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The Ghosts of Gotham Saga #1
Ghosts of Gotham
Irresistibly drawn to mysteries, if only to debunk them, reporter Lionel Page exposes supernatural frauds, swindlers, and charlatans. His latest case is an obsession—at least for an ancient and wealthy heiress: verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City’s literary underworld. But the shrewd Regina Dunkle offers more than money. It’s a pact. Fulfill her request, and Lionel’s own notorious buried past, one he’s been running from since he was a child, will remain hidden.
As Lionel’s quest begins, so do the warnings. And where rare books go, murder follows. It’s only when Lionel meets enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah, his personal usher into the city’s secret history, that he realizes he’s being guided by a force more powerful than logic…and that he isn’t just following a story. He is the story.
Now that the true purpose of his mission is revealing itself in the most terrifying ways, it may finally be time for Lionel to believe in the unbelievable.
As Lionel’s quest begins, so do the warnings. And where rare books go, murder follows. It’s only when Lionel meets enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah, his personal usher into the city’s secret history, that he realizes he’s being guided by a force more powerful than logic…and that he isn’t just following a story. He is the story.
Now that the true purpose of his mission is revealing itself in the most terrifying ways, it may finally be time for Lionel to believe in the unbelievable.
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First published April 9, 2019
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About the author
Craig Schaefer
43 books1,332 followersCraig Schaefer's books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow (the Daniel Faust series), to a world torn by war, poison and witchcraft (the Revanche Cycle), and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies (the Harmony Black series).
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
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June 3, 2021
💥 June 3, 2021: only $0.99 today!
So. This book could have been boring as fish. Oh yes, most definitely. I mean, a Bibliomystery Type Thingie (BTT™)? About a reporter hired by an eccentric, reclusive heiress to locate and authenticate an obscure Edgar Allan Poe manuscript? YAWN, right? Been there, read that, ultimate cure for insomnia and stuff, right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Clueless Barnacles will be clueless, as usual. Please take a look at the author’s name, my Comely Decapods. Go on, have a quick look,that’ll give me time to pour my little self a much deserved glass of Laphroaig I’m not going anywhere.
Now. What name do you see up there? Yep, that’s right. Craig. Schaefer. (Wow, you can read! Good for you and stuff!) Aka my co-top boyfriend Danny Faust’s beloved daddy. Aka one of the founding members of my Holy Quintuplicity of Utter Awesomeness (HQoUA™). Aka one of the very very few authors on this puny little planet who can do almost very little absolutely no wrong. So. To recap. This book could have been siesta-inducing. But Craig Schaefer wrote it. So it wasn’t. Ha.
See? Even Spockie agrees with me on that one.
Okayyyyyyy, so we have a reporter guy called Lionel Page. He specializes in debunking and exposing supernatural frauds and scams and hoaxes (oh my!). You could say that his mission in life is kinda sorta to prove that magic doesn’t exist. (Hahahahaha. Poor guy. It really sucks for him that he ended up being the lead in a Craig Schaefer book.) At the beginning of the story, Little Lionel finds himself in a little bit of a little situation because reasons, which leads him to make a not-so-little deal with the eccentric, reclusive heiress I mentioned up there ↑↑, which in turn leads him to go to New York, which in turn leads him to meet lots of Super Extra Friendly (SEF™)—if a little not entirely human—people whose sole concern is to make sure Little Lionel has asupernaturally deadly grand time while visiting the Big Apple. Much fun and merriment ensue.
Yes, this is indeed a world where it is better to be a carnivore with a, um, healthy appetite. (If you want to survive more than two and a half seconds, anyway.) And what a luscious world it is, too. It’s scrumptiously original, it’s deliciously dark, and a most stupendous mix of Urban Fantasy, Horror, Mystery and Mythology. A world where secret societies meet Slavic folklore meet Greek gods (who happen to know a thing or two about stock exchange) meet Russian mobsters meet Dalmatians and cherubs and goats (oh my again!) meet blood-smeared kisses meet ancient homicidal chicks meet interior decorating, fresh viscera-style meets cannibalistic ghouls meet an insurance that’s in insurance (don’t ask) meets phantasms and ghouls and carnage (oh my again again!) meet slightly pissed off muses meet Edgar Allan Poe (duh). Best, most entertainingly refreshing cocktail that ever was, methinks.
Awesome Mr Schaefer being Awesome Mr Schaefer, he didn’t stop at that and also threw in a Super Extra Intriguing Plot (SEIP™). And a Super Fast Paced (SFP™) one at that. Then there are the twists. And turns. And bloody shrimping glorious surprises so bloody shrimping surprising and bloody shrimping glorious that they make you go all …
💌 A very private message to Mr Schaefer: that chapter 43 twist? I lurves thee for it. A lot very mucho. And if I wasn’t already most happily betrothed to your son Daniel Faust, I’d ask you to marry me and stuff.
The characters, in pure, wondrous Schaefer fashion, are splendidly complex and beautifully fished up. Lionel is a pretty cool anti hero with a somewhat obscure, slightly a little bit violent past and a few, um, mommy issues. But the character who really steals the show here? Introducing…Our resident knife-wielding damsel in no bloody shrimping distress…Madison Hannah! She is amazing, she is badass, she is beyond screwed-up, she is spoiler spoiler spoiler. I’m pretty sure she’d be instant best friends with my boyfriend Danny Faust’s girlfriend Caitlin (who is also my girlfriend, just so you know. One big happythreesome family and all that). I want to marry her. (Boom! Kidnapped! Poof, Gone, Harem and stuff!) How Craig Schaefer manages to create such Incredibly Edible, multi-faceted, strong-yet-vulnerable female characters is beyond me. He must have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for this most uncommon talent or something. It is the only plausible explanation, if you ask me.
And now let’s dance. (Sorry, it cannot be helped, it’s the Deadly Schaefer Effect™.)
Excited, me? Whatever gave you that silly idea, I wonder?
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): this book. It is Slightly Very Good (SVG™). Read it. Well you can’t read it now, since it hasn’t been released yet.Muahahahahahaha. How terribly sad indeed. To think you have to wait three bloody shrimping months until it’s officially published. Muahahahahahaha. Your life really sucks, doesn’t it? Poor, poor Little Barnacles.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
· Book 2: A Time for Witches ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Craig Schaefer, thou hast bloody shrimping done it again. And how.
Most gleefully exultant indeed I am. And so is Euripides, from what I hear.
➽ Full review to come.
P.S. There is SO much much much and much more to this story thansilly ghosts. Just so you know.
[December 2018]
An ARC I have.
Slightly DEAD I am.
Note to self: keep sacrificing newborn babies to get ARCs. It works.
[October 2018]
Craig Schaefer said: “Awful ghosts. Ghosts that do things with people's teeth and eyeballs,” and I went all:
“Why,” you ask? Because DUH and stuff. Obviously.
So. This book could have been boring as fish. Oh yes, most definitely. I mean, a Bibliomystery Type Thingie (BTT™)? About a reporter hired by an eccentric, reclusive heiress to locate and authenticate an obscure Edgar Allan Poe manuscript? YAWN, right? Been there, read that, ultimate cure for insomnia and stuff, right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Clueless Barnacles will be clueless, as usual. Please take a look at the author’s name, my Comely Decapods. Go on, have a quick look,
Now. What name do you see up there? Yep, that’s right. Craig. Schaefer. (Wow, you can read! Good for you and stuff!) Aka my co-top boyfriend Danny Faust’s beloved daddy. Aka one of the founding members of my Holy Quintuplicity of Utter Awesomeness (HQoUA™). Aka one of the very very few authors on this puny little planet who can do almost very little absolutely no wrong. So. To recap. This book could have been siesta-inducing. But Craig Schaefer wrote it. So it wasn’t. Ha.
See? Even Spockie agrees with me on that one.
Okayyyyyyy, so we have a reporter guy called Lionel Page. He specializes in debunking and exposing supernatural frauds and scams and hoaxes (oh my!). You could say that his mission in life is kinda sorta to prove that magic doesn’t exist. (Hahahahaha. Poor guy. It really sucks for him that he ended up being the lead in a Craig Schaefer book.) At the beginning of the story, Little Lionel finds himself in a little bit of a little situation because reasons, which leads him to make a not-so-little deal with the eccentric, reclusive heiress I mentioned up there ↑↑, which in turn leads him to go to New York, which in turn leads him to meet lots of Super Extra Friendly (SEF™)—if a little not entirely human—people whose sole concern is to make sure Little Lionel has a
“You’re either eating the steak or you are the steak.”(Always there to give out-of-towners good, sound advice these SEF™ New Yorkers.)
Yes, this is indeed a world where it is better to be a carnivore with a, um, healthy appetite. (If you want to survive more than two and a half seconds, anyway.) And what a luscious world it is, too. It’s scrumptiously original, it’s deliciously dark, and a most stupendous mix of Urban Fantasy, Horror, Mystery and Mythology. A world where secret societies meet Slavic folklore meet Greek gods (who happen to know a thing or two about stock exchange) meet Russian mobsters meet Dalmatians and cherubs and goats (oh my again!) meet blood-smeared kisses meet ancient homicidal chicks meet interior decorating, fresh viscera-style meets cannibalistic ghouls meet an insurance that’s in insurance (don’t ask) meets phantasms and ghouls and carnage (oh my again again!) meet slightly pissed off muses meet Edgar Allan Poe (duh). Best, most entertainingly refreshing cocktail that ever was, methinks.
Awesome Mr Schaefer being Awesome Mr Schaefer, he didn’t stop at that and also threw in a Super Extra Intriguing Plot (SEIP™). And a Super Fast Paced (SFP™) one at that. Then there are the twists. And turns. And bloody shrimping glorious surprises so bloody shrimping surprising and bloody shrimping glorious that they make you go all …
💌 A very private message to Mr Schaefer: that chapter 43 twist? I lurves thee for it. A lot very mucho. And if I wasn’t already most happily betrothed to your son Daniel Faust, I’d ask you to marry me and stuff.
The characters, in pure, wondrous Schaefer fashion, are splendidly complex and beautifully fished up. Lionel is a pretty cool anti hero with a somewhat obscure, slightly a little bit violent past and a few, um, mommy issues. But the character who really steals the show here? Introducing…Our resident knife-wielding damsel in no bloody shrimping distress…Madison Hannah! She is amazing, she is badass, she is beyond screwed-up, she is spoiler spoiler spoiler. I’m pretty sure she’d be instant best friends with my boyfriend Danny Faust’s girlfriend Caitlin (who is also my girlfriend, just so you know. One big happy
And now let’s dance. (Sorry, it cannot be helped, it’s the Deadly Schaefer Effect™.)
Excited, me? Whatever gave you that silly idea, I wonder?
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): this book. It is Slightly Very Good (SVG™). Read it. Well you can’t read it now, since it hasn’t been released yet.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
· Book 2: A Time for Witches ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Craig Schaefer, thou hast bloody shrimping done it again. And how.
Most gleefully exultant indeed I am. And so is Euripides, from what I hear.
➽ Full review to come.
P.S. There is SO much much much and much more to this story than
[December 2018]
An ARC I have.
Slightly DEAD I am.
Note to self: keep sacrificing newborn babies to get ARCs. It works.
[October 2018]
Craig Schaefer said: “Awful ghosts. Ghosts that do things with people's teeth and eyeballs,” and I went all:
“Why,” you ask? Because DUH and stuff. Obviously.
