“Recommended for lovers of Poe’s writings, for those who enjoy the Gothic and macabre, and for all historical mystery fans."
(Historical Novel Review)
Street fulfills the promise of the tantalizing opening with a twisty and nail-biting plot…(Publishers Weekly ⭐️ starred review)
"Superlative historical mystery, capturing the tone of the time and Poe's lasting literary legacy." (Booklist, ⭐️starred review)
“A skillful melding of historical detail and fiction, rife with Poe-like style, imagery and plot elements." (Library Journal, ⭐️starred review)
“ Street’s excellent sequel to 2016’s Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster..." (Publishers Weekly, ⭐️starred review)
Karen Lee Street
Come for the mystery, stay for Street’s fantastic characters, gorgeous writing, and oodles of atmosphere. This is an utterly delightful treat that’s not to be missed." (Criminal Element)
"A dark, highly satisfying mystery combining beautiful writing with suspense and unease.”(Ripperologist)
"Clever, knowing, witty, and wonderfully researched..." (Raven Crime Reads)
"A feast for all the senses..." (Criminal Element)
"A brilliant historical whodunit" (Mystery Scene)
"Evokes Poe’s unique sensibility through passages of inspired prose, in a narrative that preserves the spooky penumbra surrounding Poe’s enduring legend.”(The Wall Street Journal)
"Expertly crafted prose and dialogue" (British Fantasy Society)
"A gripping read and a worthy homage to Poe’s genius.” (Historical Novel Society)
BIOGRAPHY
TEACHING
Karen has a PhD in Writing by portfolio from the University of South Wales, which includes a critical paper entitled: "From Nascent-Narrative to Multiverse: An Alternative Perspective on Adaptation". She has taught MA-level screenwriting at universities in the UK, Estonia, Latvia, and run training workshops for professional screenwriters in Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Canada and the UK.
MEMBERSHIPS
The Crime Writers' Association (UK); Australian Crime Writers Association; Society of Authors UK; Sisters in Crime (Australia); Historical Writers' Association; the British Academy of Film & Television; International Chapter Member of the Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts.
KAREN LEE STREET is a British/ American dual national. Born in Philadelphia and a long-time Londoner, she currently lives in Newcastle, Australia.
WRITING
Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster (2016/ 2017) is the first novel in a Poe & Dupin mystery trilogy. Sequel Edgar Allan Poe and the Jewel of Peru (2018), is set in Philadelphia 1844. The final novel in the trilogy, which takes place in Paris 1849, is Edgar Allan Poe and the Empire of the Dead (UK: October 2019/ USA: May 2020). The publishers are Point Blank Books, an imprint of Oneworld Publications (UK); Pegasus Books, USA; AST in Russia; Vulkan in Serbia; and Paris Yayincik in Turkey.
Karen's previous publications include Writing & Selling Crime Film Screenplays and Tattoos and Motorcycles (a collection of interconnected short stories), articles on screenwriting and cross-arts collaboration, along with a number of commissioned screenplays and poetry.
FILM
Karen's film career began in Anchorage, Alaska where she was employed for a summer as a documentary runner and programming trainee at a Cable television company. She followed this with freelance work on music videos and short films in London. (Two very different worlds!)
As Head of Development at the largest script development fund in Europe (the European Script Fund/ European Media Development Agency, MEDIA Programme), Karen created the first pan-European script analysis service and ran Second Stage Funding. During this time, she read an enormous number of scripts, travelled extensively in Europe, and worked with a lot of interesting film-makers.
She continues to consult for the MEDIA Programme, does freelance script editing,
and is currently on the Management Committee of Tipping Point Film Fund, a supporter of documentary films about international social justice issues.
CONTACT & OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
For any media inquiries, please contact agent Oli Munson,
A.M. Heath Literary Agency
Facebook: Edgar Allan Poe & the London Monster
Twitter: @karenleestreet
Instagram: @karenleestreet