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The Gods of Gotham

by Lyndsay Faye (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 2,893 ratings · 662 reviews

1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.

Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, saving every dollar and shilling in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds him...more

Hardcover, 408 pages

Published March 15th 2012 by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam (first published March 2012)

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Apr 19, 2013 Kemper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, 5-0, crime-mystery, historical-fiction

New York City Police Department Application - 1845

1) Can you walk?

2) Are you a Democrat?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to both of these questions: Congratulations! You are now a police officer for the city of New York.

Timothy Wilde was a bartender who was doing well by the standards of 1845. He had saved some money which he planned on using for his dream of purchasing a ferry boat and asking the woman he was in love with to marry him. However, a devastating fire leaves him homeless, unemployed, penniless...more New York City Police Department Application - 1845

1) Can you walk?

2) Are you a Democrat?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to both of these questions: Congratulations! You are now a police officer for the city of New York.

Timothy Wilde was a bartender who was doing well by the standards of 1845. He had saved some money which he planned on using for his dream of purchasing a ferry boat and asking the woman he was in love with to marry him. However, a devastating fire leaves him homeless, unemployed, penniless and disfigured.

Tim’s brother, Valentine, is a politically connected fire captain who gets them both jobs on the newly formed New York police department. Since Tim hates his brother for his corrupt ways as well as his other various other sins like his morphine habit, he doesn’t really want the job, but with no other options, Tim signs on. After almost a full day of training which consists of mainly being told to drag criminals to jail but to ignore the prostitutes, Tim receives a ‘copper star’ which is also the slang name of the new policemen.

With New York filled with anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiments after the influx of immigrants due to the potato famine as well as half the population thinking that a police force is un-American, Tim and his fellow officers have their work cut out for them. After Tim comes across a female child prostitute (Or a kinchen-maab in the lingo of the day.) covered in blood, it leads to the discovery of 19 dead children who seem to have been murdered with cross-like wounds ripped into them. Tim and the fledgling police force will have to quickly solve the crime before the bloody deaths are used as propaganda that could tear New York apart.

I liked the early parts of this book with its depiction of the early days of the New York police department, but once it turned into a murder mystery, it lost a lot of its charm. Part of this is due to the protagonist. Timothy is kind of a self-righteous prude in a lot of ways, and frankly I kept finding myself wishing that his wicked brother Valentine was the main character. Val may be a morphine junkie and a willing part of the corrupt Democratic political machine, but he was entertaining.

The whole book suffers a bit by being a historical fiction but having a hero who is too modern despite his seemingly straight arrow outlook of the time. It may make for a more likeable character, but I just can’t picture a white bartender in New York circa 1845 being so open-minded as to defend a black man against a mob as well as find himself admiring a homosexual. It’s pretty to think it could have been like that, but it just seems too politically correct to be believable.

However, the book deserves a lot of credit for some of the major twists it delivers in the resolution of the murder plot as well as developing the female character of Mercy Underhill. I thought I had a good idea of where all of this was going, but there were a lot of surprises, and the outcome of that did improve my opinion of Tim a lot.
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May 21, 2012 PatK rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

Lyndsay Faye is a remarkable author with a unique talent for interesting plot and rich characters. She enlightens an era of urban history not often relived with grace, candor, and a lyrical prose that effortlessly advances her story while painting a vivid picture of the city's buildings, streets, and inhabitants, even as her unlikely protagonist sketches them in modest charcoal.

"The Gods of Gotham" is impossible to put down once taken up.

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Aug 27, 2012 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mystery, police, sense-of-place, suspense, 2012

Just read the other reviews. Faye's story grabs you from the first sentence and doesn't let go. My only regret is that the library glued down the flaps, covering up part of the map of Manhattan on the inner covers. Timothy Wilde and his brother Val seem a little bigger than life - orphans after fire took their parents lives. Val lives by his wits as Party boss - the Democrats. Wilde is made penniless when southern Manhattan burns to the ground - his savings and his job as bartender up in smoke....more

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Apr 10, 2012 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone, Historical Fiction fans

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2012, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 19, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, mystery, historical, vbc, 2013-award-nominees