December 22, 2019
Well, if I hadn't already been well and favorably acquainted with Schaefer's Daniel Faust series, I might have given up on this one. More specifically, I might have never have given this one a try, which probably would have been a better choice; once again reinforcing the idea that no author is an auto-buy.
Confused? Yeah, me too. How can the author of one of my favorite series put this out? There's some seriously clunky writing, some goofy plotting, and its a kitchen sink of world-building. In an effort to preserve eyestrain, I almost quit until suddenly the plot twisted and the pace picked up.
An intrepid reporter, Lionel Page, gets an offer he can't refuse from an attractive and enigmatic woman. Will he go to New York to investigate a recently surfaced manuscript to see if its the real Poe? Or will he stay in Chicago and have his past exposed, probably destroying his career and his relationships? His decision is aided by a junior reporter ambushing him in hopes of an exposé. The reader, of course, is prone to be sympathetic to the object of blackmail, but can't help wondering at the past secrets. The blackmailer seems even more threatening when the reporter turns up dead. He heads off to New York City, first time visitor, and in a cafe, runs into an attractive woman named Madison Hannah... who keeps turning up where he is. Are they after the same thing?
Narrative is third person, mostly from Lionel's viewpoint, although there are some chapters from Madison's as well. Madison's backstory isn't done well, especially when we're in her head, and as another reader mentioned, I have trouble believing her as a centuries-old witch (could even have been a millennia). Lionel is more believable as a dude in his thirties that is invested in his career and maintaining a decent friendship with a past girlfriend.
There's a romance here, but to me it feels very uneven and not particularly well done. At times it seems the main focus of the story, and it certainly becomes critical later, but then there's the whole mystery/bad-guy plot. The insta-love that turns into romance is probably believable on Lionel's part, although I'm much, much more skeptical on Madison's part. Interestingly, Schaefer is completely okay with hetro relationships where women are more powerful than men. That sentiment is unfortunately littered with forced analogies such as,
"He wanted to know more about her, to get closer to her, but he wasn't gong to barge into the mansion of her heart and kick the doors down."
Plot seemed uneven. Once Lionel makes it into a super-secret auction, the pace went crazy and supernatural elements finally made an appearance. There's a super-hero feel to some aspects, with over-the-top villain-hood, and villains that just want to be loved and can't help but explain themselves as they deal the non-fatal blow.
And the writing. Dear Schafer, what happened? It contains some choice phrases that almost cost me a contact and are really unexcusable for his caliber of writing:
"the pavement was rigid and firm under Lionel's feet'
"Maddie's eyes narrowed to slits, glinting in the half light"
"He punched the button for the lobby"
"a plum dress that clung to her body like water on a leaf"
Although I'm a big fan of Faust, I honestly didn't think this was up to the same caliber. The world feels more erratic, the writing occasionally awkward, and the plot uneven. I wouldn't go so far as to ask for hours of my life back, but it felt like a first book that was unfortunately rescued from the slush pile.
Confused? Yeah, me too. How can the author of one of my favorite series put this out? There's some seriously clunky writing, some goofy plotting, and its a kitchen sink of world-building. In an effort to preserve eyestrain, I almost quit until suddenly the plot twisted and the pace picked up.
An intrepid reporter, Lionel Page, gets an offer he can't refuse from an attractive and enigmatic woman. Will he go to New York to investigate a recently surfaced manuscript to see if its the real Poe? Or will he stay in Chicago and have his past exposed, probably destroying his career and his relationships? His decision is aided by a junior reporter ambushing him in hopes of an exposé. The reader, of course, is prone to be sympathetic to the object of blackmail, but can't help wondering at the past secrets. The blackmailer seems even more threatening when the reporter turns up dead. He heads off to New York City, first time visitor, and in a cafe, runs into an attractive woman named Madison Hannah... who keeps turning up where he is. Are they after the same thing?
Narrative is third person, mostly from Lionel's viewpoint, although there are some chapters from Madison's as well. Madison's backstory isn't done well, especially when we're in her head, and as another reader mentioned, I have trouble believing her as a centuries-old witch (could even have been a millennia). Lionel is more believable as a dude in his thirties that is invested in his career and maintaining a decent friendship with a past girlfriend.
There's a romance here, but to me it feels very uneven and not particularly well done. At times it seems the main focus of the story, and it certainly becomes critical later, but then there's the whole mystery/bad-guy plot. The insta-love that turns into romance is probably believable on Lionel's part, although I'm much, much more skeptical on Madison's part. Interestingly, Schaefer is completely okay with hetro relationships where women are more powerful than men. That sentiment is unfortunately littered with forced analogies such as,
"He wanted to know more about her, to get closer to her, but he wasn't gong to barge into the mansion of her heart and kick the doors down."
Plot seemed uneven. Once Lionel makes it into a super-secret auction, the pace went crazy and supernatural elements finally made an appearance. There's a super-hero feel to some aspects, with over-the-top villain-hood, and villains that just want to be loved and can't help but explain themselves as they deal the non-fatal blow.
And the writing. Dear Schafer, what happened? It contains some choice phrases that almost cost me a contact and are really unexcusable for his caliber of writing:
"the pavement was rigid and firm under Lionel's feet'
"Maddie's eyes narrowed to slits, glinting in the half light"
"He punched the button for the lobby"
"a plum dress that clung to her body like water on a leaf"
Although I'm a big fan of Faust, I honestly didn't think this was up to the same caliber. The world feels more erratic, the writing occasionally awkward, and the plot uneven. I wouldn't go so far as to ask for hours of my life back, but it felt like a first book that was unfortunately rescued from the slush pile.
June 3, 2019
"I am thinking," the voice in the chaos said to Lionel, "of writing a new tragedy. You're going to play the hero."
I received an advanced reading copy of Ghosts of Gotham in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Craig Schaefer and 47North for the opportunity.
Lionel Page is an investigative journalist who often goes deep undercover to uncover charlatan healers, psychics, and magicians. After exposing Reverend Wright as a fraud to his many admirers Lionel is approached by an apprentice journalist. This 'cub' is asking questions about Lionel's buried past, prying into areas that he doesn't feel comfortable discussing, and the young writer has a newspaper highlighting what happened to Lionel when he was 5-years-old. Lionel worked tirelessly to become one of the best reporters for Channel 7 news, is almost a celebrity after releasing a new book relating to his investigative escapades but thinks that his past being unearthed will ruin his career. That very day Lionel meets a mysterious lady called Regina Dunkle who has a proposition for him. Regina wants a rare first draft of an Edgar Allen Poe tale that is rumoured to be in New York. If Lionel helps her obtain this rarity then she offers to make his past disappear. He accepts and this is where the narrative really begins.
Schaefer is a hybrid author with works such as Harmony Black, Daniel Faust, The Wisdom's Grave and Revanche Cycle. He was a #SPFBO semi-finalist in 2018 and a finalist in 2019 and he is a favourite of Mihir's from Fantasy Book Critic who is a reviewer I really trust. Previously, I had only read Winter's Reach by Schaefer but after reading Ghosts of Gotham I will probably devour his back catalogue as fast as possible.
Ghosts of Gotham features elements of various genres such as urban fantasy reminiscent of Stephen King's The Drawing of the Three, gothic horror tales, thrillers and a tinge of mystery to boot. It also contains a plethora of details and intricacies regarding Greek myth which reminded me of Dyrk Ashton's Paternus trilogy. The first twenty percent seems like a typical thriller as Lionel goes from Chicago to New York and does a bit of sleuthing to find out more about the Poe draft. Who owns it, when it is going on sale, about a secret cult, details about an employee of the Russian mafia and information about a Wall Street broker who loves drugs and girls slightly too young for his age. Throughout the narrative, it's revealed that New York has a hidden darker side that features magic, ghosts, ghouls, grotesque murders, goddesses, machinery that harvests souls and a mysterious gentleman with blue eyes who seems familiar to Lionel yet he has no idea why.
We mainly follow Lionel's third-person perspective but a few chapters are from Maddie's viewpoint. She is an actress who keeps crossing paths with Lionel with such regularity that surely it must be planned or fate? She is an intriguing member of the ensemble who also has a past that she is trying to escape from. Other characters include the slimy Wall Street broker Wade Dawson, Lionel's ex-girlfriend and current Boss Bianca and Dergwyn who is a ghoul princess and they are all crafted expertly.
Each chapter takes approximately ten minutes to read, It's hi-octane, gripping fiction that had my eyes glued to my kindle until I'd finished. I raced through this amalgamation of genres in two days and totally enjoyed the ride. The build-up to the culmination is composed well and includes a decent amount of exciting reveals and plot twists. The finale is extremely satisfying and the novel is completely self-contained. That being said, how it concludes I could imagine Schaefer returning to this version of New York and these characters in the future should he see fit. An incredibly exciting urban fantasy, thriller and mystery concoction that comes highly recommended for fans of all those genres.
I received an advanced reading copy of Ghosts of Gotham in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Craig Schaefer and 47North for the opportunity.
Lionel Page is an investigative journalist who often goes deep undercover to uncover charlatan healers, psychics, and magicians. After exposing Reverend Wright as a fraud to his many admirers Lionel is approached by an apprentice journalist. This 'cub' is asking questions about Lionel's buried past, prying into areas that he doesn't feel comfortable discussing, and the young writer has a newspaper highlighting what happened to Lionel when he was 5-years-old. Lionel worked tirelessly to become one of the best reporters for Channel 7 news, is almost a celebrity after releasing a new book relating to his investigative escapades but thinks that his past being unearthed will ruin his career. That very day Lionel meets a mysterious lady called Regina Dunkle who has a proposition for him. Regina wants a rare first draft of an Edgar Allen Poe tale that is rumoured to be in New York. If Lionel helps her obtain this rarity then she offers to make his past disappear. He accepts and this is where the narrative really begins.
Schaefer is a hybrid author with works such as Harmony Black, Daniel Faust, The Wisdom's Grave and Revanche Cycle. He was a #SPFBO semi-finalist in 2018 and a finalist in 2019 and he is a favourite of Mihir's from Fantasy Book Critic who is a reviewer I really trust. Previously, I had only read Winter's Reach by Schaefer but after reading Ghosts of Gotham I will probably devour his back catalogue as fast as possible.
Ghosts of Gotham features elements of various genres such as urban fantasy reminiscent of Stephen King's The Drawing of the Three, gothic horror tales, thrillers and a tinge of mystery to boot. It also contains a plethora of details and intricacies regarding Greek myth which reminded me of Dyrk Ashton's Paternus trilogy. The first twenty percent seems like a typical thriller as Lionel goes from Chicago to New York and does a bit of sleuthing to find out more about the Poe draft. Who owns it, when it is going on sale, about a secret cult, details about an employee of the Russian mafia and information about a Wall Street broker who loves drugs and girls slightly too young for his age. Throughout the narrative, it's revealed that New York has a hidden darker side that features magic, ghosts, ghouls, grotesque murders, goddesses, machinery that harvests souls and a mysterious gentleman with blue eyes who seems familiar to Lionel yet he has no idea why.
We mainly follow Lionel's third-person perspective but a few chapters are from Maddie's viewpoint. She is an actress who keeps crossing paths with Lionel with such regularity that surely it must be planned or fate? She is an intriguing member of the ensemble who also has a past that she is trying to escape from. Other characters include the slimy Wall Street broker Wade Dawson, Lionel's ex-girlfriend and current Boss Bianca and Dergwyn who is a ghoul princess and they are all crafted expertly.
