When was the last time you read the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe?

    Or maybe a better question is, When was the first time you read "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

    For me, that moment is burned into my brain. It was in the seventh grade in the 1970s, in a Catholic grammar school in northern New Jersey. An enterprising English teacher turned off the lights, pulled down the shades, lit a candle, and proceeded to scare the wits out of the 32 impressionable students in her class.

    I don't remember having nightmares after reading "The Tell-Tale Heart" in that classroom, but it's entirely possible that I did (and that they're blocked from my memory now and forevermore).

    I do remember understanding that Poe, from that point on, was a writer to respect. (To put it mildly!) And one to read again and again and again, as long as I, as a schoolkid, had the guts to do it.

    One point: having the lights on helps.

    Really, it was clear that Poe (1809-1849) had something going here. He understood the heart of evil. And he could convey it rationally, in words on the page.

    That, alone, was a formidable talent. 

    Now, 200 years after his birth "as the mad genius who started it all rolling in the genre of mystery fiction," writes Michael Connelly, readers can rediscover Edgar Allan Poe and understand exactly how this author influenced some of the best and most accomplished writers in the mystery and horror genres today. A new book, In , presented by the Mystery Writers of America and edited by Michael Connelly (William Morrow), makes all of this possible.  The Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

The book contains sixteen of Poe's most enduring tales (including "The Tell-Tale Heart"), plus, as a bonus, twenty original essays by such writers as Stephen King, Sue Grafton, Laurie R. King, T. Jefferson Parker, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeffrey Deaver. It also features the amazing black-and-white illustrations of Harry Clarke (who first brought Poe's "dark visions" to life nearly a century ago).

    What Poe's stories taught, according to T. Jefferson Parker: "Words can be beautiful and mysterious and full of truth."

    Those words can also scare people out of their skins.

    Or make them see another person's point of view--someone they least expect to sympathize with.

    Or entertain in the most unexpected fashion. 

    Or inspire them to take up the pen (or the computer) themselves and contribute to the craft in some shape or form.

    As did all of the writers who lent their voices and their thoughts to this celebratory hardcover volume--a quality and insightful collection from start to chilling finish.