The year is 1909. Suzanne Heath is a ticket-seller at Coney Island in New York City. She also has psychic abilities and is called in by the police to help find a murderer whose victims have been hideously mutilated. Suzanne feels compelled and obligated to offer her assistance even as doing so recalls memories of her childhood and youth when her psychic talents only brought about rejection, heartache, and pain. Suzanne's one true friend is Cittie Parker, a young man who ran away from the Colored Waifs' Asylum and now performs as a bloodthirsty Zulu drummer in Coney Island. He knows of her abilities and fears for her safety. As Suzanne digs deeper into the grisly Coney Island murders and her own past, she finds herself and Cittie caught up in a nightmare.
This dark historical fiction works very well on a number of levels. First, the story is complex. The author deftly handles flashbacks and plot structure with ease. You have different threads involving Suzanne, as a child with a deranged mother, as a teen in a girls’ boarding school, and then as a young adult working a dead end job on Coney Island. Intertwined these settings are paranormal incidents, a rash of serial murders, and an unidentifiable evil lurking ever present just out of view. The amusement park setting also adds a seedy creepiness with a sense of unpredictability. As a result, the novel was an absorbing and thrilling read.
I thought the characters were nicely drawn and believable. The early 20th century depiction of Coney Island and New York City seemed authentic. The time period, with its social mores and overt expression of racism, were well depicted.
The one issue that I have with the novel is the ending. I certainly did not see the ending coming. It certainly is a shocker, but part of the reason it is such a stunner is that the reader is tricked by a sleight of hand. I actually felt manipulated. I will not disclose anything more for fear of spoiling the work for potential readers. I really liked all aspects of the story except the conclusion. I would not hesitate to recommend Hell Gate. Just be prepared to be let down with the way the author tries to bring the story to a close.
This dark historical fiction works very well on a number of levels. First, the story is complex. The author deftly handles flashbacks and plot structure with ease. You have different threads involving Suzanne, as a child with a deranged mother, as a teen in a girls’ boarding school, and then as a young adult working a dead end job on Coney Island. Intertwined these settings are paranormal incidents, a rash of serial murders, and an unidentifiable evil lurking ever present just out of view. The amusement park setting also adds a seedy creepiness with a sense of unpredictability. As a result, the novel was an absorbing and thrilling read.
I thought the characters were nicely drawn and believable. The early 20th century depiction of Coney Island and New York City seemed authentic. The time period, with its social mores and overt expression of racism, were well depicted.
The one issue that I have with the novel is the ending. I certainly did not see the ending coming. It certainly is a shocker, but part of the reason it is such a stunner is that the reader is tricked by a sleight of hand. I actually felt manipulated. I will not disclose anything more for fear of spoiling the work for potential readers. I really liked all aspects of the story except the conclusion. I would not hesitate to recommend Hell Gate. Just be prepared to be let down with the way the author tries to bring the story to a close.
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