Each chapter takes approximately ten minutes to read, It's hi-octane, gripping fiction that had my eyes glued to my kindle until I'd finished. I raced through this amalgamation of genres in two days and totally enjoyed the ride. The build-up to the culmination is composed well and includes a decent amount of exciting reveals and plot twists. The finale is extremely satisfying and the novel is completely self-contained. That being said, how it concludes I could imagine Schaefer returning to this version of New York and these characters in the future should he see fit. An incredibly exciting urban fantasy, thriller and mystery concoction that comes highly recommended for fans of all those genres.
January 19, 2019
Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. Wow, this book is extraordinary! It is going in my "favorite of all time folder"!
It is a cross of mythology, The Supernaturals, Alfred Hitchcock, and a mash of every horror show I've seen. So many twists and surprises that I gave up on trying to figure it out and just held on and rode this wild ride to the end! Nothing is as it seems! No one is who they say they are...
Ghouls, goddess, an old Poe manuscript, magic, cults, witches, and beings unknown. I loved every page! It is so tightly thought out. The characters are so real, so well developed. The suspense, the world building, the action, the mad genius of this novel is absolutely fabulous!
I don't want to tell anything about it, I would hate to give anything away. Just read it if you love a good fantasy with lots of magic, lots of mysteries, a touch of romance, and through it all, a happy ending!
It is a cross of mythology, The Supernaturals, Alfred Hitchcock, and a mash of every horror show I've seen. So many twists and surprises that I gave up on trying to figure it out and just held on and rode this wild ride to the end! Nothing is as it seems! No one is who they say they are...
Ghouls, goddess, an old Poe manuscript, magic, cults, witches, and beings unknown. I loved every page! It is so tightly thought out. The characters are so real, so well developed. The suspense, the world building, the action, the mad genius of this novel is absolutely fabulous!
I don't want to tell anything about it, I would hate to give anything away. Just read it if you love a good fantasy with lots of magic, lots of mysteries, a touch of romance, and through it all, a happy ending!
July 2, 2019
Kindle Monthly Deal July 2019 for $1.99
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
What can I say? Craig Shaefer has done something really special in Ghosts of Gotham. He has taken an Edgar Allen Poe story and made it the focus of a mystery that delves into occult, that in itself is a good story. But he has also taken two characters, which on their own might not be incredibly sympathetic and turned them into the heroes of this tale and made me wonder how long should someone pay for the sins of their past? The magic in this story isn’t just in the plot but in the stories of both Lionel and Madison ( omg hold onto your hat for her backstory, it knocked me off my feet )
Lionel is a reporter with a strange past who debunks frauds pretending to use magic. He is good at his job and so far hasn’t found one case of true magic, that is until now. Lionel meets a powerful woman, who would like him to get a copy of the true final page of an Edgar Allen Poe story. It seems simple, go to New York, find the book and authenticate the final pages. It’s not simple, its not easy and Lionel is about to find out the true magic he has been looking for is out there and it is coming for him.
ღღღ The Best Things About this Story ღღღ
It is fun; it's fast and it takes two characters with demons and pasts of their own and makes you root for them while trying to decipher their backstories. Lionel has few friends and a string of prior lovers who were left with feelings of overwhelming disappointment. Maggie is a witch and she is about to lift the veil for Lionel and show him things he can never un-see. She is strong yet somehow broken, so I loved her immediately. Maybe these two broken characters might have it in them to fit together and fill the lonely gaps in each other’s lives.
This Urban Fantasy world is subtle and fantastic. There are witches, gods, cults, demons, ghouls, necromancy, secret societies and other things left unnamed that haunt children’s fairy tales. This is a detective story wrapped up in all the best things occult. You might think a book about searching for a book might be boring but when the undead alligator comes for you in a New York Sewer, I think you might change your mind.
Maggie’s backstory was so unexpected that when it was revealed my jaw might have dropped to the floor with the stroke of genius it was. I loved how Shaefer took a character I thought I knew and blew my mind with the ‘what if’ of it. *applauds* Well done Mr. Shaefer, well done.
Regina, the very powerful, very rich woman who hired Lionel and has some ties to Maggie as well, turned out to be a fantastic plot point and I loved the story arc behind her. She is so mysterious and the pages couldn’t turn fast enough to get through the story to learn everything about the pasts of all the players in the story.
Shaefer’s writing and style is one with great moments of emotional connection to the characters, moments of fear for the characters and moments of wonder about how all of this is going to come together. It is so easy to pick ir up and get lost.
☢☢☢ The Worst Things About this Story ☢☢☢
It might be a standalone, currently it looks like a standalone. I loved being in this world and I adored Lionel and Maggie by the end of it. This is a completely self-contained story but I want more time with Maggie and Lionel. I want to go on more adventures with them and while this adventure is concluded, I really hope Shaefer has more ideas for the characters in this world.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
What can I say? Craig Shaefer has done something really special in Ghosts of Gotham. He has taken an Edgar Allen Poe story and made it the focus of a mystery that delves into occult, that in itself is a good story. But he has also taken two characters, which on their own might not be incredibly sympathetic and turned them into the heroes of this tale and made me wonder how long should someone pay for the sins of their past? The magic in this story isn’t just in the plot but in the stories of both Lionel and Madison ( omg hold onto your hat for her backstory, it knocked me off my feet )
The woman was a mystery. No. Mysteries were made to be solved. She didn’t want any part of that. Maddie was a palace of locked doors. Lionel had been invited into her halls, permitted to walk through her world and get the barest sense of her design, but the actual rooms— the places where Maddie actually lived, where her heart and her memories held sway— were denied to him.
Lionel is a reporter with a strange past who debunks frauds pretending to use magic. He is good at his job and so far hasn’t found one case of true magic, that is until now. Lionel meets a powerful woman, who would like him to get a copy of the true final page of an Edgar Allen Poe story. It seems simple, go to New York, find the book and authenticate the final pages. It’s not simple, its not easy and Lionel is about to find out the true magic he has been looking for is out there and it is coming for him.
“This is New York City, sir. All the hotels are haunted by someone or other. You just have to pick the one with the ghosts that suit you.”
ღღღ The Best Things About this Story ღღღ
It is fun; it's fast and it takes two characters with demons and pasts of their own and makes you root for them while trying to decipher their backstories. Lionel has few friends and a string of prior lovers who were left with feelings of overwhelming disappointment. Maggie is a witch and she is about to lift the veil for Lionel and show him things he can never un-see. She is strong yet somehow broken, so I loved her immediately. Maybe these two broken characters might have it in them to fit together and fill the lonely gaps in each other’s lives.
This Urban Fantasy world is subtle and fantastic. There are witches, gods, cults, demons, ghouls, necromancy, secret societies and other things left unnamed that haunt children’s fairy tales. This is a detective story wrapped up in all the best things occult. You might think a book about searching for a book might be boring but when the undead alligator comes for you in a New York Sewer, I think you might change your mind.
Maggie’s backstory was so unexpected that when it was revealed my jaw might have dropped to the floor with the stroke of genius it was. I loved how Shaefer took a character I thought I knew and blew my mind with the ‘what if’ of it. *applauds* Well done Mr. Shaefer, well done.
Regina, the very powerful, very rich woman who hired Lionel and has some ties to Maggie as well, turned out to be a fantastic plot point and I loved the story arc behind her. She is so mysterious and the pages couldn’t turn fast enough to get through the story to learn everything about the pasts of all the players in the story.
“My dear boy, how charmingly naive. You know perfectly well that murder is humanity’s favorite pastime. People will kill each other over a scratched fender or a pool-hall bet. The answer to ‘Will someone kill for this,’ no matter what ‘this’ is, is always yes.”
Shaefer’s writing and style is one with great moments of emotional connection to the characters, moments of fear for the characters and moments of wonder about how all of this is going to come together. It is so easy to pick ir up and get lost.
☢☢☢ The Worst Things About this Story ☢☢☢
It might be a standalone, currently it looks like a standalone. I loved being in this world and I adored Lionel and Maggie by the end of it. This is a completely self-contained story but I want more time with Maggie and Lionel. I want to go on more adventures with them and while this adventure is concluded, I really hope Shaefer has more ideas for the characters in this world.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
August 8, 2023
4.5 stars.
Ghost of Gotham is my first book by Craig Schaefer, and it definitely will not be my last.
I've heard a lot about the Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer. When I saw that he has a stand-alone released recently, I thought that this book will be a good sampler of just what the author offers. And I proceeded to devour Ghosts of Gotham in two days. I really developed an almost compulsive addiction to crime thrillers - when I start, I find it very hard to stop binging. This book gave me that heady and thrilling concoction with an urban fantasy setting, in New York City!
New York City, the original inspiration for Gotham City, is such an appropriate backdrop for a crime noir story touched with the supernatural. A lot of supernatural in this case. The evocative and vivid portrayal of this old and sprawling city that never sleeps lends a hectic yet atmospheric and gothic backdrop that just simply enhances the narrative to another level of intensity.
For the first quarter of the book or so, I was wondering why this book was marketed as urban fantasy as it read like a real-world fictional crime thriller. When the investigation into the lost manuscript brought our primary character, Lionel Page, into a secret society gathering, all hell broke loose. Let's just take a step back here. Secret societies. There is one trope that I can never get tired of, and I believe neither do most readers. How many of us have been entranced by the mention of the Illuminati or the Freemasons, and how often were these used in fiction. I'd say keep them coming.
Most of the supernatural elements here are drawn from Greek mythology and supplemented with witches, ghouls and necromancy. There was even a tribute to a famous urban legend of New York City regarding a particular inhabitant of its sewers. All delivered in a fast-paced and tight narrative, filled with cleverly-crafted mysteries, which simply begs one to keep turning the pages.
Aside from the above, there is very little that I can say more of without spoilers. However, I will say that for what appears to be a stand-alone for now, the characters are wonderfully fleshed-out. I was so impressed with how the author was able to do that while maintaining an almost gruelling pace for the main characters. By the end of this book, the one thing that I took away from it is that I would love to read more about Lionel and Maddie.
Ghosts of Gotham is a darkly delicious read, and I want more of it.
You can purchase the book from Amazon | Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide)
You can also find this, and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
Ghost of Gotham is my first book by Craig Schaefer, and it definitely will not be my last.
I've heard a lot about the Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer. When I saw that he has a stand-alone released recently, I thought that this book will be a good sampler of just what the author offers. And I proceeded to devour Ghosts of Gotham in two days. I really developed an almost compulsive addiction to crime thrillers - when I start, I find it very hard to stop binging. This book gave me that heady and thrilling concoction with an urban fantasy setting, in New York City!
New York City, the original inspiration for Gotham City, is such an appropriate backdrop for a crime noir story touched with the supernatural. A lot of supernatural in this case. The evocative and vivid portrayal of this old and sprawling city that never sleeps lends a hectic yet atmospheric and gothic backdrop that just simply enhances the narrative to another level of intensity.
For the first quarter of the book or so, I was wondering why this book was marketed as urban fantasy as it read like a real-world fictional crime thriller. When the investigation into the lost manuscript brought our primary character, Lionel Page, into a secret society gathering, all hell broke loose. Let's just take a step back here. Secret societies. There is one trope that I can never get tired of, and I believe neither do most readers. How many of us have been entranced by the mention of the Illuminati or the Freemasons, and how often were these used in fiction. I'd say keep them coming.
Most of the supernatural elements here are drawn from Greek mythology and supplemented with witches, ghouls and necromancy. There was even a tribute to a famous urban legend of New York City regarding a particular inhabitant of its sewers. All delivered in a fast-paced and tight narrative, filled with cleverly-crafted mysteries, which simply begs one to keep turning the pages.
