1845: New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two events will change New York City forever. Timothy Wilde tends bar, saving every dollar in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams are destroyed by a fire that devastates downtown Manhattan, he is left with little choice but to accept a job in the newly minted New York City Police Department. Returning exhausted from his rounds one night, Tim collides with a girl no more than ten years old... covered in blood. She claims that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of Twenty-Third Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her, but as the image of a brutal killer is slowly revealed and anti-Irish rage infects the city, the reluctant copper star is engaged in a battle that may cost him everything...
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Publisher:
New York : Amy Einhorn Books/G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2012.
ISBN:
9781101561072
1101561076
1101561076
Characteristics:
1 online resource.
Summary:
1845: New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two events will change New York City forever. Timothy Wilde tends bar, saving every dollar in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams are destroyed by a fire that devastates downtown Manhattan, he is left with little choice but to accept a job in the newly minted New York City Police Department. Returning exhausted from his rounds one night, Tim collides with a girl no more than ten years old... covered in blood. She claims that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of Twenty-Third Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her, but as the image of a brutal killer is slowly revealed and anti-Irish rage infects the city, the reluctant copper star is engaged in a battle that may cost him everything...
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Add a CommentStick with it! That's the first phrase that comes to mind with this series. The sassy, period "street" language is a bit cumbersome to read, and it bogs down the fast-paced clip of the mystery - but - Stick With It! If you can navigate your way through the novel, you will be rewarded with a clever revelation of the murderer. Character establishment is well thought-out by Faye, and the attention to historical detail is phenomenal. Faye uses colorful description and attentive adjectives to bring her carnival of characters to life. This is a dark and twisted view of New York. A clever read...
Couldn't get into the story....will try again at a later date
I thought this was a very well-written mystery. The twists and turns came quick and intense toward the end, and the setting was detailed with pinpoint accuracy. There was a wide range of characters, almost all morally gray, and I loved the way their lives unfolded with the mysteries. The mystery itself was engaging, and always kept you guessing until the very end. The ending itself was bittersweet, and though I didn't find the small romance to fit into the story quite so well, I thought the resolution of everything was fitting, and very realistic.
Bartender Timothy Wilde is gravely injured in a 1845 fire/explosion in crowded Manhattan. Worse, his carefully tended nest egg of $400 in gold coins is gone along with his dream of buying some land on Staten Island and starting a ferry. Tim finds himself working for NYC's just-getting-started police department.
The Gods of Gotham shows extraordinary research. Pieces of history blend with the story in a setting and atmosphere that feels and looks genuine. This is a wonderful look at New York City in 1845. The dialogue is snappy and many of the secondary characters—primarily Matsell and Piest, secondarily Mrs. Boehm—are entertaining and deserve more time on the page. The primary characters seem to be more developed and faceted than they tend to be in the average mystery, but they still were a bit too cardboardish and easily pliable for my tastes, that is they're one thing until the plot needs them to be another and then they change. Overall, a well-written mystery.
Wsj 5/2015
Historical fiction. Great look into mid-19th century New York--the corruption, poverty, immigrants, politics and the newly formed police dept. Once I got used to the author's turn of phrase I couldn't put it down.
Very interesting history. Detective mystery O.K.
This is a blend of history and mystery. The mystery is the garden variety kind but the history is very good. A very well painted picture of the mood, politics, religion and people of New York in 1845.
I was intrigued by the history woven into the story of NYC during the waves of immigration. Then the Irish were despised and seen as the root of all Gotham's faults. The Nativist reaction, couched in presumed superiority over the "others", has some echo these days as well.
But the book's style seemed contrived. The author insisted on using the street language of the day, and even offered a glossary in the initial pages.
Language and sentence structure were often confusing. To what end? I found myself having to go back and re-read paragraphs to seek clarity about what the author was intending to say.
No, I would not recommend.