I was expecting this book to be much more of a thriller than it turned out to be, given the crime that's the central plot. It was more about the people and about the historical New York that becomes a character itself. Kind of interesting and disappointing all at once. Not that the quality of the writing was at all disappointing, far from it, but Faye brought in the reality of people so well that I found humanity a bit disappointing. For one, in that way where you build up idealized versions of...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Paulette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-book-playaway, historical, mystery-crime-and-thriller, 2013-fifty-state-challenge, 2013-new-author, 2013-audio-books, 2013-historical, 2013-mystery-crime-home-alone, goodreads-author, 2013-goodreads-author, march, 2013-reviews, 2013-serial, books-i-love, favorite-author, favorite-series, fifty-state-challenge, favorite-book, fiction

I both read and listened to the audio book. I enjoyed this book a lot. It kept me. Once I got into the storey, I could not put it down. I am looking forward to reading Lindsay Faye's next book. I already have it from the library.

I loved the way she brought the old New York back to life. She really brought home the way the Irish were treated during the potato famine. The Irish part of my family came to New York State during that period. I don't know if they ever lived in New York City. They did...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Siobhan rated it 4 of 5 stars

For some reason when I read this book I had it in my mind it was a work of journalism not fiction. I think I read the review too quickly and got it into my head that Ms Faye had written this novel about a true story and so I read the entire book thinking it was a true account. Of course, I know now it is a work of fiction but that doesn't hamper my enjoyment of this wonderful book any less, nor does it negate any of the author's extensive research on the historical background of this novel as we...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Ellen Keim rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent piece of historical fiction. It takes place in 1845 when the first police department is established in New York City at the same time when the potato famine in Ireland is causing an unprecedented influx of Irish immigrants to the U.S. Anti-Catholic sentiment is riding high and poverty is especially crushing in the Sixth Ward, where the infamous Five Points neighborhood is located.

This book reminds me of the 2002 Martin Scorsese movie, "Gangs of New York" which starts in 184...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you were a fan of TV's NYPD Blue, and you like historical fiction then Lyndsay Faye's novel The Gods of Gotham is for you. Set in 1845, it tells the story of the origins of the NYPD through the story of Timothy Wilde. (If Andy Sipowicz were around in 1845, he'd fit right in.)

Tim is genial bartender who knows everyone in the neighborhood. He is seriously injured in a fire, and after recuperating, his brother Val gets him a job in the newly formed New York Police Department, called "the copper...more If you were a fan of TV's NYPD Blue, and you like historical fiction then Lyndsay Faye's novel The Gods of Gotham is for you. Set in 1845, it tells the story of the origins of the NYPD through the story of Timothy Wilde. (If Andy Sipowicz were around in 1845, he'd fit right in.)

Tim is genial bartender who knows everyone in the neighborhood. He is seriously injured in a fire, and after recuperating, his brother Val gets him a job in the newly formed New York Police Department, called "the copper stars" after the copper badges they carry. Hence, the slang "copper" for police.

Tim is none too pleased with his job. Cops are looked upon with suspicion by the general public, and he is assigned to the worse section of the city, the slums in Five Points. Not to mention that he is in great pain from his burns.

One night he runs into a small girl covered in blood. She is too traumatized to tell him what happened, so he takes her to his apartment where his landlady helps to care for the girl. She tells Tim that there are several bodies of young children buried in the woods; a serial killer is on the loose.

The Gods of Gotham drops the reader right smack into the middle of 1845 New York City, with interesting characters trying to solve a crackling good murder mystery. We meet a doctor who uses early forensic methods to determine how and who killed these children, a priest whose church is the site of a horrible murder and a young female charity worker named Mercy who is a romantic interest for Tim.

The writing evokes sensory reactions in the reader. We can smell the rot of the slums and feel the shame of the daily taunts and slights that the Irish immigrants are subjected to as they try to assimilate and make lives for themselves and their families.

The Irish became 'coppers' because it was not thought to be a respectable job, and therefore no decent man would want to do it. Through the NYPD, the Irish gained a foothold politically, and the corruption that follows is a theme in this fascinating novel.

I liked the character development; Tim and his brother Val's relationship is particularly well done. The plot is well-paced and although I do not like blood and gore, what is here is essential to the story and not overdone. One particularly memorable scene involves a mother and her baby that is so very sad, it made my heart ache.

The attention to historical detail is impeccable. I could study the map of 1845 New York City on the inside cover for hours, and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter are interesting as well.