Aside from the above, there is very little that I can say more of without spoilers. However, I will say that for what appears to be a stand-alone for now, the characters are wonderfully fleshed-out. I was so impressed with how the author was able to do that while maintaining an almost gruelling pace for the main characters. By the end of this book, the one thing that I took away from it is that I would love to read more about Lionel and Maddie.
Ghosts of Gotham is a darkly delicious read, and I want more of it.
You can purchase the book from Amazon | Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide)
You can also find this, and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
September 1, 2020
Ghosts of Gotham is a guaranteed fun ride, featuring badass characters and exciting story. Even if nothing by itself is completely original in this book, Schaefer still managed to create a refreshing story starring a journalist hero (that’s rare!). I can’t wait for the author to publish more books in this series.
July 15, 2020
If we've been friends on Goodreads for a while, it's probably not a secret that I'm a ridiculously enthusiastic fan of Craig Schaefer's books (and eternal thanks to Sarah, who has championed the shit out of this author, for switching me onto them). Nevertheless, when Ghosts of Gotham came up on Netgalley, I knew I was just the reader to give a completely unbiased and fair review.
Now that we've all stopped laughing...all bias aside, this is a great book. It's a new series, with a new hero/manic pixie dream girl, Lionel Page, investigative reporter extraordinaire. And he's on the hunt for a book - when, in true Craig Schaefer style, the wheels start falling off the world he thought he knew.
If you've read any of his other series, there's some standout Craig Schaefer trademarks present here - he still writes women better than any other author I'm familiar with, some of the more horrific moments are truly terrifying, and there's a couple of stellar twisty turns in the plot that took me completely by surprise. But otherwise, despite this being his fifth separate storyline, there's no feeling of retreading ground - this was fresh, new, and an absolute ball to read. Maddie and her storyline are second only to Harmony Black in my hierarchy of fictional characters I wish I could hang out with in real life; even the villain was just so satisfying.
Should you be a Craig Schaefer newbie, this is definitely a good place to start. And if you're already a fan, then the news is good - this is another absolutely fantastic book from him, with the bonus of more new characters to meet and love.
Now that we've all stopped laughing...all bias aside, this is a great book. It's a new series, with a new hero/manic pixie dream girl, Lionel Page, investigative reporter extraordinaire. And he's on the hunt for a book - when, in true Craig Schaefer style, the wheels start falling off the world he thought he knew.
If you've read any of his other series, there's some standout Craig Schaefer trademarks present here - he still writes women better than any other author I'm familiar with, some of the more horrific moments are truly terrifying, and there's a couple of stellar twisty turns in the plot that took me completely by surprise. But otherwise, despite this being his fifth separate storyline, there's no feeling of retreading ground - this was fresh, new, and an absolute ball to read. Maddie and her storyline are second only to Harmony Black in my hierarchy of fictional characters I wish I could hang out with in real life; even the villain was just so satisfying.
Should you be a Craig Schaefer newbie, this is definitely a good place to start. And if you're already a fan, then the news is good - this is another absolutely fantastic book from him, with the bonus of more new characters to meet and love.
April 9, 2019
OUT TODAY
Actual rating: 4.5/5
Lionel Page has made a name for himself digging into hoaxes, frauds, and con artists. As an investigative reporter, he’s busted psychics, faith healers and miracle men, exposing their powers for nothing more but parlour tricks.
He’s proved repeatedly that magic didn’t exist. Craig Schaefer’s proved him wrong.
Lionel’s new case gets weird fast. He must believe in the unbelievable or die. Simple.
Schaefer is one of my favourite storytellers. His insane plotting skills impress me more than his utilitarian prose. That said, I appreciate the way he wrote Ghosts of Gotham. It’s easy to read and easy to understand.
Schaefer sets his story in a grim and noisy New York. You don’t have to look far to experience the dark side of humanity The Modern Gomorrah. Rumour has it that Hecate, an arch-manipulator, chose NY as her base. The narrative tallies closely with the Macbeth play though there are a few additions which start things off with an appropriate bang.
For the most part, this story is split between two main characters:
Lionel Page(t) an investigative reporter irresistibly drawn to mysteries. He hasn’t recovered from a childhood trauma (a psycho has killed his mother and people unfortunate enough to host her). He’s a workaholic whose life turns around exposing fake miracles.
Maddie has years of experience and violent past she tries to run away from. Her relationships with other humans are troubled and determined by her self-loathing. But make no mistake. Don’t even try to push her around. Unless you have a death wish.
Characterisation is great and much deeper than in Craig’s other books. I loved getting into Maddie’s chapters. Especially as it becomes obvious that you should never toy with her. Lionel’s chapters are equally good. Maybe even more poignant. He has no choice but to abandon his skepticism and plunge head-on in the world of dark magic and monsters.
I loved all the directions that the story went. I enjoyed foreshadowing that lead to surprising but inevitable twists. Schaefer does them remarkably well. In essence, it’s a simple story about revenge, loneliness, and life. Very Greek. Very emotional, but also fast and furious.
You’ll get to see demons, goblins, witches, semi-goddesses, and others I don’t want to spoil for you. The ending made me excited and satisfied. I wish it wasn’t a standalone book. I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t mind following Lionel’s future endeavours.
Actual rating: 4.5/5
Lionel Page has made a name for himself digging into hoaxes, frauds, and con artists. As an investigative reporter, he’s busted psychics, faith healers and miracle men, exposing their powers for nothing more but parlour tricks.
He’s proved repeatedly that magic didn’t exist. Craig Schaefer’s proved him wrong.
Lionel’s new case gets weird fast. He must believe in the unbelievable or die. Simple.
Schaefer is one of my favourite storytellers. His insane plotting skills impress me more than his utilitarian prose. That said, I appreciate the way he wrote Ghosts of Gotham. It’s easy to read and easy to understand.
Schaefer sets his story in a grim and noisy New York. You don’t have to look far to experience the dark side of humanity The Modern Gomorrah. Rumour has it that Hecate, an arch-manipulator, chose NY as her base. The narrative tallies closely with the Macbeth play though there are a few additions which start things off with an appropriate bang.
For the most part, this story is split between two main characters:
Lionel Page(t) an investigative reporter irresistibly drawn to mysteries. He hasn’t recovered from a childhood trauma (a psycho has killed his mother and people unfortunate enough to host her). He’s a workaholic whose life turns around exposing fake miracles.
Maddie has years of experience and violent past she tries to run away from. Her relationships with other humans are troubled and determined by her self-loathing. But make no mistake. Don’t even try to push her around. Unless you have a death wish.
Characterisation is great and much deeper than in Craig’s other books. I loved getting into Maddie’s chapters. Especially as it becomes obvious that you should never toy with her. Lionel’s chapters are equally good. Maybe even more poignant. He has no choice but to abandon his skepticism and plunge head-on in the world of dark magic and monsters.
I loved all the directions that the story went. I enjoyed foreshadowing that lead to surprising but inevitable twists. Schaefer does them remarkably well. In essence, it’s a simple story about revenge, loneliness, and life. Very Greek. Very emotional, but also fast and furious.
You’ll get to see demons, goblins, witches, semi-goddesses, and others I don’t want to spoil for you. The ending made me excited and satisfied. I wish it wasn’t a standalone book. I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t mind following Lionel’s future endeavours.
July 21, 2019
I introduced myself to Schaeffer with his Harmony Black title. I loved his imagination and humour.
both elements are present in this title, plus so much more. Ghosts of Gotham begins almost like a Dan Brown plotted tale with a little Ludlum thrown into the first third of the story. Soon enough though the plot morphs into urban fantasy with the added twist of mythology to further thicken the plot. this book was fast paced and once the story got going it moved along at a great clip.
I would have given the book 5 stars, But there were a few scenes reminiscent of classic Bond villians exposition allowing the two very likeable characters Maddie and Lionel to escape. even giving Schaeffer benefit of the doubt that these were written in a very tongue in cheek sardonic tone didnt prevent them from annoying me enough to knock off a star. However, overall I loved this story and highly recommend it.
both elements are present in this title, plus so much more. Ghosts of Gotham begins almost like a Dan Brown plotted tale with a little Ludlum thrown into the first third of the story. Soon enough though the plot morphs into urban fantasy with the added twist of mythology to further thicken the plot. this book was fast paced and once the story got going it moved along at a great clip.
I would have given the book 5 stars, But there were a few scenes reminiscent of classic Bond villians exposition allowing the two very likeable characters Maddie and Lionel to escape. even giving Schaeffer benefit of the doubt that these were written in a very tongue in cheek sardonic tone didnt prevent them from annoying me enough to knock off a star. However, overall I loved this story and highly recommend it.
December 7, 2019
Investigative newsman with an unknown supernatural heritage gets drawn into the supernatural demimonde.
Did-Not-Finish (DNF).
I received this book in a give away, which I entered after reading positive reviews of it.
This book started-out well enough, and had good bones as a supernatural thriller. It collapsed with the development of the crucial Page and Maddie relationship and lack of attention to detail when trying to create atmosphere through a high-level of detail.
Lionel Page the male protagonist was credible and well done.
Maddie was introduced properly as a woman-of-mystery or a likely femme fatale. The introduction was well handled. Physically, she was described as a 20-something, hard-body. The strong intimation was she was a centuries old witch. Once she and Page hook-up their relationship turns into an angsty millennial romance. That was not in-line with the better idea of Maddie’s character’s background. She wasn't a hundreds-year old witch any longer. I suspect this character transformation was a wrongheaded attempt by the author to engage the female members of his reading audience who were not ancient witches? Frankly, when Page and Maddie hooked-up, I was expecting Page to have ensorcelled, tantric sex with a very, much older woman who chewed him up and spat him out, leaving him very grateful. (I was disappointed.)
In addition, the book suffered from what looked like being quickly written. It was sloppy in its details and inadequately proofread. For example, all wine consumed in the story was described as “peppery”. (That’s unwanted repetition.) Historical details used to create the story’s atmosphere were likewise sloppily applied. For example, “Roman tapestries” adorn a profane temple’s walls. There ain’t none of those. [sic] Medieval or modern would have been more likely.
I wondered how this book garnered such good reviews? There were a lot of things done correctly with this story, but crucial parts were done poorly. The dynamic between the protagonists was mishandled once it turned romantic. It tanked the journo/witch partnership for me, and the book with it. When trying for rich visuals and meticulous detail to give the story an immersive quality; you’ve got to do your homework and get fresh eyes on the pages checking the details. This wasn’t indicated to me.
This book had a few good ideas, but failed in its implementation. There are better supernatural thrillers out there to be read in the limited time I have to read.
Readers looking for a better story might want to check out London Falling.
Did-Not-Finish (DNF).
I received this book in a give away, which I entered after reading positive reviews of it.
This book started-out well enough, and had good bones as a supernatural thriller. It collapsed with the development of the crucial Page and Maddie relationship and lack of attention to detail when trying to create atmosphere through a high-level of detail.
Lionel Page the male protagonist was credible and well done.
Maddie was introduced properly as a woman-of-mystery or a likely femme fatale. The introduction was well handled. Physically, she was described as a 20-something, hard-body. The strong intimation was she was a centuries old witch. Once she and Page hook-up their relationship turns into an angsty millennial romance. That was not in-line with the better idea of Maddie’s character’s background. She wasn't a hundreds-year old witch any longer. I suspect this character transformation was a wrongheaded attempt by the author to engage the female members of his reading audience who were not ancient witches? Frankly, when Page and Maddie hooked-up, I was expecting Page to have ensorcelled, tantric sex with a very, much older woman who chewed him up and spat him out, leaving him very grateful. (I was disappointed.)
