Ghosts of Gotham
Ghosts of Gotham
by Craig Schaefer
47North
General Fiction (Adult) , Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date 09 Apr 2019
Review
Lionel Page was the boy who survived, and suffered for it. After reinventing himself as Lionel Page, investigative reporter, he lives to debunk fraudsters and conmen playing on the public’s desire for supernatural mystery and intervention. Until he makes a deal with Regina Dunkle, a wealthy and reclusive heiress, visit New York, verify or debunk the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allen Poe Manuscript and she will do the seemingly impossible - prevent his past from coming to light.
What starts as a curious mystery ends up as a trip down the rabbit hole, where magic may just very well exist alongside the mundane. His task becomes more dangerous, but more rewarding both as he finds an ally in Madison Hannah and begins to understand just what he is facing.
Ghosts of Gotham is an exciting urban fantasy far removed from the bulk that lines the shelves. The story is one that is beautiful and disturbing at once, leaving its mark, as the reader wishes she could continue past the end and see further into Schaefer’s world of magic.
5 / 5
I received a copy of Ghosts of Gotham from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
-- Crittermom
Description
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.