Fans of historical literary murder mysteries, like Caleb Carr's The Alienist, will love The Gods of Gotham. I'm not the only one who feels this way; Faye was nominated for a 2012 Edgar Award for this enthralling mystery. And I was not surprised to find that this book was originally published by Amy Einhorn; she always finds the good ones.
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Feb 17, 2013 M.J. Fiori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, krimi-mystery-thriller-procedural, actually-reviewed, literary

This first novel in the Timothy Wilde series (!) had many things going for it. It was a page-turner of a thing, a novel with an instantly beloved narrator (although all too deluded, for all his powers of "seeing," as the reader ultimately finds out), with an powder-keg of a setting (19th century New York City at the formation of its first real police force, aswirl in bitter, anything-goes political conflict and completely inundated with Irish immigrants flooding into its port as they desperately...more This first novel in the Timothy Wilde series (!) had many things going for it. It was a page-turner of a thing, a novel with an instantly beloved narrator (although all too deluded, for all his powers of "seeing," as the reader ultimately finds out), with an powder-keg of a setting (19th century New York City at the formation of its first real police force, aswirl in bitter, anything-goes political conflict and completely inundated with Irish immigrants flooding into its port as they desperately attempt to escape the death sentence of the Potato Famine back home on the Emerald Isle). Not to mention a devil of an antagonist and a heart-render of a mystery to solve: evidently, a mysterious maniac has slaughtered 19 "kinchin" (Irish children), who are found rent asunder in a shallow graves amidst the farms and cows pastures occupying the upper part of the island of Manhattan (where some, however, are already starting to erect massive mansions to their wealth).

Our story opens with Timothy Wilde, kind-hearted and keen-eyed bartender ("People tend to tell me things"), who has been saving up to pop the question to the girl he worships, one Mercy Underhill. But a terrible fire--and Timothy's resulting belief that he has lost everything that stands him in good stead--changes everyone's fate irrevocably. Pressed into a job as a "roundsman," aka a "copper star," on the new Democrat-sponsored police force by his brother, Valentine (who is older, more forceful, more charismatic--except to the reader, natch--coldly pragmatic as well as an out-and-out political animal), Timothy thrives. It turns out the job was made for him--not walking a beat, preventing crime, but rather (with his keen powers of observation and his way of fitting the puzzle pieces together and knowing what simply "isn't right") taking point as the one to unravel the great mystery. And a great mystery he is faced with, one that the author soundly and solidly sets up as certain to rip apart this city of embroiled and roiling racial prejudices. The tension is unabating.

Although I had figured out some elements of the conclusion by the 54% mark (yes, on the Kindle, with no page numbers), the end was more complex than I anticipated and very worthy of our "natural," Timothy. The pacing was perfect, and Lyndsay Faye's prose is not only clear when it needs to be (in action scenes, when it counts), but unfailingly tight and muscular and even quite transcendent at times. This was by no means a by-the-numbers exercise, and I would gladly count it amongst those elite few "genre" books that reach for and indeed deserve literary laurels.

I just have to add that I'm incredibly impressed by the obvious depth of research that went into this book, particularly the huge swaths of dialogue that were written in "flash" (a sort of street argot that the "unsavory elements" of NYC use and whose origins reach back most to Cockney Rhyming Slang and other counterparts in the Old World). It was all done very believably and naturally, not like a body of scholarship stuffed into a corset of a novel--which is something I've encountered in other books with a wealth of research and true historical detail poured into them ... and yet even with that detail, those books remain dull, lifeless things. Not so, The Gods of Gotham. I look forward to the next Timothy Wilde installment, especially now that he will no longer be quite the innocent we immediately learned to love in this first outing. Well done, Lyndsay Faye, well done!(less)

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Jan 31, 2013 Oswego Public Library District added it

