Strangers' Gate [Hardcover]

Tom Casey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

Pilot and adventurer, Jason Walker follows his bliss--into the sensuous arms of sultry Charlotte Lansing. Unfortunately, Charlotte's husband, Alan, is a Wall Street raider, a drug-lord money-launderer and a particularly perverse pornographer. Marked for murder, Jason and Charlotte are in the race of their lives. After them are Alan and his psychopathic team of drug-lord hitmen. His hot pursuit will hurtle them through the tropical bars, torrid beaches and palatial villas of the Caribbean, as they flee by land, sea and air.
But no one can run forever . . .
A novel of brutal violence, blood-vengeance and stunning sensuality, Strangers' Gate pays homage to such noir classics as James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, Robert Stone's Dog Soldiers and Elmore Leonard's Glitz. At once lyrically poetic, electrifyingly erotic and relentlessly riveting, Strangers' Gate nonetheless pulsates with a voice all its own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this lyrical novel of love, violence and drug-fueled treachery from Casey (Human Error), pilot Jason Walker cashes out of his job as a dot-com executive shortly before his marriage goes up in flames, partly because he's had an affair with beautiful Charlotte Lansing. Charlotte's husband, Alan, a shady Wall Street investment banker, may or may not know about the affair, but it's clear from the start he's out to get Jason. Jason relocates to St. Croix and a new job flying airboat charters. Life is good until Charlotte arrives with Alan, who's now into money laundering, pornography and drug running. She's trying to escape her marriage, but when Jason attempts to help, he's shanghaied into a drug scheme that's a one-way ticket to a watery grave. Only guts, quick thinking and some fancy flying save the day. As Norman Mailer's blurb suggests, readers should have no fear of being bored by the flying stuff. Casey, himself a veteran pilot, is too good both in the cockpit and at the keyboard to lose control of this exciting thriller. (June)
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Review

"From the brilliance of the opening chapter, one is aware of a writer with an exceptional point of view. I know of no other American novel where the protagonist is an accomplished pilot who can also write the story with his own fair share of winged prose."--Norman Mailer on Strangers' Gate

"A tropical noir odyssey into the limits of love and hate. Taut, lyrical writing perfectly frames a man's quest for meaning that takes a sharp and sudden detour into treachery.."--Carole Nelson Douglas, Award-winning and bestselling author of Femme Fatale and Cat in an Orange Twist on Strangers' Gate

"Strangers' Gate is a wonder to behold--vicious villains, scorching femme fatales, gorgeous tropical settings, a pilot-adventurer lost on a hero's quest."--Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author of Tyrannosaur Canyon

"Tom Casey is a pilot's pilot and a writer's writer. This fast paced story rockets you from one bed to another as it builds to a climactic and bloody finish. Fascinatingly flawed human characters abound, and the enigmatic title Stranger's Gate is all too clear at the finish."--Walter J. Boyne, New York Times bestselling author of Trophy for Eagles and Roaring Thunder

"This Casey can write! He's got a straight-forward, no-nonsense style where every word works hard to hammer home some of the uncomfortable realities we should face and try too often to ignore. His writing is so perceptive that you can almost think the same thoughts as the characters"--Lewis Perdue, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of God on Strangers' Gate

"Strangers' Gate is the best noir thriller since James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. Casey is a star of the first magnitude."--David Hagberg, winner of the American Book Award, three American Mystery Awards, and the USA Today bestselling author of Soldier of God

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765311909
• ISBN-13: 978-0765311900
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,425,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Casey is a native of New York City. He grew up in the small Sound Shore community of Rye, not far from Manhattan, where sailing was an early enthusiasm. Boats soon led to planes. The author learned to fly in his teens and made a career of travel and aviation as he sharpened his skills as a writer. "Flying jets was a fortunate day job for a novelist. I retired as a B777 captain in 2008, after 30 years with American Airlines."

Mr. Casey writes in a signature lyrical style. After reading STRANGERS'GATE, Norman Mailer wrote of him, "From the brilliance of the opening chapter, one is aware of a writer with an exceptional point of view...who can write the story with his own fair share of winged prose."

The author says, "I'm a constant reader. My interest in writing evolved organically from a love of literature. I was fortunate to see my first novel, HUMAN ERROR, receive attention and plaudits from writers I admire. My second novel, STRANGERS' GATE, got similar notice and was optioned for film."

When asked about the discipline required to manage two careers, he grins and says, "Talent carries a fierce mandate for hard work no matter what you do. On a basic level flying is a great thrill tied to sex, but writing has an element of obligation in its satisfactions. These things drive you. Art expresses the secular spirit of the human experience in its essence. The sublime -- and we know it when we see it -- is the mating of beauty with terror. It's therefore not so difficult to understand how, as Amelia Earhart said, the love of flight is the love of beauty. I've known that love, and been enthralled with its sublimities, it is what I write about."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of potential in this author, December 9, 2006

By 

Adam Craig (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Strangers' Gate (Hardcover)

Strangers' Gate is a different novel than what the jacket description might tell you. Sure there are villains and edge-of-your-seat suspense near the end of the novel, but the main point of this novel, I felt, was not to create just another action-thriller. The book is only about 250 pages long, and the first 200 are really a character study of the main character. Those first 200 pages are spent mostly following the main character along as he tries to figure out his life.

The main character is Jason Walker, a pilot who is currently going through a tough divorce. Jason moves down to St. Croix to take a job flying airboats on a charter basis to other islands in the area. While there, Jason is trying to understand his life. The one thing he knows is that flying planes is his one true peace in life, but that is about it. He's not sure how he feels about his divorce, and when an old flame reappears in his life, he thinks its a good thing, but it turns out to be the gateway for much worse things to start happening to him.

My advice to readers: don't read the jacket description of the novel. Trust me when I say that the novel is enjoyable for what it is, not what the jacket says. Plus, the jacket description basically gives away what is going to happen in the last parts of the novel. If I hadn't read the jacket description, I would have had no idea of where the book was going, and it would have been that much more shocking than what it was.

Tom Casey has obvious skill as a writer. Being a former pilot, the way he writes about flying is beautiful, and you can tell that the author loves flying just as much as the main character does. Also, Casey shows some brilliance in the dialog area. Conversations between the characters are deep and meaningful, and even when the subject matter seems to roam from the main point of the novel, I was still enjoying what I was reading. Some characters are shallow, yes, but those characters are offset by the more important, developed characters that you grow to identify with. I really think that Tom Casey could be an amazing writer. Once the tension kicked in in the novel, it was really intense and well-written. I think that if Casey would write a 400-500 page novel to take the time to develop a better plot, the rewards for us readers would be infinite.

One thing is for sure: I'll be right there for Tom Casey's next novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable, February 9, 2007

By 

Michael Harano "sparky309" (San Clemente, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strangers' Gate (Hardcover)

Very well written book, good plot, and very enjoyable. Combines both the introspection of the main character's past life with drug smuggling, murder, and eventually his future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down!!, August 7, 2006

By 

Avid Reader "Drew" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strangers' Gate (Hardcover)

An action thriller brought to the reader in a refreshing and unique style, combined with sex, travel, mystery, and adventure. I could not put this book down ~ a must read! I am on the edge of my seat, awaiting Tom Casey's next book.