The Gods of Gotham Audiobook By Lyndsay Faye cover art

The Gods of Gotham

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The Gods of Gotham

By: Lyndsay Faye
Narrated by: Steven Boyer
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1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.

Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, fantasizing about the day he has enough money to win the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this new "police force." And he is less than thrilled that his new beat is the notoriously down-and-out Sixth Ward-at the border of Five Points, the world's most notorious slum.

One night while making his rounds, Wilde literally runs into a little slip of a girl-a girl not more than ten years old-dashing through the dark in her nightshift . . . covered head to toe in blood.

Timothy knows he should take the girl to the House of Refuge, yet he can't bring himself to abandon her. Instead, he takes her home, where she spins wild stories, claiming that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of 23rd Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her or not, but, as the truth unfolds, the reluctant copper star finds himself engaged in a battle for justice that nearly costs him his brother, his romantic obsession, and his own life.

 Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense New York Fiction Crime Dream Exciting
Rich Historical Detail • Compelling Mystery • Excellent Narration • Atmospheric Setting • Unexpected Twists

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This book was a fantastic read. The subject matter would normally be a little dark for me, however, this book carefully gives you all the details you need, without exploiting the macabre nature of the crimes too much. It strikes the perfect balance and remains intriguing until the end.
With an audiobook, the narrator can sometimes make or break the experience. In this case, he did a great job. Full marks all around

Fantastic and well paced.

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Beautifully written and rich in historical detail. Finely drawn characters and compelling. suspensfull story.

Recommended

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Although a little grisly in places for my taste, this is the kind of historical fiction that transports the listener to the world of the story. The writing is much above average for the genre,and the packed historical detail is fascinating without getting in the way of the story. The narration is excellent, too - both author and narrator seem to have made the wise choice that, since neither the prose nor the delivery is REALLY going to imitate 1845 New York, then make both sound modern and let the story, character, setting and appropriately chosen period vocabulary paint the images of the story world. I wade though a large amount of historical fiction flotsam to catch a few like this that really work - a good dense story, likeable characters, and, as a bonus, a social conscience without being hamfisted preachy.

above average historical fiction

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Fascinating story and a great narration.
Even though there were some gruesome parts,
I enjoyed every word from beginning to end.
I'd love to find other 4-5 star books like this,
Ones you can't put down till the end, and
then wish it wasn't quite over just yet.

Couldn't put it down!

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, it was predictable and not believable.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lyndsay Faye again?

No!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I thought the narrator did not do a very good job of making me believe that his brother was a bad person and he didn't distinguish the individual charters very well. It all just ran together.

Any additional comments?

I definitely had higher hopes for this story set in New York during 1845. A sort of a "Jack the Ripper-like" person is causing panic in the city after 19 child corpses are found buried outside the city.

I would've given this one 2-stars because it was not believable and oh so predictable. The redeemer for the 3-star rating was all the information regarding Catholics of that period. I had absolutely no idea that they were considered heretic's because they "worshiped" the pope and people considered them ignorant for their beliefs. Catholics, Prodestants, Christians...aren't they all praying to the same god? I never cease to be amazed by the conflict religion creates.

COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER

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