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

Fans of historical mysteries will love this compelling, richly detailed novel. In the early 1800s streets of New York, there is a serial killer and a newly-formed police force. The mystery itself is well done with surprising twists. What is especially great about this book though is its way of helping the reader understand New York in that time period. Includes issues of Irish immigration, extreme poverty, Catholic/Protestant wars, political scrambling, early medical practices, bribes and brothe...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Dave Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set in the midst of the Irish immigration and the emergence of the New York police force, Faye's novel is not so much an action thriller as it is historical perspective and murder mystery. In particular, it offers the perspective of Timothy Wilde, a complex man who finds himself plunged in to some unexpected relationships and circumstance. At the outset of the story, we meet Wilde in the aftermath of a fire and the onset of his new found career as a "copper star". Finding himself lost in the cou...more Set in the midst of the Irish immigration and the emergence of the New York police force, Faye's novel is not so much an action thriller as it is historical perspective and murder mystery. In particular, it offers the perspective of Timothy Wilde, a complex man who finds himself plunged in to some unexpected relationships and circumstance. At the outset of the story, we meet Wilde in the aftermath of a fire and the onset of his new found career as a "copper star". Finding himself lost in the course of life, a chance encounter with a little girl covered in blood begins to transform his outlook and focus as it moves the story in towards an mysterious murder case.

The book reads as a first person perspective, traveling the streets of the early New York landscape. It brings to life some the details of this 1800's landscape in a way that allows us to put ourselves in the shows of Wilde, while it also allows us to examine some of the more intriguing historical developments as an outside observer. The emotional core of the story stays grounded in the relationships that capture the moral framework of the far reaching political and religious wars between Catholic and Protestant voices. And what sets this political and religious battle in to local context is the archaic landscape of New York itself. It is out of this that Wilde's own transformation addresses questions of truth, God, love and loyalty.

As always, the historical realities that undergird this novel help lift it to another level. I found the exploration of the early development of the New York police fascinating, particularly in the tension that existed between the people of the street and the need for law enforcement. New York lagged behind other developed systems, but also played a massive role in the development of a particular linguistic approach and the flash dictionary. Another dynamic it also brings in is the character of the playright and the emergence of the theatre. It's a part of the historical landscape that can be prone to going completely unnoticed in the modern New York landscape, and Faye helps bring it alive for an audience today. (less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, listened-to

It's 1845 and New York city crackles with life, and the occasional fire. Bartender Timothy Wilde is saving up money so he can ask the woman of his dreams to marry him when an explosion in his neighborhood leaves him penniless and scarred. In need of new employment, Timothy finds himself a member of the copper stars, New York's first police department. Met with derision and hostility, the copper stars must try to maintain order in a city where racial and religious tensions are on the rise. The po...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Gods of Gotham is a mystery set in New York City in 1845. The potato famine in Ireland has led to an influx of Irish immigrants, and nativism is prevalent. New York City has just formed its first police force. The bodies of children have been discovered and it is up to the newly formed police force to investigate.

This book has a lot of things going for it. The writing is excellent. The author does a splendid job setting the story in the time period. It feels authentic and bursting with life...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Babette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Lyndsay Faye's book Dust and Shadow, I checked out this book. It is set in New York City in 1845, at the height of the Irish immigration and the establishment of New York's official police force. The characters and action are centered in the infamous Five Points area, the sixth ward. I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book as much as the story itself. It focuses on the discovery of the mutilated bodies of children and one 'copper star' who takes i...more

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Sep 29, 2012 LeAnn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical detective / mystery readers

I don't write reviews of genre novels generally, partly because I don't read many of them, mostly because it doesn't seem to be a worthwhile exercise. After all, I don't write spoilers, which leaves a very short review of how well the author met the requirements of the genre as I understand them. Lyndsay Faye's The Gods of Gotham, a historical detective novel, falls outside the usual genre expectations for a murder mystery. At one point, I realized that it reminded me of Caleb Carr's The Alienis...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Isabelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-gift, literary-mystery

I picked up Gods of Gotham on a bit of a whim, and I am so glad I did. The story is well crafted, the writing is high quality without being heavy, and the plot is creative and intriguing.

Timothy Wilde, a bartender in 1840s New York, is besotted with Mercy Underhill, and loses his chance to provide her with the life he's imagined when his savings go up in smoke in a fire. Somewhat persuaded and somewhat conned by his hedonistic and charismatic brother, he joins the "Copper Stars"- the early NYPD...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Randi Reisfeld rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm all over the history of New York City -- this book was billed as a cross between Gangs of New York and one of my all-time favorites, The Alienist. It was neither -- which isn't to say it wasn't interesting, just not what I expected and waaaay over-written (as in the descriptions of every-little-thing had my eyes rolling). The Gods of Gotham turns on the abduction and murder of orphans in the mid-1800s--many of whom wound up as prostitutes, here called "kinchin-mabs". It recounts the founding...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Booknblues rated it 4 of 5 stars

As anyone who has seen and remembers Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Mid 19th century New York City is a great setting. Lyndsay Faye takes full advantage of this in penning her mystery The Gods of Gotham.

Young bartender, Timothy Wilde is left disfigured and without a home and a job after a great fire. His brother, Val, a wheeler and dealer in the Democratic Party arranges a job for him in the newly formed New York Police Department in the sixth ward complete with copper star.
Things begin...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Aleeda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

I picked up Gods of Gotham after hearing an NPR review. This book strongly reminded me of Caleb Carr's The Alienist. If you like historical fiction, you will likely enjoy Gods of Gotham. It is 1845, and NYC is launching its police force. To some, it is a comfort; to others, it is a standing army, to be thwarted and repelled. Timothy Wilde, a newly appointed police officer and his brother Valentine, a fireman and Democratic party operator, are at the center of this story. Orphaned by a fire, they...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

The Gods of Ghotham, by Lyndsay Faye, a-minus, narrated by Steven Boyer, Produced by Penguin Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

It is 1845 New York City with its politics and diverse groups of immigrants. The city has just divested itself of a corrupt and ineffective attempt at a police force. A new force, with the men called “copper stars” and wearing stars, is being appointed. It is to be neutral, not tied to any political group and to include Americans from across the immigrant spectrum. Tim...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Diederik Desmet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(“the gangs of”) New York, 1845, de NYPD krijgt gestalte.
Een achtergrond voor de jonge schrijfster Lyndsay Faye om een historische thriller rond te creëren. En dat doet ze magistraal.
Wij Europeanen denken bij de USA meteen aan termen als “and justice for all” of “God bless America”. (“Gerechtigheid voor allen.” “God, zegen Amerika.”)
Termen die ook hun stempel drukken op dit boek, waar godsdienst en gerechtigheid een hoofdrol opeisen.
Als lezer treden wij in de voetsporen van Timothy Wilde die zij...more (“the gangs of”) New York, 1845, de NYPD krijgt gestalte.
Een achtergrond voor de jonge schrijfster Lyndsay Faye om een historische thriller rond te creëren. En dat doet ze magistraal.
Wij Europeanen denken bij de USA meteen aan termen als “and justice for all” of “God bless America”. (“Gerechtigheid voor allen.” “God, zegen Amerika.”)
Termen die ook hun stempel drukken op dit boek, waar godsdienst en gerechtigheid een hoofdrol opeisen.
Als lezer treden wij in de voetsporen van Timothy Wilde die zijn leven en toekomst letterlijk de lucht ziet invliegen. Getekend door zijn verleden treedt hij tegen zijn zin toe tot de NYPD.
Zeer snel komt Tim terecht in een spiraal van dramatische gebeurtenissen, die zich als een spinrag rondom hem hullen.
Naast Tim, maken we kennis met tal van inwoners uit alle lagen van de bevolking uit het New York anno 1845. Lindsay Faye schetst dit New York door de ogen en het opmerkingsvermogen van Tim en slaagt erin de lezer vanaf de eerste bladzijden mee in de tijd te nemen. Je ademt mee het verhaal.
Het grotendeels protestantse New York van de “Natives” is dan een stad die getekend wordt door de massale instroom van Ierse katholieken. Mislukte aardappelteelt in Ierland (bacterie of straffe Gods?) ligt hier aan de basis.
Inhoudelijk kan ik niet veel lossen, maar je hebt er onmiddellijk alle schijn van dat een seriemoordenaar toeslaat in deze “brandende” smeltkroes.
De titel “De Goden van Gotham” geeft het verhaal alvast richting. Als dit nog niet overtuigend zou zijn, kan ik je wel verklappen dat in het boek wordt aangehaald dat indien het God’s wil is dat ze verhongeren, wie zijn wij dan om de goddelijke gerechtigheid in de weg te staan?
Het verhaal en de personages worden door Lyndsay Faye heel mooi opgebouwd, en blijven ook in alle opzichten overeind. De plot en het einde van het boek vallen in een juiste plooi. Meteen de opstap naar een volgend ijzingwekkend avontuur. Op haar website lees je ook dat zij momenteel werkt aan een vervolg op deze Goden van Gotham.
In haar dankwoord dankt Lyndsay Faye uitdrukkelijk Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, voor zijn lessen in hoe heldenverhalen eruit dienen te zien. Je merkt duidelijk dat beiden zielsverwanten zijn.
Onze maatschappij dwingt ons nu eenmaal alles in vakjes in te delen. Het boek wordt aangeprezen als een historische thriller, wat het ook wel is, maar het verhaal bouwt eerder op als een detective en evolueert naar een thriller. Hiermee wil ik zeker geen afbreuk doen aan het boek.
Als een kritische noot toegestaan is, moet het me van het hart dat de eerste 20 tal bladzijden soms lijden onder een al te stroeve vertaling, en de vertaling in het algemeen me te Noord Nederlands overkomt als Vlaamse lezer. Maar in de wetenschap dat New York eigenlijk wel eens New Amsterdam had kunnen heten, kan het.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Aaron Arnold rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, history, read-in-2012

A murder mystery set in 1840s New York City, this is something of a cross between Caleb Carr's The Alienist in subject and Dennis Lehane's The Given Day in writing style. Its similarity the Lehane book put me off at first, partly because Faye had the exact same tendency that Lehane did to tell the reader how to feel about everything that was put in front of them. One of my least favorite writer's tics is when they decide that some object just has to serve as a convenient metaphor, and then nothi...more A murder mystery set in 1840s New York City, this is something of a cross between Caleb Carr's The Alienist in subject and Dennis Lehane's The Given Day in writing style. Its similarity the Lehane book put me off at first, partly because Faye had the exact same tendency that Lehane did to tell the reader how to feel about everything that was put in front of them. One of my least favorite writer's tics is when they decide that some object just has to serve as a convenient metaphor, and then nothing will stop them from spending a paragraph or a page pointlessly explaining that metaphor to the reader. So be on the lookout for things with dangerously suggestive "literary" qualities like sunsets, the main character's police badge, and the like, because you'll get a train of sentences following afterwards that tells you exactly what you're supposed to be feeling. There are also some eyebrow-raising points of characterization: the protagonist, a supposedly street-wise bartender by trade who was cruelly orphaned at a young age, is also somehow an accomplished charcoal sketch artist; additionally, the fact that he can speak the "flash" street lingo of the time gets relayed in a way straight out of the "Oh stewardess, I speak jive!" scene in Airplane!. However, those are minor complaints, and Faye overall does a really good job of portraying New York City as it was during those times. The main plot, which revolves around the murder of child prostitutes, gets tied into a lot of the political ferment of the times (nativists vs. Irish FOBs, Democrats vs. Whigs, party bosses vs. reformers, and the city's struggle to give itself a real police force as opposed to the mobs of hired gangs it had been using), in a way that's usually very informative without seeming overly didactic. No awkward info-dumps here! There's even a decent love story in there too. I confess that it didn't strike an extremely deep chord with me based on some of the stylistic tics, but overall it was well-written and should appeal to historical fiction fans.(less)

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May 27, 2012 Michele Weiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of the founding of the NYC police department in 1845 as told by Timothy Wilde, a native New Yorker who lost his parents in a fire and was subsequently raised by his older brother, Valentine. Timothy is a bartender with a crush on Mercy Underhill and a hatred for his brother. Val is a Democrat, a fireman, and a devotee of just about every drug known. When a fire ignites an explosion and his home and his nest egg were destroyed, Val nominates Timothy for a job as a roundsman in t...more

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May 16, 2012 Ann Collette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Because of the potato famine in the mid-1850's, waves upon waves of Irish immigrated to the US, where they were received with outright hatred. Around the same time, New York City was putting together its first police force. Two near-estranged brothers born in the city, Timothy and Valentine Wilde, become members of the force, with Val a captain and Tim what we'd now call a beat cop. Coming home one night, Tim discovers a blood soaked young girl, who turns out to be his first lead in a crime that...more

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May 09, 2012 Patricia Weenolsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Gods of Gotham, by Lindsay Faye, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2012.

Would you be willing to read a gripping new mystery about a field of murdered children if it were written in Czechoslovakian? How about Algonquin? Erdu? Well, maybe if one of these is your native language.

