When a missing letter leads to blackmail, detective C. Auguste Dupin must deduce the location of it without raising the suspicion of the blackmailer. The Purloined Letter is the third short story by Edgar Allan Poe to feature detective C. August Dupin, widely recognized as one of the first fictional detectives in literature.A pioneer of the short story genre, Poes stories typically captured themes of the macabre and included elements of the mysterious. His better-known stories include The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Masque of the Red Death and The Tell-Tale Heart.HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.