Monsters of Gramercy Park

by Danny Leigh

An electrifying game of cat-and-mouse between an imprisoned mastermind and a crime writer with a hidden past.

Genres: Mystery

401 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay i havent had a computer for over a week now, so im trying to remember specifics about this book. it was pretty good for the most part, but there were a few inconsistencies and loose ends i wasnt wild about. it had a great start, i thought, but a weak ending...

[Kaat Verleye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek heeft me doen denken en ben nog steeds niet zeker over mijn rating. Maar sowieso beter dan verwacht (of niet) 😵🫠

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind Blown!
Highly recommended.

[arjuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a book that resolutely, consistently, and credibly refuses to take you where you think it's going. Not many people can pull that off. Kudos to Leigh on that score - it's gorgeously unpredictable. Well-written (not so bloody well proofread though - *frak* that annoys me); interesting characters, genuine suspense, careens along raising more questions than it ultimately answers - a page-turner, but definitely a *good* one. Intriguing and unsettling and strange. I liked it a lot and will look forward to finding some of his other works.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah nice long weekend and nothing better than a nice long book to get into and I really fell into this one and enjoyed myself as it was unexpected and poignant in its complexity and had so much going on... I was impressed as it was all dealt with it all however I did feel the ending fifty or so pages did not capture me as the beginning did and so I cant with good conscience give it the five star it was working so hard for but I can count it as a good book and one I am glad I gave a chance ...Okay so enter a Silence of the Lambs retelling in a sense as a curious woman with secrets of her own decides the best way to revive her career and something in herself is to visit a dangerous violent criminal in prison to learn his past, his motives and get into his head to help herself and tell his story. Just like Hannibal Lecter and Clarice the two have explosive and enlightening conversations about themselves and reveal secrets and more between the two and the line of good and bad is blurred beyond recognition..So okay meet Lizbeth Green a famous crime novelist who is purposefully reclusive, rich and aloof with her own tragic past of a murdered mother and failed attempt at kidnapping by a local serial killer whose works have a cult like following until her last novel comes up flat and people are wondering about her ability to tell the story of criminals and if she is authentic enough in her portrayals...So here with this doubt and boredom in her own craft she seeks out Wilson Ulysses Velez a ganglord convicted of racketeering of drugs, murder and other crimes sentenced harshly to a lifetime of solitary confinement that has severely ravaged his mind and body to the point where he is incoherent, stammering in speech, paranoid and weakened when his sentencing judge dies and he is finally up for appeal and to now have a limited number of visitors and human interaction. Lizbeth decides this is her next great story and signs up to interview him and in her mind get to know everything about him however she does not anticipate him getting to know just as much about her, him being so smart and manipulative and the way this story will change her forever...I admit I was intrigued with Velez and his life and wanted so much to love this book but as I said I felt the ending wasn’t powerful and explosive enough for the buildup ;I wanted to learn the entire story of Velez’s gargoyles as it was a really good story and I wanted more closure on Lizbeth and her child but I cant fault the author for me being insatiable-- I credit him with creating a world I wanted more of that was brilliantly written and twisty enough to keep you guessing on what would ultimately happen. I liked it, and will definitely check out more from the talented Danny Leigh…Impressive.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. It was a little slow at first, but it slowly gathered momentum. Before I knew it, I didn't want to put it down. I didn't quite grasp the end concept as it was a bit open-ended I believe. Something left to the reader to decipher meaning. Very well written and the characters were absorbing and true. Glad I picked this one up.

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling interaction of complex, multi-faceted characters. As readers, we try to understand who are the real persons behind the facades they present.

Interesting "play-within-the-play" scenario.

[Millie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreck.

[Cindy Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was drudgery. I couldn't for the life of me relate to, or care about, either Wilson or Lizbeth--the two main characters. I felt like the story was beaten to death. Not my favorite.

[Dan Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great thriller, keeps you in suspense to read more chapter.

[Phyllis Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A refreshingly different psychological thriller, very much a character study of the two main characters, Lizbeth Greene and Wilson Velez. Lizbeth, a renowned and highly celebrated mystery writer, decides her writing has become stale and, increasingly, trivial. When she learns she is pregnant from a precarious relationship, she confronts what she sees as her many weaknesses and decides to write a factual book for a change of pace. She singles out Wilson, a gang criminal who has been incarcerated with a life sentence and held in solitary confinement for several years. When the judge who imposed the harsh solitary sentence on Wilson dies of a heart attack, Wilson's appeal to be removed from solitary and returned to the general prison population is granted. Once the warden gives his authorization for Lizbeth to visit and to write her book, Wilson agrees to allow Lizbeth to interview him over the course of several months.

"The Monsters of Gramercy Place" takes its name from the title Wilson has given a novel he's written while in prison. Though severely debilitated from his solitary confinement, Wilson soon begins to respond to Lizbeth and ultimately surprises her with his intelligence and his way with words. She agrees to help him get his book published in exchange for his being completely honest and forthcoming about his entire life.

