Westside

by W. M Akers

Tiny mysteries.  That’s what Gilda Carr liked to work at and solve.  Her latest client asked her to locate a glove that was stolen.  It was simple.  So why was she having such difficulty with it?  She didn’t want this case to lead her into something bigger, but she couldn’t stop it. It was the 1920s in her New York city.  A city that was divided by a fence down the center separating the eastside from the westside.  Where each side was ruled by powerful bosses and small gangs and when the sun went down, people disappeared into the darkness never to be heard from again.

I have always been so amazed how authors come up with these diverse and different scenarios.  The world Akers has created for Gilda is a gritty reality that is imaginative and dark.  The dirt, grime and need in this world is fully realized in his narrative.  This is a true genre mashup that delivers on several levels.  He gives us a noirish mystery with a gutsy heroine who truly doesn’t want to do what she knows she must.  However, the world that surrounds her is an alternate New York with a historical setting that is dangerous and subtly changes in the dark where ghostly things materialize.  Where people and things disappear and she needs to discover why.  Creepy and dark, Akers delivers on all layers with excitement and entertainment.  This is a good novel to put into the hands of patrons looking for something different.  Teens will connect with Gilda and her buddies readily.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher for providing an Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.

PUB: Harper Voyager/HarperCollins Publishing

PUB DATE:  May

ISBN:  9780062853998

Genre:  Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural