The Gods of Gotham (Timothy Wilde Novel, #1)

by Lyndsay Faye

August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points...

After a fire decimates a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last forms an official Police Department. That same summer, the great potato famine hits Ireland. These events will change the city of New York for ever.

Timothy Wilde hadn't wanted to be a copper star. On the night of August 21st, on his way home from the Tombs defeated and disgusted, he is plotting his resignation, when a young girl who has escaped from a nearby brothel, crashes into him; she wears only a nightdress and is covered from head to toe in blood. Searching out the truth in the child's wild stories, Timothy soon finds himself on the trail of a brutal killer, seemingly hell bent on fanning the flames of anti-Irish immigrant sentiment and threatening chaos in a city already in the midst of social upheaval. But his fight for justice could cost him the woman he loves, his brother and ultimately his life...

• ISBN10: 0399158375
• ISBN13: 9780399158377
• Publish Date: 15 March 2012
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 27 August 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Amy Einhorn Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 414
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

The year the height of the Potato Famine in Ireland sends many Irish people to New York the city gets it's first police force and one of these men is Timothy Wilde.  Scarred by an accident his curiosity forces him to look deeper into things and basically to become the first detective. He's both helped and hindered by his politically savvy brother, Valentine who has also joined the police force.
 
Unrequited love and a lot of messy politics made this an interesting read.

[Beth C.]

I was a bit hesitant at first, but it grabbed me from the first and held on tight. The history interwoven into the story was as much a character as any of the actual characters were, and was incredibly fascinating. The information about the Catholic church's start in New York was mind-boggling, particularly considering how wide-spread that particular religion is today.

As for the story itself, it was very well written. The characters were human, and very real. The story seemed like it had gotten to a particular conclusion before changing again. The writing was wonderful....

I would heartily recommend this!