In addition, the book suffered from what looked like being quickly written. It was sloppy in its details and inadequately proofread. For example, all wine consumed in the story was described as “peppery”. (That’s unwanted repetition.) Historical details used to create the story’s atmosphere were likewise sloppily applied. For example, “Roman tapestries” adorn a profane temple’s walls. There ain’t none of those. [sic] Medieval or modern would have been more likely.
I wondered how this book garnered such good reviews? There were a lot of things done correctly with this story, but crucial parts were done poorly. The dynamic between the protagonists was mishandled once it turned romantic. It tanked the journo/witch partnership for me, and the book with it. When trying for rich visuals and meticulous detail to give the story an immersive quality; you’ve got to do your homework and get fresh eyes on the pages checking the details. This wasn’t indicated to me.
This book had a few good ideas, but failed in its implementation. There are better supernatural thrillers out there to be read in the limited time I have to read.
Readers looking for a better story might want to check out London Falling.
July 11, 2022
*** 4.44 ***
Another solid book by, for some mysterious to me reason, one mostly largely overlooked, but very talented author, Craig Schaefer. He writes what would mostly be classified as Urban Fantasy, but with a pulp-noir feel to it and does a great job in combining the two with enough sophistication, that it doesn't come off campy. I have been a fan from the start of his/her career and I have not been disappointed yet. Are all his books great? No, but none of them have been duds either.
This has been a series I had neglected, I don't even know why, but I am happy to be back in the author 's universe. There is magic, there are bad guys, but there is always hope, even in the darkest moments. The characters are vibrant and the story is engaging, so I would recommend it to all fans of the genre😊👍
Another solid book by, for some mysterious to me reason, one mostly largely overlooked, but very talented author, Craig Schaefer. He writes what would mostly be classified as Urban Fantasy, but with a pulp-noir feel to it and does a great job in combining the two with enough sophistication, that it doesn't come off campy. I have been a fan from the start of his/her career and I have not been disappointed yet. Are all his books great? No, but none of them have been duds either.
This has been a series I had neglected, I don't even know why, but I am happy to be back in the author 's universe. There is magic, there are bad guys, but there is always hope, even in the darkest moments. The characters are vibrant and the story is engaging, so I would recommend it to all fans of the genre😊👍
February 17, 2020
A successful blend of elements from various genres--urban fantasy, action/adventure, horror, mystery, suspense, and probably more--in which good writing and well-paced action kept me engrossed from beginning to end. You should be warned that there is a great deal of graphically described violence: before it's over, many people will be killed in remarkably horrific ways.
Most of the content of this book is revealed gradually, one little step at a time, so that the full extent of the world the author has built and the characters that inhabit it won't come into view until the last few of sixty rather short chapters. There are three big revelations, two of which I didn't see coming; the third just confirmed something that was increasingly obvious to me. More about the mystery element in a moment.
Most of the third-person narrative is told from the point of view of Lionel, an investigative reporter from Chicago who comes to New York to determine whether a mysterious lost manuscript is authentic and (as you were warned) finds out that it's the focus of multiple murders. The publisher's blurb, repeated at the head of this Goodreads page, tells us that the "enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah" will be "his personal usher into the city's secret history." But to spare the reader excessive nervous strain about Madison's role, several of the chapters abruptly shift to her point of view .
The blurb only hints at the supernatural world that Lionel the skeptic discovers in New York, but it dominates the story from page 138 onward, when a tightly written suspense novel explodes into ultraviolent urban fantasy and continues as a thrill ride with powerful otherworldly adversaries and allies.
My chief regret about this formidable work of fiction is that the author plays with the reader a bit when it comes to Lionel himself, whose "notorious buried past, one he's been running from since he was a child" is teased here and there but--even though we're often inside his mind--we're kept in the dark about what he knows for way too long.
In compensation, though, we get to follow along as Lionel learns slowly to hold his own with three powerful women in his life--his ex Brianna who's now his boss at channel 7 news in Chicago, his personal guide Madison who repeatedly saves his life and has major issues of her own, and "the shrewd Regina Dunkle" (thank you, blurb) who directs his adventure with more than an iron hand. Strongly recommended.
Most of the content of this book is revealed gradually, one little step at a time, so that the full extent of the world the author has built and the characters that inhabit it won't come into view until the last few of sixty rather short chapters. There are three big revelations, two of which I didn't see coming; the third just confirmed something that was increasingly obvious to me. More about the mystery element in a moment.
Most of the third-person narrative is told from the point of view of Lionel, an investigative reporter from Chicago who comes to New York to determine whether a mysterious lost manuscript is authentic and (as you were warned) finds out that it's the focus of multiple murders. The publisher's blurb, repeated at the head of this Goodreads page, tells us that the "enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah" will be "his personal usher into the city's secret history." But to spare the reader excessive nervous strain about Madison's role, several of the chapters abruptly shift to her point of view .
The blurb only hints at the supernatural world that Lionel the skeptic discovers in New York, but it dominates the story from page 138 onward, when a tightly written suspense novel explodes into ultraviolent urban fantasy and continues as a thrill ride with powerful otherworldly adversaries and allies.
My chief regret about this formidable work of fiction is that the author plays with the reader a bit when it comes to Lionel himself, whose "notorious buried past, one he's been running from since he was a child" is teased here and there but--even though we're often inside his mind--we're kept in the dark about what he knows for way too long.
In compensation, though, we get to follow along as Lionel learns slowly to hold his own with three powerful women in his life--his ex Brianna who's now his boss at channel 7 news in Chicago, his personal guide Madison who repeatedly saves his life and has major issues of her own, and "the shrewd Regina Dunkle" (thank you, blurb) who directs his adventure with more than an iron hand. Strongly recommended.
March 3, 2019
Not only are there fell creatures wandering through New York’s sewers, but there are secret societies and haunted buildings filled with people worshipping ancient deities. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This novel gives the reader of a dark gloomy Gotham City filled with ethereal mysterious people.
Take a reporter dedicated (like a Geraldo Rivera) to unmasking charlatans, frauds, faith healers and the like and send him in a mission to recover a lost manuscript In Manhattan. What could go wrong? Maybe he learns a little faith in powers that he never believed in before. Maybe he’s struck by love 💗 at first sight. Maybe he’s the one being trained by witches to fight the forces of soul-sucking evil.
This novel is a lot of fun. It’s got magic, mystery, romance, and battle. Like the main character, the reader only sees a tiny bit of the iceberg at first and then the truth slowly reveals itself. Well-plotted with a touch of whimsy. A great read.
Take a reporter dedicated (like a Geraldo Rivera) to unmasking charlatans, frauds, faith healers and the like and send him in a mission to recover a lost manuscript In Manhattan. What could go wrong? Maybe he learns a little faith in powers that he never believed in before. Maybe he’s struck by love 💗 at first sight. Maybe he’s the one being trained by witches to fight the forces of soul-sucking evil.
This novel is a lot of fun. It’s got magic, mystery, romance, and battle. Like the main character, the reader only sees a tiny bit of the iceberg at first and then the truth slowly reveals itself. Well-plotted with a touch of whimsy. A great read.
May 18, 2019
3.5 stars. I was anticipating this as a 5 star read. I loved Schaefer’s Long way down series and his Revanche cycle series too. But I found this a little too similar and didn’t hold my interest that well. There’s a lot of goodness here but it didn’t quite hit the spot.
April 11, 2019
We meet Lionel Page, a Chicago reporter who exposes supernatural frauds, swindlers, and charlatans. He has made quite a name for himself.
When a story from his past threatens his livelihood, he accepts a quest from Regina Dunkle to verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City. In exchange she promises to make his problem go away. Ah, Lionel we all know how that goes. The tale that unfolds introduces mythology, supernatural elements and paranormal creatures.
Schaefer surprised me left and right. When Reginia sends the enigmatic Madison Hannah unbeknownst by the players on the same quest. It had me itching for answers. Then I was surprised and delighted by the discovery of witches and powerful entities as we shot further down the rabbit hole.
Fans of quests, suspense, quick-witted players and fate will delight in the tale that unfolds. I loved the tunnels, hexes, snarky characters and interaction with supernatural creatures who dwell in the underbelly of New York City. This had a gritty flair to it with the mystery, but also dabbled in gods, between worlds and more.
The characters see growth as a relationship develops first from a survival aspect until it evolves into something more. It felt genuine and I enjoyed their interactions. The author gave the characters depth, exposed their scars and allowed us to witness their strengths.
The overall story wrapped up nicely solving several mysteries and giving our couple an HEA. While this is a standalone, it did leave an opening for additional books.
While I would have chosen a male narrator based on the protagonist, I felt narrator Susannah Jones did a nice job of delivering the story. She managed to give characters their own voice while provided a nicely paced listen. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
When a story from his past threatens his livelihood, he accepts a quest from Regina Dunkle to verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City. In exchange she promises to make his problem go away. Ah, Lionel we all know how that goes. The tale that unfolds introduces mythology, supernatural elements and paranormal creatures.
Schaefer surprised me left and right. When Reginia sends the enigmatic Madison Hannah unbeknownst by the players on the same quest. It had me itching for answers. Then I was surprised and delighted by the discovery of witches and powerful entities as we shot further down the rabbit hole.
Fans of quests, suspense, quick-witted players and fate will delight in the tale that unfolds. I loved the tunnels, hexes, snarky characters and interaction with supernatural creatures who dwell in the underbelly of New York City. This had a gritty flair to it with the mystery, but also dabbled in gods, between worlds and more.
The characters see growth as a relationship develops first from a survival aspect until it evolves into something more. It felt genuine and I enjoyed their interactions. The author gave the characters depth, exposed their scars and allowed us to witness their strengths.
The overall story wrapped up nicely solving several mysteries and giving our couple an HEA. While this is a standalone, it did leave an opening for additional books.
While I would have chosen a male narrator based on the protagonist, I felt narrator Susannah Jones did a nice job of delivering the story. She managed to give characters their own voice while provided a nicely paced listen. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
December 11, 2018
If you told me to read a book about modern day witches I’d probably pass. But, since I only skimmed the description, this came across as a bibliomystery, which immediately piqued my interest. And what a good thing that was. I mean, this book does actually have a terrific bibliomystery (a different and terrifyingly literal interpretation of a famous Poe story) as its spine, but a lot of the plot has to do with witches. Then again there are also cults or secret societies and conspiracies and occult and suspense and towards the end it gets positively cosmic, so there’s much to love here. But the main thing is that Craig Schaefer is just such a great storyteller. The man seems to specialize in series and trilogies of the similarly natured occult mysteries and since series and trilogies aren’t really my thing, never heard of him until now, but this book is certainly good enough to put him on the radar of any reader interested in speculative fiction. Wildly imaginative scenarios, genre mixing, great characters, realistic dialogue, situations even, despite how otherworldly the ideas get. It just all came together so nicely and worked so well. Last time I’ve experienced this kind of mad mash up of awesome was reading Gene Doucette, probably, which is a high praise indeed. Just a stunningly inventive, genuinely exciting and very, very entertaining adventure. This book is probably going to end up as a book one is either series or trilogy too, there’s certainly enough world building in here to sustain it and it’s possible I wouldn’t be averse to reading it then, if only to see if the magic stays magical as it were. Honesty, I’d be very happy with this book if it never introduced any amount of supernatural into it at all or was very minimal with it and just stay a bibliomystery with an investigative reporter (with a past he tries to hide…oh, and this deserves a mention, what sort of a person tries to disassociate himself from his past by…get this…just dropping one letter from the end of his last name. Like that’s it, from Paget to Page. And for a public figure with a book out and all. That’s the great disguise. How it takes all those years for someone to put two and two together is a miracle. And even though Page’s wanting his past to stay secret is a huge motivation to propel the plot forward, it’s the least logical detail of the book. And the book has magic and witches in it. Madness.) entering into a deal with a shadowy wealthy old woman to find a manuscript for her collection. But the author chose to go with magic and it worked and was tons of fun. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
October 17, 2020
I loved everything about this. Lionel is the sole survivor of a brutal massacre, but he tries to keep his past hidden. When his past was about to be exposed, an unexpected source offers to help as long as he tracks down something in return. Then lots of murder, mystery, magic, and mayhem ensues.
