The Gate House (Hardcover)

~ Nelson DeMille (Author)
Key Phrases: homicide squad, hospice house, life tenancy, Anthony Bellarosa, Frank Bellarosa, Stanhope Hall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of bestseller DeMille will welcome this sequel to The Gold Coast (1990), in which Susan Sutter, then the wife of tax attorney John Sutter, had a torrid affair with Frank Bellarosa, a powerful Mafia boss and the Sutters' neighbor on Long Island's tony Gold Coast, with fatal results for Bellarosa. After divorcing Susan, John sailed the world for three years, then built himself a new life in London. Now John has returned to the small gatehouse that was once part of his ex-wife's family estate, only to find Bellarosa's thuggish son, Anthony, living next door. In another coincidence, Susan has just reacquired the six-bedroom guest cottage where she and John lived as a married couple on her family's former property. Susan and John soon begin to explore an improbable reconciliation, even as they suspect she may be in Anthony's gun sights. The plot more than takes its time getting to its violent and predictable resolution, but DeMille devotees should have plenty of fun along the way. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

In this long-awaited but ponderous sequel to The Gold Coast (1990), it is ten years later, and John Sutter has returned for the funeral of a woman who isn't dead yet. He's also looking to restart his life and possibly hook up with his ex-wife, Susan, who'd had an affair with a local Mafia don she later killed. Confounding the problem is the don's son, who has taken over the family business and wants vengeance against both John and Susan. While there are interesting characters, and Sutter's first-person observations are clever, it takes forever for the action to get going. Even an exciting climax doesn't help. DeMille has developed a reputation for fast-paced action thrillers, and this is neither. His name will guarantee a level of success, and those patrons who enjoyed reading about the lives of the rich and decadent in The Gold Coast will enjoy this sequel. The rest will hope DeMille's next effort is more compelling. For larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/08.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1St Edition edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446533424
• ISBN-13: 978-0446533423
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (317 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,871 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Gate House Is "Fast Out Of The Gate," Then Coasts Until The Last Twenty-Five Pages!, October 28, 2008

By	bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

If The Gate House was a race horse, I'd say it came out fast from the gate, pretty much coasted for the large part of the race, then put on the speed in the last couple of lengths. For this reader, The Gate House "placed" in the race but was not the big "winner." I've been a big fan, but with diminishing intensity, of Nelson DeMille since his first book, By The Rivers Of Babylon. Demille's The Gold Coast, to which The Gate House is the sequel, is one of my favorite books of his; and so, when I recently received an ARC of The Gate House I put it at the very top of my to-be-read list. Overall, I enjoyed The Gate House but not as much as The Gold Coast. I'd grade it a B-.The main reason being that with the exception of the last 25 pages of the 667 copy I read, little of any substance happens after the first 100 or so pages. In typical DeMille fashion, his character development is very strong -- particularly in regards to his main male character, John Sutter, whose sarcastic wit permeates throughout this book -- and his narrative ability is at the top of his game. However, after several hundred pages of appreciating these characteristics I was getting very impatient for some action and thrills to occur. I would have enjoyed The Gate House much more if it had 200-300 pages less fluff/filler. The Gate House, for me, is a classic example of the adage, "Less is more." Despite these limitations, if you're a fan of The Gold Coast you're going to want to read The Gate House, which takes place ten years later when Sutter has come home to the Gold Coast of Long Island to attend the funeral of an old family servant. I doubt if you're going to dislike The Gate House. As a matter of fact, you'll probably think it is pretty good. The purpose of my review is to urge you to not -- as I did -- expect a book as good as the one on which it is based.

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but definitely not DeMille's best, October 31, 2008

By	HeyJudy "heyjudy" (East Hampton, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I was so pleased to be able to read Nelson DeMille's latest novel that I didn't even wait for Amazon to it deliver to me, as is my wont. Instead, I rushed out to my neighborhood bookstore to buy an undiscounted copy on the day of publication.

First, let me state that DeMille is my favorite novelist, which may be obvious from reading the paragraph above. Therefore, it is possible that I hold him to a higher standard than I do other writers. Either way, THE GATE HOUSE is a good book. It's just not a great book, though I think that most authors would be pleased to craft anything as worthwhile as this. DeMille, however, may be a victim of his own success, because THE GATE HOUSE simply is not up to the bar he set himself.

John Corey, his protagonist in a quartet of books, is a wiseguy (not the Mafia kind) who is lovable in spite of his big mouth. John Whitman Sutter, the protagonist of THE GATE HOUSE, merely seems like a self-impressed, condescending jerk. I did read and like THE GOLD COAST, which also was about John Sutter, but I don't remember having such a negative reaction then to this character.

In THE GATE HOUSE, DeMille blends some of his favorite themes, including Long Island, the Mafia and the Muslim terrorists. The only thing missing is Russian oligarchs; having read and admired THE CHARM SCHOOL, I suspect that he is saving them for his next novel.

The novel is well-structured and never seems strained, as happens with many thrillers. At the same time, Sutter and his wife, Susan Stanhope Sutter, are so unsympathetic that it is hard to become engaged in their problems. It is difficult to care about them, it is difficult to like them.

In addition, a few plot points are a bit pat. Why did Sutter's former in-laws always hate him with such intensity? By the standards of these characters, he seems an ideal consort for their daughter. And the resumption of feelings between the former spouses also seems too fast to be realistic.

As for the "Gold Coast," Long Island's North Shore, I grew up near there myself (but light years away in terms of affluence) and DeMille does an excellent job of conveying a sense of the place. Dominick Dunne, however, does it better. With the exception of perhaps Palm Beach in the United States and certain royal palaces in Britain and Europe, there are few other communities where the occupants retain the expectations and entitlements of those remaining old-money families of the Gold Coast.

DeMille also makes good work of the region's fascination with the Mafia. He explores this fascination meaningfully, and his descriptions definitely feel authentic.

As for the terrorists, this subplot turns out to be insignificant yet, ultimately, important in advancing the story.

There are a couple of oddities. DeMille gives a retired Mafia lawyer the exact same name as am important Federal judge in New York; it does not appear, from the acknowledgments at the back of the book, that this was done intentionally, as a compliment. And he gives the Mafia Don's limousine company the same name as a car service/ limo company that has been a presence in New York for decades. Just seems sloppy, when one thinks about it....

In fairness, the whole story all works. The plot is intricate, careful and plausible. Maybe it was nothing more, nothing less, than unsympathetic characters, but I was not engrossed by THE GATE HOUSE. By the end of the book, I did not care about the outcome, one way or another. And this never before has happened to me with a DeMille novel, and it is why I found THE GATE HOUSE a disappointing read.

63 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Give us a break, November 9, 2008

By	Meredith Bradbury (Malvern, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nelson, Nelson, Nelson...get an editor, man. And then get a plot. And then find yourself a nice quiet place where you can write undisturbed and undistracted. I've always thought Nelson DeMille was an uneven writer. I've loved some of his books, or parts of them, and barely tolerated others. But this mess was unreadable. I got through 150 pages and thought, "what am I doing with this time-waster?" The main character was insufferable and obnoxious. The scenes dragged on interminably. It took him 6 or 7 pages to get out of the old lady's bedroom from right when he was on the verge of leaving. And then he gives her a kiss! But I thought he hated her. Let's not even talk about the scenes with the Mafia Don's Son, Anthony. Just so much could have been cut here to make the book tighter and more interesting. No, I mean it, Nelson. Get away by yourself where you can think and then hire an excellent editor to help you craft your story. Then we'll see.