The Gods of Gotham

By: Lyndsay Faye

Narrated by: Steven Boyer

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

It is 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 10 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.

©2012 Lyndsay Faye (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Gods of Gotham

Excellent book. Surprised we liked it as much as we did. Keep us guessing until the very end about who did it. Worth your time to listen. Historic research was excellent. Narration was wonderful. Will definitely listen to her other books in this series.
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Looking forward to the next audio book by Faye

Lyndsay Faye does a lot of things right in Gods of Gotham.

Characters, though not fully three dimensional, are colorful and consistent while retaining the ability to surprise us. The central mystery is gruesome and fascinating, and if the solution does not come as a stunning surprise, we don't really mind since the process of knitting together all the loose threads is so satisfying. A host of minor characters create a rich mixture of the comic, bizarre and chilling in a progression of events which moves along at a very nice pace.

Finally, the historic NYC setting is vividly rendered, an unsavory feast for the senses with a wealth of telling detail. This is crime fiction in an historical setting done to a fare-thee-well. I was sorry to come to the end, and I look forward to more from this author. When it comes, I hope it is narrated by Steven Boyer. He did a nice job of establishing the right energy for a story which demands a kind of fresh naivete in its presentation in order to capture us completely. Nice work!

Possibly my all time favorite audiobook

I have listened to his audiobook 3 (4?) times... unheard of for me, but I just love this story and performance and everything!!


*Hot tip- there is a lot of lingo from the period used- you might consider going to the appendix at the end to better understand dialogue. That being said... I didn't know there was an appendix and was able to pick up words based on context.*

captivated from the start

more than an old school mudder mystery, this story takes you through the mind of a genuine soul scarred by the harsh life of mid 19th century New York city who is a natural at detective work. the narration takes you right there and illuminates the characters' intricate details provided by a great writer.

NYC 1845 Protestants, Catholics, and Politics

This primer on the formation of the first police department in New York City at the time of the potato famine in Ireland and great migration to America is an eye opener for sure. If it doesn't make you think twice about how we got to where we are today, I'd be greatly surprised. The hatred for Catholics, Irish and Blacks ran rampant in NYC; bribes were the norm; opioids were legal; prostitution wasn't, but might as well have been. And this was what the first police department, or the Copper Stars came up against. The story focuses on two brothers, Valentine and Timothy Wilde, who had seen their parents burn to death when they were young. The brothers are as different as night and day, Val addicted to opium and a democrat, Tim, wanting nothing to do with "the party" is a bartender and in love with the local protestant preacher's daughter . . . until a fire destroys downtown Manhattan, taking his livelihood, his home and his savings with it. Permanently scarred and lucky to be alive, Tim is forced to take a post with NYPD, where his brother, Val is a captain. When Timothy runs into a young girl in a bloodied night dress in the streets, he takes her to his landlord and it leads to a tale of unbelievable horror that he doesn't know whether or not is true. But its only the beginning of the nightmarish things that Tim will encounter on the streets as he carries out his duties as a Copper Star. This book is at times dark and you don't know who is evil and who is not. The discrimination against immigrants and blacks is frightening and sad, and worse yet is the domination and misuse of children. However, there are always those fighting for and defending these who so deserve it. Excellent first in the series.

Good intro to a series

I am always looking for a new historical mystery series. This one piqued my interest and I am glad I gave it a listen. The author starts things off with a bang--a action sequence that reminded me of William Leonard Marshall (of "Yellowthread Street" and "The New York Detective"). But Faye balances forward momentum with backstory and character development, so this feels like a solid foundation for a series. There's just enough Flash slang to set the mood. The period quotes at the start of each chapter are appropriately jarring. This was the era of the Know Nothings, and we forget that even before that was a long dark history of Guy Fawks parades in colonial NY, so absolutely nothing should come as a surprise (no, not even the behavior of one of the female characters--read "City of Eros"). I liked the nod to realism in there being no black and white ending--with both plenty of guilt to go around (and an uneven distribution of punishment).

The beginning of a new series, I hope.

It is 1845 New York City with its politics and diverse groups of immigrants. The city has just divested itself of a corrupt and ineffective attempt at a police force. A new force, with the men called “copper stars” and wearing stars, is being appointed. It is to be neutral, not tied to any political group and to include Americans from across the immigrant spectrum. Tim is a bartender who has been saving money so he can ask Mercy, a minister’s daughter, to marry him. But a huge fire breaks out in downtown New York, and, among other things, destroys Timothy’s lodging and thus his saved money. He is burned and permanently scarred in the fire. Permanently disfigured in the face, homeless, and now unemployable as a bartender, his brother talks him into taking a job as one of the copper stars. He turns out to be very good at investigating crimes and solving them. One day a little girl attaches herself to him. She comes from one of the “houses” where men go to lay with adult and children prostitutes. She says that someone has been “torn to pieces.” Tim hears about the crime at work and connects it to her. Tim and his brother, with family secrets they’ve never revealed to each other, work together with the police chief and a couple of other people to track down what is really happening. They uncover 19 partial bodies of children which have been buried. One of the major madams is also a big giver to the democratic party, so Tim is initially not allowed to go after her or possible accomplices. This is a very good book about early New York City when politics and anarchy ruled.

So Good

Such a great story. Well paced, quick moving, full of twists and turns and it kept me guessing until the last minute. The main subject matter of Timothy's investigations related to child prostitutes and at times I found it hard to stomach, but overall the book was so intriguing, I couldn't put it down and yet, I was very sad to have it end. The characters were well written and I rooted for them, hated them, and waited with baited breath to see where the story unfolded to next.

This was also the first time I listened to Steven Boyer read and he did a masterful performance. He was well paced and it was a joy to listen to and I'm looking forward to more of his narratives..

Beginning of New York detectives

In 1845 New York, the city is full of contention because of all the Irish immigrants coming to America to escape the potato famine. Everything is blamed on Catholicism, with numerous tracts written laying every ill at their feet. There are some who want to help the poor and downtrodden and those who push for conversion to Protestantism before help will be given. But life goes on anyway possible. The houses of prostitution and the political party meetings are gathering places for the powerful and poor alike. Within all this is the beginning of the New York "coppers"-- policeman who try to keep order within the city.

Timothy Wilde was a barman until a tremendous fire burned a large part of the city. His politically minded, fireman, older brother got him a job as a "copper". When a ten year old girl, covered in blood, comes running and hollering down the street--"they're going to tear him to pieces", Timothy begins an adventure that also starts the beginning of a detective force that will investigate crimes rather than just try to keep the peace. An adventure that will test everything within him.

Religious, political, and other tensions are played out very well in this mystery . Chapters are headed by quotes from the times. The life styles of the people is very different but earlier similar to today in some places. The characters drew me into the story immediately. Though I suspected the culprits, I was still spellbound with the story. Definitely good historical atmosphere written into a compelling mystery. I listened to the audio version, which added a lot to my enjoyment of this book!

Top Notch!

If you could sum up The Gods of Gotham in three words, what would they be?

Compelling. Immersive. Literary.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. There were quite a few balls in the air, expertly managed by the author. It's very immersive, I really felt the sense of Victorian New York City.

What does Steven Boyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

What a marvelous reader! Expertly voiced men, women and children (rare to find a narrator who can do all three) in a variety of accents. He has a wonderful, intimate voice. Very easy to connect with.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither, but there is some lovely prose in this book. It's so much more than a mystery. Timothy Wilde is a character I have come to care about and I can't wait for more!

Any additional comments?

I've been on a Victorian kick lately and this is far and away the best book I've listened to in this genre. I can't recommend it highly enough.