From a unique new talent comes a fast-paced debut, introducing a heroine whose dark visions bring to light secrets that will heal or destroy those around her . . .
When New York journalist and recently bereaved mother Charlotte “Charlie” Cates begins to experience vivid dreams about children she’s sure that she’s lost her mind. Yet these are not the nightmares of a grieving parent, she soon realizes. They are messages and warnings that will help Charlie and the children she sees, if only she can make sense of them.
After a little boy in a boat appears in Charlie’s dreams asking for her help, Charlie finds herself entangled in a thirty-year-old missing-child case that has never ceased to haunt Louisiana’s prestigious Deveau family. Armed with an invitation to Evangeline, the family’s sprawling estate, Charlie heads south, where new friendships and an unlikely romance bring healing. But as she uncovers long-buried secrets of love, money, betrayal, and murder, the facts begin to implicate those she most wants to trust—and her visions reveal an evil closer than she could’ve imagined.A Southern Gothic mystery debut that combines literary suspense and romance with a mystical twist, THE GATES OF EVANGELINE is a story that readers of Gillian Flynn, Kate Atkinson, and Alice Sebold won't be able to put down.
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
When New York journalist and recently bereaved mother Charlotte “Charlie” Cates begins to experience vivid dreams about children she’s sure that she’s lost her mind. Yet these are not the nightmares of a grieving parent, she soon realizes. They are messages and warnings that will help Charlie and the children she sees, if only she can make sense of them.
After a little boy in a boat appears in Charlie’s dreams asking for her help, Charlie finds herself entangled in a thirty-year-old missing-child case that has never ceased to haunt Louisiana’s prestigious Deveau family. Armed with an invitation to Evangeline, the family’s sprawling estate, Charlie heads south, where new friendships and an unlikely romance bring healing. But as she uncovers long-buried secrets of love, money, betrayal, and murder, the facts begin to implicate those she most wants to trust—and her visions reveal an evil closer than she could’ve imagined.A Southern Gothic mystery debut that combines literary suspense and romance with a mystical twist, THE GATES OF EVANGELINE is a story that readers of Gillian Flynn, Kate Atkinson, and Alice Sebold won't be able to put down.
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
The Gates of Evangeline was such an unexpected surprise of a
book! I loved the story as well as the subplots involving Charlie dealing with
the grief of losing her young son. I believe this is the author’s debut and I
am incredibly impressed by her storytelling abilities.
I have read several works of fiction about the grief of a
parent after losing a child. I have to say this book is one of the most moving
that I have ever read. The author did a great job of Charlie conveying the many
emotions of a woman in the throes of unimaginable grief. I liked that the book
was not only about Charlie solving a decades old mystery, but also her
struggles to move on after her son’s death.
The secondary characters were intriguing and I liked
learning about the scandals of the Deveau family. Also, there is a touch of
romance, but it didn’t overpower the story.
The mystery was intriguing and I liked the paranormal angle.
I loved the eerie vibe while reading and I enjoyed the setting of an older
southern mansion. The book is more spooky than scary with the pacing on the
slower side. I liked the buildup though and I felt like the climax really
delivered.
The Gates of Evangeline a terrific book that will appeal to
fans of Southern Gothic novels.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy for review!