Lionel's career revolves around debunking magic. Little did he know magic did exist. While tracking down a manuscript that people are being killed for, Lionel discovers that witches are real. There is more going on than it originally appeared. I don't want to say more and give anything away.
The characters were great! I liked the romance but was happy that it wasn't the focal point of the story. A world with Greek gods having witches at their disposal was fascinating. I'd love to read another story set in this world even if Lionel and Maddie weren't the main characters, but I'd also be thrilled to learn about their next adventure.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me this in exchange for an honest review!
Lionel's career revolves around debunking magic. Little did he know magic did exist. While tracking down a manuscript that people are being killed for, Lionel discovers that witches are real. There is more going on than it originally appeared. I don't want to say more and give anything away.
The characters were great! I liked the romance but was happy that it wasn't the focal point of the story. A world with Greek gods having witches at their disposal was fascinating. I'd love to read another story set in this world even if Lionel and Maddie weren't the main characters, but I'd also be thrilled to learn about their next adventure.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me this in exchange for an honest review!
April 10, 2019
Buddy read with the MacHalos
This was my first Schaefer experience, and it was exceptional! The best part is now I get to sit with the cool kids in the Schaefer Cult.
Ghosts of Gotham fits snuggly in the Urban Fantasy genre. It had all the juicy bits I come to expect from an UF. Action, magic, gods, creatures, and a dose of gore. Schaefer also threw in some romance and sex to give it that exceptional spicy taste.
One of my favorite aspects in a good author is how well he uses dialogue in telling a story. Schaefer has top of the line dialogue between characters. The flow was easy and carried plenty of personality. The story was intriguing without being confusing or convoluted.
Now that I've had my first taste of Schaefer I plan on gorging myself with all his books. If you haven't had a taste of Schaefer, I recommend starting with Ghosts of Gotham
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, so I could give an honest review.
July 25, 2022
Lionel Page ist ein Mann, der genau hinsieht. Er arbeitet für einen TV-Sender in Chicago und hat sich einen Namen, mit der Überführung von angeblichen Spiritisten, Wunderheilern und anderen übersinnlichen Phänomenen gemacht. Eines Tages, bekommt er ein lukratives Angebot von der reichen Regina Dunkle, die ihm den Auftrag erteilt, nach einem verschwundenem Manuskript des Schauerliteraturautoren Edgar Allen Poe zu suchen. Was sich zuerst wie ein ganz normaler Job anhört, verwandelt sich schnell in das spannendste Abenteuer seines Lebens. Plötzlich trifft er auf magische Geheimgesellschaften, Hexen und andere übernatürliche Wesen, nur diesmal gibt es keine Tricks - diese Wesen sind echt!
In diesem Auftakt zu einer neuen Fantasy-Reihe, wird nicht lange getrödelt, es wird sofort spannend. Ein magisches New York zieht mich an, wie Motten das Licht. Die Charaktere sind einprägsam, manche von ihnen sympathisch und andere undurchschaubar, gefährlich oder gruselig. Lionel gehört zu den sympathischen Charakteren, der erhebliche Risiken eingeht, wenn er verhindern kann, dass scheinbar übersinnliche Personen, verzweifelten Menschen das Geld aus der Tasche ziehen, doch ist das seine einzige Motivation? Ich mochte sowohl Maddie als auch die undurchsichtige Regina Dunkle. Es gibt kluge Überlegungen, ganz viel Spannung, Action und eine Liebesgeschichte. Es ist ein Buch, dass man nur ungern wieder aus der Hand legt, bevor man nicht weiß, wie die Jagd nach dem Manuskript enden wird. Ich bin nur so durch die Seiten geflogen und habe mich richtig gut unterhalten gefühlt.
!Triggerwarnung! Ein Charakter hat selbst verletzendes Verhalten.
Das Buch wurde mir als Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt.
January 1, 2022
4.5 Stars
Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer is another guilty pleasure read by one of my favorite authors. This is a pretty big change from Daniel and Harmony. It is a mystery, an adventure, and a love letter to New York City. This is a story where you are better off going in without much knowledge of what this is about. To simply summarize, there is an ambitious and motivated reporter, a rich mysterious client, the big Apple, and of course an Edgar Allan Poe manuscript.
Fun, fun, fun, I will read everything by Craig Schaefer and so should you.
Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer is another guilty pleasure read by one of my favorite authors. This is a pretty big change from Daniel and Harmony. It is a mystery, an adventure, and a love letter to New York City. This is a story where you are better off going in without much knowledge of what this is about. To simply summarize, there is an ambitious and motivated reporter, a rich mysterious client, the big Apple, and of course an Edgar Allan Poe manuscript.
Fun, fun, fun, I will read everything by Craig Schaefer and so should you.
July 21, 2019
I really liked this book, and I wanted to give 4 starts to it, but I can't. It's a great urban fantasy story involving a lost Edgar Allen Poe manuscript and people from the Greek myths. But it has some major problems too:
1- The author botched the ending.
2- Main character is hovering at the edge of being amazing, failing that... he just seems replaceable.
3- You know those books that a villain can vaporize the hero in one sec and he just doesn't for... ambiguous and unknown reasons? this is one of those books.
1- The author botched the ending.
2- Main character is hovering at the edge of being amazing, failing that... he just seems replaceable.
3- You know those books that a villain can vaporize the hero in one sec and he just doesn't for... ambiguous and unknown reasons? this is one of those books.
April 9, 2019
Ghosts Of Gotham is Craig Schaefer’s newest offering and one that promises a new direction in his illustrious career. This book is based on the next chapter in his career with 47North. The story is quite interesting and was definitely a new twist on gothic stories.
Lionel Page is a Chicago reporter who’s addicted to debunking mysteries and because of his past, he cannot resist them any more than he breathes. However he’s clueless as to how to solve his own personal mystery. His penchant for risks often lands him in the cross hairs of his editor Brianna who fears for his safety as well. A recent assignment goes sideways and lands him in a bit of a hotspot. Soon he gets introduced to Regina Dunkle who tasks him with a special offer to find a lost Edgar Allen Poe manuscript and also promises him a sizeable contribution for his efforts. Travelling to New York City, he soon immerses himself in this search and also meets an enigmatic fellow traveler who goes by Madison Hannah. Both of these characters have their own agendas but don’t know exactly who are ones pulling their chains. This lost manuscript is one that will cause a lot of trouble but also bring to the fore mysteries that have long since stayed hidden.
Any Craig Schaefer book is a cause for celebration and this one is something a lot different than what he has written before. This book was deemed as Craig’s love letter to the city of New York as well as all of its intricacies and secrets. The story begins on a very typical mystery note wherein the readers are introduced to the first mystery is Lionel himself and what drives him. Lionel is also our sole viewpoint of this story and it is truly through him that we get to experience everything. His characterization is key and creating enigmatic characters is Craig’s forte. This book is no different as while we are slowly uncovering the mystery of the main plot. We also get to see the many mysteries of the other cast of characters such has Madison who goes by Maddie and flits in an out of Lionel’s NYC investigations, his private benefactor Regina Dunkle who maintains her privacy above everyone and everything else.
All these characters are what make this story so interesting and there are mysteries galore within them as well as the burdens they carry. The story is of course a tribute to the somewhat quixotic nature of New York City and also a Gothic suspense story. The very nature of New York City is called into question as the reader along with Lionel get to witness it turn into something more. More than just the financial capital of the world, it becomes a city that houses almost every type of story and Lionel is just trying to find the one that perhaps is tied to his past (without knowing it to be such). The plot unfolds at a nice pace and the twists are such that they become harder and harder to predict.
The best part about the story is the slow reveal of what the story is truly about and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. I can’t talk much about it without spoiling the whole plot of the story but safe to say. This story is a little disingenuous about its overall plot and that’s done on purpose. The author takes great pains to frame the story in a certain and with smart plot twists, we see it unravel into a spectacular climax. It’s also focuses on a thread that originates with Edgar Allen Poe and then gives NYC a special spectral past. I loved how the author presented New York City as a character on its own. This was really fun to see and I’m sure resident NYCers will be able to discern some small details that might not be easily apparent to someone like me.
Lastly there’s also the presence of a Greek mythological character who also is mentioned in some of his other books but according to the author isn’t related to his previous works. I enjoyed this character’s actions and they are very much central to the main plot. The book is sold as a standalone and it works a little bit in that direction but honestly this story and world introduced is so rich that it deserves a sequel.
With such a story, the drawbacks are going to be very subjective. For me the only drawback perhaps is the eventual reveal which becomes a tad predictable. Not the climax but the main secret about its main characters. Not that it detracted from my enjoyment but still after reading all of Craig’s works, I’ve come to expect the sky of his written efforts. For some, it might be the pace which starts slow and then really unfolds or it might be the primary antagonist who perhaps doesn’t quite come with the same menace as some of Craig other memorable creations.
CONCLUSION: Ghosts Of Gotham is a lovely little mystery that’s also a love letter to New York City, Greek mythology and the many faces that we humans choose to take on. The story is about literal, metaphorical and allegorical ghosts. Salman Rushdie mentioned "ghosts being nothing but unfinished business", I believe this perfectly encapsulates Ghosts Of Gotham as well what lies ahead in the sequels.
Lionel Page is a Chicago reporter who’s addicted to debunking mysteries and because of his past, he cannot resist them any more than he breathes. However he’s clueless as to how to solve his own personal mystery. His penchant for risks often lands him in the cross hairs of his editor Brianna who fears for his safety as well. A recent assignment goes sideways and lands him in a bit of a hotspot. Soon he gets introduced to Regina Dunkle who tasks him with a special offer to find a lost Edgar Allen Poe manuscript and also promises him a sizeable contribution for his efforts. Travelling to New York City, he soon immerses himself in this search and also meets an enigmatic fellow traveler who goes by Madison Hannah. Both of these characters have their own agendas but don’t know exactly who are ones pulling their chains. This lost manuscript is one that will cause a lot of trouble but also bring to the fore mysteries that have long since stayed hidden.
Any Craig Schaefer book is a cause for celebration and this one is something a lot different than what he has written before. This book was deemed as Craig’s love letter to the city of New York as well as all of its intricacies and secrets. The story begins on a very typical mystery note wherein the readers are introduced to the first mystery is Lionel himself and what drives him. Lionel is also our sole viewpoint of this story and it is truly through him that we get to experience everything. His characterization is key and creating enigmatic characters is Craig’s forte. This book is no different as while we are slowly uncovering the mystery of the main plot. We also get to see the many mysteries of the other cast of characters such has Madison who goes by Maddie and flits in an out of Lionel’s NYC investigations, his private benefactor Regina Dunkle who maintains her privacy above everyone and everything else.
