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Leah Erickson

Blythe of the Gates Paperback – September 6, 2018

by Leah Erickson (Author)

24 ratings

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Can the gates of perception be bypassed?

A rash love affair with a member of the Irish Mafia catapults Luna Mulkerrins into scandal, murder, scorn and decadent friendships in Ragtime Manhattan. Escaping from the blaze of publicity, a new Luna emerges: Blythe of the Seven Gates. Her meteoric rise as a magician leads to fame, vaudeville, silent movies and the notoriety of a damaging court case. Can Luna reclaim her reputation and reinvent herself as an independent woman of the time?

From Leah Erickson, author of The Brambles, winner of the Crime Fiction award from the IPA.

Print length

322 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 6, 2018
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.73 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1944077367
ISBN-13

978-1944077365
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Product details

Publisher : Rebel ePublishers (September 6, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 322 pages
ISBN-10 : 1944077367
ISBN-13 : 978-1944077365
Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.73 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #8,556,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,732 in Organized Crime Thrillers
- #26,932 in Historical Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
24 ratings

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5 star		53%
4 star		36%
3 star		3%
2 star		7%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Paige Redwine

Mystery meets 1900s

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2019

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The story is set in 1911 Ireland and will take you back in time with its detailed descriptions. I enjoyed this historical fiction and liked how interesting the characters were and developed throughout the novel. It’s not just historical, but can also be considered as a romance novel due to the extra-marital affair that takes place causing the main character to leave town. I loved that the author added magic to the book with a magician that has a lot of growth as the book goes on from ordinary to exceptional. He is part of the romance as the main character is his future wife. Between the affair and the magic, you can’t help but stay engaged. A murder happens that creates more mystery and keeps you from putting the book down because you want to know how things will turn out. Overall, I thought this was a really good book and is definitely something I will read again.

6 people found this helpful

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Winston J. Phillips

An engaging read....

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2019

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Blythe of the Gates by Leah Erickson features Luna, a young migrant from Ireland with her sisters. After some confusing months living with her aunt and cousins in Hell’s Kitchen, she becomes a seamstress. Two months after meeting a man comes up to her table, they are married and she enters the world of magic and Jack Friday, aka Cosmo the Incomparable. The marriage is abusive - the man was “cruel and capricious”, and prone to bruise-inducing physical attacks. Cosmo made her his assistant at the Beaumont Theatre, for her a frightening prospect.
Jack had had a troubled young life, abandoned as a baby and placed with a farming family. He was not happy and ran away with a circus. He is bent on making something of his life and is attracted to Cezar the Great, a solitary magician with a great draw, and perhaps also to his hidden box rumored to have magic secrets and to give power to its holder. As Cezar’s apprentice, Jack kills Cezar, and runs away with the box becoming Cosmo the Incomparable.
Luna salves the pains of her marriage with her lover, Sean, a rough, tough Irishman equally impulsive in his thoughts and actions. To him, Luna was “me girl”. Sean and her cousins were part of an Irish Gang called the White Hand Gang. Sean is quite vocal in his dislike for Cosmo. Uninvited, he shows up at a birthday dinner for Luna and in a tense confrontation with Cosmo, Sean fatally shoots him ... and a cuckold story is all over the press and news.
Sean is in prison, pending a pre-trial hearing the associated scandal of which threatens Luna’s gained social and economic advancement. She pulls herself together, and determines - to face the newspaper reporters, camera-flashing, the embarrassment of a scandal - and to reopen the show. Sean boldly declares his love in letters delivered by cousin James, who also guards, and provides other support from behind the scenes. Suddenly, professional people are supporting Luna and the show becomes a huge hit with Blythe of the Gates (her magician name). Th story tapers from this point. Her answers at the hearing are not enthusiastically supportive; solid, but at times showing she herself had questions about him. Shawn is dismissed, though the stories and inferences continue.
I found this to be a wonderful story pursuing the life and fortune of an immigrant woman. The historical bent is well drawn as well as the life portraying it. Here is a life filled with magicians, a magic box, and magic, but also with the happenings of the day – murder; mobs; poor marriages and affairs; freedom and determined self-development; family relationships; and love. I was impressed with the intensity of Sean’s letters, and appreciated their genuineness more because of his willingness not to keep her ‘trapped’ in his world. I really thought that she would be in serious trouble with Sean.
The theme of the magic box was light, and becoming that which you wished to relate to. I find it interesting the advice given to Luna that to deal with her enemies (including herself), she should “try to remove yourself emotionally and see everything from a state of neutrality.” She finds this useful at the hearing. And check her cousins James’ wisdom: “Sometimes our … roots, our destinies get mixed up with other people’s” … “Ya moment may be over, but it keeps, sort of, vibrating, don't it?”
The book is very well written, and underneath that lies a sense of nurturing, as the author takes the main character through her journey. There are no sharp edges or startling directions; if anything, there was a bit of a drop at the end that challenged my wondering if there would be a repetition (James vs Jacob); or a book series. Surely there is more life to Luna who could by then “imagine[d] that she was sure of herself, and her talents, and her ability to make the audience fall in love with her”.

4 people found this helpful

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Stephen R. Wilson

Read it with no expectations

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019

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“Blythe of the Gates” is a very interesting read. My suggestion is to go into it with no expectations. Don’t think that it’s going to fit a certain genre or be like the other books you’ve read this year. The art of this book is that it’s different.

Besides the plot, Leah Erickson herself has a very unique, fresh writing style. It’s such a joy to read – with her mesmerizing narrative, natural dialogue, and realistic characters – that I enjoyed reading it without knowing where the story was going. It’s also a fairly short novel, so you won’t need to wait long to reach the satisfying end.

I always enjoy a historical setting and a female protagonist. They give me a different perspective from what I experience every day. In some ways, the mix of historical with the paranormal reminded me of the movie, “The Shape of Water.”

2 people found this helpful

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Rachel K

A Thrilling Read

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019

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Author Leah Erickson takes the reader on a journey to 1911. Luna Mulkerrins is currently in the middle of an affair with a member of a dangerous Mafia group while also trying to manage her career as a magician. Eventually, Luna starts to gain fame for her work which leads to her starring in silent movies and other prominent things. However, she soon finds herself in the middle of a life-changing court case that could not only ruin her career, but her life.
Erickson writes with a stunning style that will leave you captivated by both the plot and the many well-developed characters. This historical thriller contains many twists and turns which will leave you quickly turning through the pages to learn what happens next. While the book is somewhat long (323 pages), it’s definitely worth investing time into. If you enjoy history and suspense, you’ll want to check this book out.

One person found this helpful

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Nicki

Magic, Romance, and Scandal

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2019

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Blythe of the Gates is a book about magic, romance, and scandal. The scene is set in the early twentieth century and the modernity of the world is seen in the heroine's wonder of the horseless car. Luna comes to America to live the American dream. A hurried marriage followed by an extra-marital affair and a scandal forces her to move to another town. However, her family and previous life's event continues to haunt her even as she makes a name for herself in the city of opportunities. Amidst all the turmoil, there is magic at her side- magic which acts as her friend and which thrills her and makes her powerful and prominent. It can be said that magic is the real protagonist of the story. Its presence is always felt- when The Magician wooes his future wife. The Magician's transformation from an ordinary boy to his present glory, and later the heroine's rise to success. In fact, the book is also at its peak of enticement when dealing with magic- the way the Magician gives flowers to his wife- only to have those flowers sprinkle over the audience.
There is some darkness in the book, but the story is magical and interesting.

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Blythe of the Gates Paperback – September 6, 2018

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