnesses to this incident.  Thomas was declared temporarily insane and placed under a doctor's care.  This would prevent him from going to jail.  His aunt returned the Waterloo Medal to him.  She told Thomas it was given to her by the magistrate.  The magistrate said Thomas had earned the medal and it was his to keep.  Thomas did not feel any honor in the medal but took it to please his aunt.

Thomas told his aunt that he could no longer depend on her and had to start looking for work.  Thomas's aunt was once a housekeeper for Mr. Bransby's family.  Rev. Bransby ran the Manor House.  As Rev. Bransby spoke with Thomas, he asked why Thomas had to be placed under restraint and was required to live under the care of a doctor.  Thomas replied, "Many men had the misfortune to be wounded in the late war.  It so happened that I was wounded in my mind as well as in my body."  Rev. Bransby was persuaded to give Thomas a chance. 

Thomas taught Latin to a group of boys.  One of the students was a young Edgar Allen Poe whose stepfather spent several years in London on business. 

When another boy, Charles Frant, arrives at school, he finds things quite difficult.  The other students are bullying Charles.  Things change when he makes friends with Edgar Allen Poe.  These two have a very similar resemblance to each other.

Strange things begin to happen.  Some strange men approach the two boys. Henry Frant asks Thomas to do some investigative work for him. 

What does Thomas discover? 

Henry Frant is found murdered.  Thomas is asked to identify the body.  However, the body is badly mutilated.  Is it Henry Frant?  Is it someone else?  Could Henry Frant have faked his own death due to financial problems at his bank?

This book opens with a narrator.  You will become very engrossed after starting to read this novel.  It is a real gothic thriller.  The author has done an excellent job of creating his characters.  His descriptive language makes them seem so real.   The plot is intriguing and suspenseful.  Be sure to add this book to your reading list.  It is one that you will thoroughly enjoy!

REVIEWED BY NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, NANCY EATON