Edgar Allan Poe and the Enigma of the Midnight Gambit: A Poe-Donovan Mystery in Monte Carlo

A Summer Corpse

In the summer of 1840, Edgar Allan Poe and his friend, Detective James Donovan from Scotland Yard, were enjoying an infrequent revel in Monte Carlo. Often immersed in gripping drama, one a balmy Mediterranean evening, they strolled halls of grandeur, the clink and clank of loose coin adding a staccato beat alongside their footsteps as they ambled along the pastel tile corridors. Despite the serious nature of their usual collaborations, the evening was a rare respite from their detective work — a day reserved for amusement and leisure.

Poe’s reputation as a master of deduction, honed through his years as a writer of mysteries, had drawn Donovan to seek his partnership in solving some of the most perplexing cases that crossed their paths. Theirs was an international collaboration forged in the crucible of intellect and intuition, each complementing the other’s strengths with a shared determination to unravel the mysteries that lurked in the shadows.

But on this particular nocturnal adventure, the weight of their investigations was set aside, replaced by a desire for diversion and refreshment. As they strolled through the gilded halls of the Monte Carlo Casino, Poe and Donovan reveled in the sights and sounds of a world far…