This was the only major problem I had with The Gods of Gotham, set in New York in 1845 and rife with the Irish language of the period. Indeed, there are so many old Irish words thrown in that the author supplies a dictionary — one...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

New York City in 1845 was a tumultuous place, filled with political upheaval and radicalism. When the Great Potato Famine struck Ireland and thousands of Irish Catholics washed upon the shores of Manhattan, religious turmoil was added to the already volatile city. In The Gods of Gotham, Lyndsay Faye transports readers to this riotous time and place. Timothy Wilde has been struggling for years, working as a bartender and saving his money in hopes of winning Mercy Underhill, the girl of his dreams...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Anne-Marie van den Bosch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Het begin voelde wat stroef aan, na op de eerste leesbladzijde een verkeerd jaartal gelezen te hebben volgden een heel aantal zinnen die niet natuurlijk aanvoelden(zit dat in de schrijfstijl of in de vertaling?). Met het verder lezen besloop mij steeds meer het gevoel van een stuk herbeleving van de film Gangs of New York: dit verhaal start in 1842 maar voornamelijk in 1863 enzo speelt.
Vanaf Hoofdstuk 4 vond ik het verhaal intrigerender, hele stukken achtereen gelezen. Hier en daar "sleept" het...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Felice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Once you make it past the late 1940’s-esque cover art---really. Can’t you see that image selling The Gods of Gotham movie starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Mitchum, Jennifer Jones, and Van Heflin. The Gods of Gotham…a world torn apart by burning passions! Anyway. As I was implying the cover art is aged at best but the contents? Much better than the cover would have you believe.

My guess is that The Gods of Gotham will most often be compared to The Alienist. Both books are cut from the same cloth...more Once you make it past the late 1940’s-esque cover art---really. Can’t you see that image selling The Gods of Gotham movie starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Mitchum, Jennifer Jones, and Van Heflin. The Gods of Gotham…a world torn apart by burning passions! Anyway. As I was implying the cover art is aged at best but the contents? Much better than the cover would have you believe.

My guess is that The Gods of Gotham will most often be compared to The Alienist. Both books are cut from the same cloth in that they are historical mysteries set in New York City and the crimes are gruesome. After that? The big difference is that The Gods of Gotham is not bogged down by the inclusion of historical figures in key roles in its storyline. Real people do make some cameo appearances but really they are passersby.

Set in 1845, Lyndsay Faye’s new novel is certified USDA Grade A historical mystery. It’s well plotted and well written. The story is wrapped around the founding of New York City’s first police department and your recruit Timothy Wilde. Wilde is a luckless fellow. At 27 he is unlucky in love, out of a job, out of money, scarred by the fire that burnt down his home and destroyed his looks and now has to accept a job with the police arranged for him by his shady brother. He is also Irish at a time when the immigrants of longer standing in NYC are spoiling for a fight against the latest influx of immigrants, the Irish Catholics. When Wilde stumbles upon an unsavory exploitation of children he also finds that he has a talent for investigation.

Wilde is a very enjoyable, alluringly damaged creation but it’s his brother Valentine that gets all the flash. He is a charming, self-absorbed, villainous drug addict who tries to keep his nicer instincts at bay. Mercy Underhill is Wilde’s unattainable love interest. She is a clergyman’s daughter who works for the benefit of the poor. These three will be the recurring characters as this novel develops into a series and Faye has done a terrific job with them.

There is a fourth main character in The Gods of Gotham. New York City. The entire apple. Lyndsay Faye has taken a cross section of 1845 NYC, squeezed every bit of research out of and rebuilt it for us to marvel at. The squalor, the language, the politics, the architecture and the people are laid out like an all you can eat buffet of delights so come prepared!(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye's is newly released novel today. And it's definitely one you want to get your hands on!

"On the night of August 21, 1845, one of the children escaped."

I was captured from that opening line - hook line and sinker. History and mystery combined is a sure bet for me and Faye did not disappoint.

1845 is a turning point in the history of New York City. Thousands of immigrants fleeing from the potato famine in Ireland settle in the city and the first formal police force...more

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“Hope, I've discovered, is a sad nuisance. Hope is a horse with a broken leg.” — 6 people liked it

“Nothing is as bad as it seems,' I thought with the last remnants of my dense optimism. It couldn't be. I'd already lost everything once, I'd been ten, and so had countless other people I knew, and they all picked up and kept going. Or they picked up and went in a slightly different direction.” — 2 people liked it

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