All these characters are what make this story so interesting and there are mysteries galore within them as well as the burdens they carry. The story is of course a tribute to the somewhat quixotic nature of New York City and also a Gothic suspense story. The very nature of New York City is called into question as the reader along with Lionel get to witness it turn into something more. More than just the financial capital of the world, it becomes a city that houses almost every type of story and Lionel is just trying to find the one that perhaps is tied to his past (without knowing it to be such). The plot unfolds at a nice pace and the twists are such that they become harder and harder to predict.
The best part about the story is the slow reveal of what the story is truly about and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. I can’t talk much about it without spoiling the whole plot of the story but safe to say. This story is a little disingenuous about its overall plot and that’s done on purpose. The author takes great pains to frame the story in a certain and with smart plot twists, we see it unravel into a spectacular climax. It’s also focuses on a thread that originates with Edgar Allen Poe and then gives NYC a special spectral past. I loved how the author presented New York City as a character on its own. This was really fun to see and I’m sure resident NYCers will be able to discern some small details that might not be easily apparent to someone like me.
Lastly there’s also the presence of a Greek mythological character who also is mentioned in some of his other books but according to the author isn’t related to his previous works. I enjoyed this character’s actions and they are very much central to the main plot. The book is sold as a standalone and it works a little bit in that direction but honestly this story and world introduced is so rich that it deserves a sequel.
With such a story, the drawbacks are going to be very subjective. For me the only drawback perhaps is the eventual reveal which becomes a tad predictable. Not the climax but the main secret about its main characters. Not that it detracted from my enjoyment but still after reading all of Craig’s works, I’ve come to expect the sky of his written efforts. For some, it might be the pace which starts slow and then really unfolds or it might be the primary antagonist who perhaps doesn’t quite come with the same menace as some of Craig other memorable creations.
CONCLUSION: Ghosts Of Gotham is a lovely little mystery that’s also a love letter to New York City, Greek mythology and the many faces that we humans choose to take on. The story is about literal, metaphorical and allegorical ghosts. Salman Rushdie mentioned "ghosts being nothing but unfinished business", I believe this perfectly encapsulates Ghosts Of Gotham as well what lies ahead in the sequels.
May 15, 2020
Reporter Lionel Page has made a living exposing charlatans offering false hope in an attempt to disprove the supernatural. He’s also succeeded at keeping his own front-page worthy past carefully hidden …until a determined young reporter shows up with an old magazine and his sights set on his first feature.
Lionel is desperate to stop this story and help comes unexpectedly from the mysterious heiress Regina Dunkle. If Lionel can locate and verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript for her, Regina can guarantee his past will remain hidden.
Lionel’s investigation leads to more questions when death comes for everyone who has come in contact with the manuscript. And it has to be more than coincidence that a stranger he meets in a diner appears everywhere he wanders in NYC.
Lionel is now part of his big story: his own past holds secrets that connect to the person desperate to possess the manuscript he was hired to find.
Ghosts of Gotham surprised me in the very best way. I thought I was reading a mystery about a reporter with a past investigating a Poe manuscript but what I really got was a paranormal/urban fantasy where NYC is teeming with ghosts, ghouls, witches, and demi-goddesses.
Secret societies and supernatural characters abound in this quirky novel!
I recommend Ghosts of Gotham to readers who love urban/paranormal mystery/fantasy with a touch of horror.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Lionel is desperate to stop this story and help comes unexpectedly from the mysterious heiress Regina Dunkle. If Lionel can locate and verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript for her, Regina can guarantee his past will remain hidden.
Lionel’s investigation leads to more questions when death comes for everyone who has come in contact with the manuscript. And it has to be more than coincidence that a stranger he meets in a diner appears everywhere he wanders in NYC.
Lionel is now part of his big story: his own past holds secrets that connect to the person desperate to possess the manuscript he was hired to find.
Ghosts of Gotham surprised me in the very best way. I thought I was reading a mystery about a reporter with a past investigating a Poe manuscript but what I really got was a paranormal/urban fantasy where NYC is teeming with ghosts, ghouls, witches, and demi-goddesses.
Secret societies and supernatural characters abound in this quirky novel!
I recommend Ghosts of Gotham to readers who love urban/paranormal mystery/fantasy with a touch of horror.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
August 12, 2019
Slow beginning, but after initial 30 % - better than I was expecting.
As a stand alone could be good introduction to C. Schaefer's writing.
Recommended.
As a stand alone could be good introduction to C. Schaefer's writing.
Recommended.
dnf
May 9, 2020Marked DNF and 75%. I just had no interest in continuing this.
April 24, 2019
Actual rating: 4.5
This review was originally posted on my blog, RockStarlit BookAsylum!
I’m probably going to write a long and gushing review and bore you to death, so here is the bottom line: GO AND BUY THIS BOOK! I practically read it in one sitting – well, 80% of it anyway. I stayed up until 1 am even though I knew I was going to hate myself for it, but I HAD to know what happens.
Lionel is a famous reporter in Chicago whose career was built on debunking fake healers, magic users and generally anyone who cheated people out of their money. He always looked for proof of magic existing but all he found were liars and disappointment. As good as he was digging up secrets he was just as good at keeping them. But of course no one can hide from their past and his is about catching up with him. To run it off for a few more days he makes a deal with the mysterious Regina Dunkel who sends him to New York in chase of a very rare first manuscript of one of Poe’s short stories. Which starts as a simple investigation and an easy case turns into a complicated maze of lies and mystery. Lionel’s world turns upside down and it’s time for him to unlearn everything he knew and believed in.
Schaefer has a talent for writing a bit cynical, sarcastic but at the same time charming and relatable male protagonists. I really enjoyed reading about Lionel and the way he dealt with hard pressing situations. His no-nonsense attitude and his stubbornness. I seriously didn’t envy Brianna, his boss at the Chicago News for having to deal with him. Not that you could get mad at him, but the way he jumps into dangerous situations not caring about anything but the story can be such a pain in the ass. And a nightmare to sort insurance out afterwards. All that said, I would love seeing Daniel Faust and Lionel get together at one point. The way we slowly learn about Lionel’s past is really well done and I liked how it was worked into the plot to give the story more layers.
Lionel crosses two women’s path and they set his world upside down. There is cold, ruthless Regina Dunkle, whose role in the grand scheme of things isn’t revealed until the endgame and whoa, I didn’t see that coming. Then there is Maddie. At first I liked her, she was mysterious and obviously had a past and some (in)visible scars, and some interesting tricks. She cries blood for one thing. I was intrigued by her and how she’ll fit into the picture. She was a bad-ass and liked her view on things.
Then she started to annoy me because I couldn’t wrap my mind around why she did let Regina treat her the way she did. What could be so bad that she punishes herself this way? Of course we get an answer and if I didn’t see Regina’s true identity coming then I’m sure as hell didn’t expect to learn THAT about Maddie’s past. And Lionel, like a champion took everything in stride. Maaaybe a bit too easily at that, but then he hardly had time to sort things out as everything kept happening. It’s a small miracle he didn’t freak out right there and then.
As for the plot, I liked how Schaefer blended Greek mythology with Poe, and witchcraft and ghouls. The concept is a bit of a cliché with a sceptic protagonist with a secret to hide which comes back to bite him in the ass while he discovers the world is not exactly as he imagined, while of course meeting and falling for a gorgeous woman. And honestly, that’s fine. Schaefer’s characters are coming into life and feel very real and complex. You feel like you’re walking right beside Lionel as he discovers New York for the first time. And, as I said, Schaefer mixes things very well. I have to give him extra points for using lesser known figures from Greek mythology!
I had a few issues though, mostly minor things that didn’t make much sense or weren’t really explained: for example, at one point, Lionel asked for help from Brianna, digging up some info about a secret society, and she agreed to set some interns on the matter. But then this gets dropped as Lionel find his own way to them. In the end we didn’t learn much about the society itself apart from their role in the plot. Another thing I didn’t quite puzzled out is how Maddie found Lionel when he got into trouble. She popped up conveniently at the right time to save the day, but how did she know where to find him? Well, okay, this is really just me nitpicking, as probably she did it the same way as Lionel found the place in the first place. Still.
The ending. While some of the revelations caught me off guard, there was one I suspected toward the end. But overall it left me a bit underwhelmed for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, this book is really great and a total page turner, but the last big confrontation left me, well, underwhelmed as I said. The story built up nicely until the scene in the train tunnel, but from then on, it was a bit rushed maybe. Even though the big revelations come right after each other, and you basically have no time to blink. The confrontation scene I mentioned was used more like to show off who is who than a satisfying cathartic end.
That said, I still like Craig Schaefer’s style of writing and the worlds and characters he creates. I had quite a few lines marked as I read and let me tell you, it was damn hard to choose just a few for this review! He really does have a way painting a scene, an emotion to make us feel what he wants us to.
“Strobes washed his vision in flashing white and scarlet, ambulance lights, turning the crowded club into the scene of an accident. Bodies writhed in the glow – dancing, fighting, bounding against each other like pinballs of flesh and bone.”
Considering everything, I think Ghosts of Gotham is my favorite novel from Craig Scheafer so far, and definitely not the last I’ve read. Ghosts of Gotham is fast paced, magical and one that is hard to put down. I don’t think I’m far from the truth if I say that this was only the beginning of a series that would rival his Daniel Faust one. I urge you to give it a chance if you like: Greek mythological figures in a modern setting, protagonists with mysterious and dark past, magic, characters you can enjoy hating and wondering about (Regina), and a mystery which means leaving bodies all over the place. In short: it has everything you might wish for!
This review was originally posted on my blog, RockStarlit BookAsylum!
“I believe that ‘finding the book you’re looking for’ is an overrated notion,” the man replied. “Far better to explore, and let the book you need be the one which finds you.”
I’m probably going to write a long and gushing review and bore you to death, so here is the bottom line: GO AND BUY THIS BOOK! I practically read it in one sitting – well, 80% of it anyway. I stayed up until 1 am even though I knew I was going to hate myself for it, but I HAD to know what happens.
Lionel is a famous reporter in Chicago whose career was built on debunking fake healers, magic users and generally anyone who cheated people out of their money. He always looked for proof of magic existing but all he found were liars and disappointment. As good as he was digging up secrets he was just as good at keeping them. But of course no one can hide from their past and his is about catching up with him. To run it off for a few more days he makes a deal with the mysterious Regina Dunkel who sends him to New York in chase of a very rare first manuscript of one of Poe’s short stories. Which starts as a simple investigation and an easy case turns into a complicated maze of lies and mystery. Lionel’s world turns upside down and it’s time for him to unlearn everything he knew and believed in.
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “Ever wonder why that’s the conversational default? People always want to know your job. Not what you love, what you hate, but what you do to earn money. What does that say about us as a society?” – Maddie
Schaefer has a talent for writing a bit cynical, sarcastic but at the same time charming and relatable male protagonists. I really enjoyed reading about Lionel and the way he dealt with hard pressing situations. His no-nonsense attitude and his stubbornness. I seriously didn’t envy Brianna, his boss at the Chicago News for having to deal with him. Not that you could get mad at him, but the way he jumps into dangerous situations not caring about anything but the story can be such a pain in the ass. And a nightmare to sort insurance out afterwards. All that said, I would love seeing Daniel Faust and Lionel get together at one point. The way we slowly learn about Lionel’s past is really well done and I liked how it was worked into the plot to give the story more layers.