As the novel proceeds, the reader is confronted with having to evaluate the relationship between Lizbeth and Wilson and with having to determine where the real truth lies... for each of them. They are both extremely complex characters and, in his or her own way, become very manipulative in their dealings with one another. The true mystery of this book is in trying to get to the bottom of each character's true essence. A riveting read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without giving anything away, I'm going to say the ending is ambiguous. However, I often find those types of endings unsatisfying, and while part of me will always want the author to give me the answers to my questions, the ambiguity of the ending fits with the story told here, and so I am not as disappointed as I might otherwise be.

The story is about an author, who, stuck in a rut, decides to research the life story of a criminal who was essentially sentenced to permanent solitary confinement. This harsh sentence seems to have led to great psychological damage, causing the inmate to not be able to speak coherently, out of lack of practice perhaps, as well as his brain practically turning to mush due to the complete lack of stimulation.

The sentence is, at one point converted, to allowing the inmate into general population, but is a test that will be reviewed. During this time, the main character, arranges to schedule interviews with the inmate. At first sympathetic to his plight, she begins to see behavior, and hear subtext in his tales, and wonders if he is being honest with her, or if he is a psychopath playing her.

In the end, she tries to play him, to get to the bottom of it all, but she continues to second-guess herself, and is undecided as to his true character. When she finally feels she knows the truth, an unfortunate twist occurs, bringing the book to an incomplete, but plot appropriate conclusion.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this library book because I was geographically challenged. I wrongly thought Gramercy Park was in London (my husband, when I asked if he knew where it was, rightly said New York). When I picked up the book, I just saw the title and that the author was British. Done. Then I got into the book. New York, successful crime writer heroine in a career funk, gang leader serving life in a super max solitary cell with a vocabulary and writing talent that belies his sixth-grade education. I confess to skipping large portions of the crimes he describes to the writer who decides to tell his story. I could read that in the daily newspapers. The three-star is not for the story--that would probably get two stars. Three stars is for the obvious talent this author has for writing a unique plot with flawed, interesting characters and undisclosed truths. The ending was a surprise, and not satisfying. But this writer is amazing, and I'd read another of his books, just to see if I can enjoy it more.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book very much..up until the ending. I don't know if this is the author's intent, but I felt like the ending was very abrupt. Like someone just took out the other part of the ending. What happens to her book? What happens to her life? The ending is extremely ambiguous. I guess some people like it, but I would have preferred a more complete ending. However, the plot was genius, and I thought the characters were great...but I feel like the story wasn't very consistent. Although the story was interesting, the flow was inconsistent and I felt like the "back of the book" introduction was misleading. All the stuff about Wilson's history and whatnot seemed to be useless information in the end. I would probably not recommend this book to someone...although the cover looks awesome.

[Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book seemed like it would have a ton of potential, the plot seemed good and the characters seemed well developed but this book like Wilson (the main chracter) has its downfall that makes it almost impossible to write a good review. this book is well developed (the characters are so real) but the ending sucks. it is not only unexpected and confusing but does not solve or conclude what the book was about!
this book is about a criminal Wilson Ulysses valez who is accused of running a dangerous gang and kill tons of people. his appeal is coming up and the only hope is for a famous eriter elizabeth greene to write a book about him or talk at his appeal. it is wilson's story Nd the struggle that elizabeth has in whether or not she believes Wilsons story

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit frustrating in the end. However, this book really kept me wondering and guessing and involved. Which are good things! It makes me want to keep an eye on this author and see what he comes out with next. Is he going to write anything else? If you're like me and enjoy a lot of intriguing dialog between the characters and don't need a ton of action then you might do well with this book. I am a little confused in rating it as I want to give it a 4 star rating, but just can't get there. I'd give it about a 3.5 or 7 out of 10, though.

[Charlie Yarwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still don't get it. It's not that it doesn't make sense or anything, but I still don't get it.

I mean, did he kill himself, or did the guards kick his head in?
Was the gang good, or were the priest and Hurricane just trying to get WUV out of jail?
Did he really send those kites, or did he just want some Mounds?

And could Lizabeth Green have been such a good writer - at first anyway - without all the lying?

I love this book so much, but I'm still trying to figure it out.

[Catherine Mustread]

"What do a gang lord serving three consecutive life sentences in solitary confinement, a conservative politician running for reelection, and a celebrated crime novelist whose life is about to change have in common? This fast-paced psychological thriller will keep you guessing till the end!"--Elena Kruglyak, The Town Book Store, Westfield, N.J.

[shan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how this book forces you to confront what you think of as truth. We all live in our own realities - defined by perspective. A moment spent glancing through versions of the same story written through a different lens can convince you that there is no black and white truth.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started off with a very strong premise...but then it began to just drag on and on. The subplots were very inconsequential and unnecessary and oftentimes did not make much sense. Also, it was very anticlimactic to say the least.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a strange book. A bit predictable. My dad bought it for me since I used to live near Gramercy Park, but I'm not sure he knew anything about it or he probably wouldn't have bought it for me!

[Elizabeth]

Lots of exciting and well-executed plot twists--an excellent thriller.

[Nicole Sanglay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. It was disturbing how it so easily swayed me into thinking this and thinking that both about Lizbeth and Wilson. I especially loved the ending.

[Drew Frohmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this about 15 years ago and loved it. Just re-read it and enjoyed it just as much.