After the ending of this compelling crime story, listeners hear a conversation between the author and narrator Robb Moreira. Moreira was enthusiastically selected by the audiobook producers to portray police detective Al Sullivan, who narrates this story about a prominent industrialist who is murdered in San Francisco's posh Claremont Hotel in 1944. Moreira's Sullivan is competent, persistent, yet caring. Moreira animates characters as diverse as low-life thugs, the upper-class Bainbridge women, and even Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Tim Campbell and Suzanne Toren ably narrate the court deposition sequences. This audiobook is part hard-boiled detective story, part family saga, and wholly good listening! D.L.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
The Golden Gate: A Novel
Narrated by Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren, Tim Campbell
Amy ChuaUnabridged — 13 hours, 19 minutes
The Golden Gate: A Novel
Narrated by Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren, Tim Campbell
Amy ChuaUnabridged — 13 hours, 19 minutes
Overview
"Moreira displays his many years of dramatic training and extensive theatrical experience as he animates characters as diverse as low-life thugs, the upper-class Bainbridge women, and even Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Tim Campbell and Suzanne Toren ably narrate the court deposition sequences. This audiobook is part hard-boiled detective story, part family saga, and wholly good listening!"- AudioFile
Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.
In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan's investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years earlier: the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.
The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now adults: Iris's sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth-not the powerful influence of Bainbridges' grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley's district attorney, or the interest of China's First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings-Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.
Chua's riveting debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.
Editorial Reviews
07/03/2023
The thrilling fiction debut from Yale law professor Chua (World on Fire) anchors a mind-bending murder mystery in the social turbulence of 1944 Berkeley, Calif. A report of gunfire brings police detective Al Sullivan to room 604 of the luxurious Claremont hotel. Inside, he finds William Wilkinson, a rich industrialist with political aspirations, unharmed. Everything—save the bullet hole in the wall—seems perfectly normal. When a hotel employee tells Wilkinson, “We thought you’d been murdered,” he enigmatically replies, “I have been.” A few hours later, Wilkinson is, indeed, found dead, and Sullivan launches an official investigation. Early evidence points to the three beautiful granddaughters of wealthy socialite Genevieve Hopkins Bainbridge, whose youngest sister, Iris, happened to be murdered in the same hotel room a decade earlier. The story alternates between Genevieve’s deposition and detective Sullivan’s first-person narration, with sly, Rashomon-style changes in interpretation accompanying each shift in perspective. Chua seeds the novel with fascinating nuggets of California history and real-life figures, including Margaret Chung, the first Chinese woman to become a physician in the United States. The result is a richly satisfying historical mystery that draws on its setting for more than mere atmosphere. (Sept.)
A rich and satisfying stew.” –Seattle Times
"Historical details of San Francisco and California are weaved throughout the plot, enhancing the action…The Golden Gate is written as a vintage mystery that echoes Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler with a more modern sense of character development and action.” –South Florida Sun Sentinel
"The many threads of the plot as well as the author's concerns about race, class, and other matters come together in the cleverly imagined character and voice of her detective. Satisfyingly twisty, highly educational, and lots of fun.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A successful, compelling mash-up of California history, ghost story, family tale, and social commentary.” –Library Journal (starred review)
"A riveting mystery. . . Chua skillfully creates tension around Sullivan’s complex investigation, tempting red herrings, and thoughtful examination of war-time social divisions." –Booklist (starred review)
"Thrilling. . . mind bending . . . a richly satisfying historical mystery that draws on its setting for more than mere atmosphere." –Publishers Weekly
“A well-plotted and clever whodunit.” –Shelf Awareness
"Readers will be both entertained and enriched." –BookPage
“This saga—the story has as many twisting corridors as the hotel—allows Chua to dig deep into the privileges and invisible barriers at work in any haves-and-have-nots meeting, with memorable results.” –First Clue
“A riveting story which weaves bits and pieces of California history with a compelling plot and an intriguing lead character.” –Mystery Tribune
“Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.” –The Nerd Daily
“This is a fine historical mystery in a picturesque setting.” –Mystery & Suspense
“An epic, devastating, majestic mystery. The Golden Gate is clever, richly imagined and outright thrilling.” –Chris Whitaker
"All the elements I love in a mystery: A tough-guy homicide detective, an entrancing femme fatale, family secrets, a fabulous building in a beautiful city in a great time period, a touch of Agatha Christie, and a soupcon of Dashiell Hammett. And Amy Chua’s terrific writing provides the icing." —Lisa See
"A tough guy with room for gentleness… Detective Al Sullivan and his crew are a joy, introducing us to a Bay Area that is both intimately familiar and surprisingly new.” —Laurie R. King
★ 07/01/2023
DEBUT In 1930, seven-year-old Iris Stafford died in the Claremont Hotel, which she is now said to haunt. In 1931, Al Sullivan's Mexican father was "repatriated" to Mexico after the stock market crash, allegedly to free up jobs for Americans. By 1944, Iris's sister Izzy and her two Bainbridge cousins have grown into beauties, and Al has taken his mother's last name and risen to be a homicide detective with the Berkeley Police Department. They all come together at the Claremont when a presidential candidate is killed, and witnesses identify a woman who resembles one of the three Bainbridge cousins. The D.A. warns Mrs. Genevieve Bainbridge that he can charge all three of her granddaughters as co-conspirators if she doesn't identify the killer. But Al has his doubts. Everyone has suggestions for his case, including Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, who purportedly was involved with the murder victim. Al is warned of Communists, Japanese spies, and the Chinese, but, as the son of a Mexican father and an Okie mother, he has himself experienced prejudice and is determined to find the truth. VERDICT The historical mystery debut by Yale Law School professor Chua (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) is a successful, compelling mash-up of California history, ghost story, family tale, and social commentary.—Lesa Holstine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940178416808 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Macmillan Audio |
| Publication date: | 09/19/2023 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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