Lionel crosses two women’s path and they set his world upside down. There is cold, ruthless Regina Dunkle, whose role in the grand scheme of things isn’t revealed until the endgame and whoa, I didn’t see that coming. Then there is Maddie. At first I liked her, she was mysterious and obviously had a past and some (in)visible scars, and some interesting tricks. She cries blood for one thing. I was intrigued by her and how she’ll fit into the picture. She was a bad-ass and liked her view on things.
“We are all a story,” she told him. “I’m a character in your story; you’re a character in mine. And we’re both part of the story of New York, along with eight million other people. It’s all fiction, it’s all true, and just like you were taught as a child, there’s a world of possibility on every new page.” – Maddie
Then she started to annoy me because I couldn’t wrap my mind around why she did let Regina treat her the way she did. What could be so bad that she punishes herself this way? Of course we get an answer and if I didn’t see Regina’s true identity coming then I’m sure as hell didn’t expect to learn THAT about Maddie’s past. And Lionel, like a champion took everything in stride. Maaaybe a bit too easily at that, but then he hardly had time to sort things out as everything kept happening. It’s a small miracle he didn’t freak out right there and then.
“His thoughts raced too fast to put the words together, because the words he wanted to say – the truth, mostly – wouldn’t come out. When he’d crashed to a dead stop, they’d crashed along with him, lying in a broken pile at his feet.”
As for the plot, I liked how Schaefer blended Greek mythology with Poe, and witchcraft and ghouls. The concept is a bit of a cliché with a sceptic protagonist with a secret to hide which comes back to bite him in the ass while he discovers the world is not exactly as he imagined, while of course meeting and falling for a gorgeous woman. And honestly, that’s fine. Schaefer’s characters are coming into life and feel very real and complex. You feel like you’re walking right beside Lionel as he discovers New York for the first time. And, as I said, Schaefer mixes things very well. I have to give him extra points for using lesser known figures from Greek mythology!
I had a few issues though, mostly minor things that didn’t make much sense or weren’t really explained: for example, at one point, Lionel asked for help from Brianna, digging up some info about a secret society, and she agreed to set some interns on the matter. But then this gets dropped as Lionel find his own way to them. In the end we didn’t learn much about the society itself apart from their role in the plot. Another thing I didn’t quite puzzled out is how Maddie found Lionel when he got into trouble. She popped up conveniently at the right time to save the day, but how did she know where to find him? Well, okay, this is really just me nitpicking, as probably she did it the same way as Lionel found the place in the first place. Still.
The ending. While some of the revelations caught me off guard, there was one I suspected toward the end. But overall it left me a bit underwhelmed for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, this book is really great and a total page turner, but the last big confrontation left me, well, underwhelmed as I said. The story built up nicely until the scene in the train tunnel, but from then on, it was a bit rushed maybe. Even though the big revelations come right after each other, and you basically have no time to blink. The confrontation scene I mentioned was used more like to show off who is who than a satisfying cathartic end.
That said, I still like Craig Schaefer’s style of writing and the worlds and characters he creates. I had quite a few lines marked as I read and let me tell you, it was damn hard to choose just a few for this review! He really does have a way painting a scene, an emotion to make us feel what he wants us to.
“Strobes washed his vision in flashing white and scarlet, ambulance lights, turning the crowded club into the scene of an accident. Bodies writhed in the glow – dancing, fighting, bounding against each other like pinballs of flesh and bone.”
Considering everything, I think Ghosts of Gotham is my favorite novel from Craig Scheafer so far, and definitely not the last I’ve read. Ghosts of Gotham is fast paced, magical and one that is hard to put down. I don’t think I’m far from the truth if I say that this was only the beginning of a series that would rival his Daniel Faust one. I urge you to give it a chance if you like: Greek mythological figures in a modern setting, protagonists with mysterious and dark past, magic, characters you can enjoy hating and wondering about (Regina), and a mystery which means leaving bodies all over the place. In short: it has everything you might wish for!
June 14, 2022
وقتی از روی اسم کتابی فکر میکنی با یک رمان بتمنمحور طرفی :))
واقعاً باورم نمیشه این داستان واسه خوانندهی جدی بزرگسال نوشته شده و مردم نرفتن پولشون رو پس بگیرن.
واقعاً باورم نمیشه این داستان واسه خوانندهی جدی بزرگسال نوشته شده و مردم نرفتن پولشون رو پس بگیرن.
December 3, 2018
I received Ghosts of Gotham from the publisher, and absolutely loved it. I actually read it in one day, while I was supposed to be working – it was impossible to put down!
The book is classified as “occult mystery”, but it’s really more a meld of myth, fantasy, horror, and mystery, with a little Dan Brown-style conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure. It has an interesting premise, and I liked the way Greek mythology had been used to explain certain aspects of magic. It was quite a clever retelling, and reimagining, of myth and those familiar characters. The plot is fast-paced, plenty of surprising twists and turns, and packed full of action. It was laced with a rather sweet sub-plot which, I thought, added not only to the intrigue and pacing, but gave the characters’ a bit more depth and realism.
I really enjoyed the complex, flawed characters, and I thought they had a great development arc through the plot, with the opportunity to actively achieve redemption. Ultimately, this is a love story, and the characters redemption is, from the start, tied to their ability to love honestly. It’s not a new concept, but it is effective. I found myself actually becoming very attached to the characters and their stories, which led to some rather poignant moments.
I was surprised by the feminist overtones of Ghosts of Gotham, and thought the book was all the better for its subtle treatment of issues of equality and strong female characters. I mean, you have the all-powerful female divinities, a kickass female protagonist, and supporting cast of strong women in a variety of roles; there is definitely a feminist theme. The female characters are also flawed and multifaceted, in a way that you don’t often see in women written by men. Not to be sexist myself, obviously, but I have noticed the tendency, particularly in the fantasy genre, for male authors to cast their female characters in the roles of saint or whore. Real women are, of course, both, neither, and more… And that kind of linear thinking diminishes the role of the female in their books. Ghosts of Gotham was a wonderful example of a more modern, memorable, and positive character development.
I thought the book made great use of descriptive language, and was well-written. It felt polished and accomplished, and it was obvious that this was written by someone with experience.
I liked the worldbuilding and, while generally I’m not a fan of fantasy set in the real world, I thought the use of New York as a backdrop gave Ghosts of Gotham a grounding which it needed to offset some of the more stretched uses of myth and fantasy. The real-life setting gave it enough realism to allow the reader to suspend disbelief where the author required it. I also liked the treatment of magic, and the way it was given a “how” and “why”, to some extent. So often with fantasy we are expected to just believe these things “are”, and we suspend belief, it was good to see some sort of exploration of how things might work.
All in all, I have no criticisms. I really enjoyed Ghosts of Gotham. It reminded me a little of Raymond Chandler, if he had a book baby with Steven King, and that baby was Jim Butcher… If you like the genre, it’s well worth a go.
The book is classified as “occult mystery”, but it’s really more a meld of myth, fantasy, horror, and mystery, with a little Dan Brown-style conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure. It has an interesting premise, and I liked the way Greek mythology had been used to explain certain aspects of magic. It was quite a clever retelling, and reimagining, of myth and those familiar characters. The plot is fast-paced, plenty of surprising twists and turns, and packed full of action. It was laced with a rather sweet sub-plot which, I thought, added not only to the intrigue and pacing, but gave the characters’ a bit more depth and realism.
I really enjoyed the complex, flawed characters, and I thought they had a great development arc through the plot, with the opportunity to actively achieve redemption. Ultimately, this is a love story, and the characters redemption is, from the start, tied to their ability to love honestly. It’s not a new concept, but it is effective. I found myself actually becoming very attached to the characters and their stories, which led to some rather poignant moments.
I was surprised by the feminist overtones of Ghosts of Gotham, and thought the book was all the better for its subtle treatment of issues of equality and strong female characters. I mean, you have the all-powerful female divinities, a kickass female protagonist, and supporting cast of strong women in a variety of roles; there is definitely a feminist theme. The female characters are also flawed and multifaceted, in a way that you don’t often see in women written by men. Not to be sexist myself, obviously, but I have noticed the tendency, particularly in the fantasy genre, for male authors to cast their female characters in the roles of saint or whore. Real women are, of course, both, neither, and more… And that kind of linear thinking diminishes the role of the female in their books. Ghosts of Gotham was a wonderful example of a more modern, memorable, and positive character development.
I thought the book made great use of descriptive language, and was well-written. It felt polished and accomplished, and it was obvious that this was written by someone with experience.
I liked the worldbuilding and, while generally I’m not a fan of fantasy set in the real world, I thought the use of New York as a backdrop gave Ghosts of Gotham a grounding which it needed to offset some of the more stretched uses of myth and fantasy. The real-life setting gave it enough realism to allow the reader to suspend disbelief where the author required it. I also liked the treatment of magic, and the way it was given a “how” and “why”, to some extent. So often with fantasy we are expected to just believe these things “are”, and we suspend belief, it was good to see some sort of exploration of how things might work.
All in all, I have no criticisms. I really enjoyed Ghosts of Gotham. It reminded me a little of Raymond Chandler, if he had a book baby with Steven King, and that baby was Jim Butcher… If you like the genre, it’s well worth a go.
April 11, 2019
I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.
Would you like a story that has ghosts, witches ghouls - and an almost crim noir plot with an intrepid reporter. Have I got the story for you.
Ghosts of Gotham is about Lionel Page, referred to as little lion occasionally, a thirty-something investigative journalist. Lionel is given an investigation by a mysterious woman, Regina Dunkle. Is she just a wealthy reclusive heiress with a fascination for all things old or is she more? What follows is a well-written adventure into the world of antiques and the Poe Manuscript. Instead of going the way of some crime books, with a "who done it?" Schaffer has involved all sorts of creatures of myth and lore that are dealt out to you slowly like receiving cards while playing poker. He expertly and slowing brings the "things that go bump in the night" into the narrative that by the end of it you realize had you followed the clues you would have realized they were there all along.
I haven't read any of Schaffer's books, something I plan on rectifying, but I found this book to be a very well formed story. It could go on to more in a series or be an excellent stand-alone story and a great place to start reading his work. This story was a great introduction to me of Schaffers works, and I am looking forward to diving into his other series. Check it out.
Would you like a story that has ghosts, witches ghouls - and an almost crim noir plot with an intrepid reporter. Have I got the story for you.
Ghosts of Gotham is about Lionel Page, referred to as little lion occasionally, a thirty-something investigative journalist. Lionel is given an investigation by a mysterious woman, Regina Dunkle. Is she just a wealthy reclusive heiress with a fascination for all things old or is she more? What follows is a well-written adventure into the world of antiques and the Poe Manuscript. Instead of going the way of some crime books, with a "who done it?" Schaffer has involved all sorts of creatures of myth and lore that are dealt out to you slowly like receiving cards while playing poker. He expertly and slowing brings the "things that go bump in the night" into the narrative that by the end of it you realize had you followed the clues you would have realized they were there all along.
I haven't read any of Schaffer's books, something I plan on rectifying, but I found this book to be a very well formed story. It could go on to more in a series or be an excellent stand-alone story and a great place to start reading his work. This story was a great introduction to me of Schaffers works, and I am looking forward to diving into his other series. Check it out.
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