Eleven year old Edmund's mother has been kidnapped and as he and his younger sister try to find her in Providence, RI in the mid-1800's, his sister also disappears. Literally running into Edgar Allan Poe as he hurtles down the street in shock, Edmund is soon partnered with the eccentric writer in the search for his missing family. But is Poe a help or hindrance? Friend or foe? This riveting mystery expertly twists and turns, and Avi paints a lush backdrop of a murky seacoast port in another, darker era.