JULY 2019 - AudioFile
Bailey Carr narrates this audiobook—part fantasy, part mystery— admirably. Gilda Carr is an investigator who specializes in solving “tiny mysteries.” But this time she finds herself involved in a far bigger situation as her search for a missing glove leads to clues about a murder and the dark nature of the Westside. Set in 1921, Akers’s story has a gritty quality. Carr delivers the dialogue well, although her male voices are not always convincingly male. But thanks to a riveting plot and clever dialogue, the audiobook succeeds overall. Listeners will appreciate Carr’s style, which is most convincing as the story reaches its conclusion. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
The Alienist meets The City & The City in this brilliant debut that mixes fantasy and mystery. Gilda Carr’s ‘tiny mysteries’ pack a giant punch.” — David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder As a Fine Art
“[In] W.M. Akers’s superb debut,“Westside,”…his research is excellent…his prose sharply crystalline.” — New York Times
“A fascinating, delightfully twisty mystery. Westside crosses prohibition-era New York with the dark strangeness of Neverwhere. Fierce young detective Gilda Carr makes you believe that small mysteries hold the answers to everything.” — Erika Swyler, bestselling author of The Book of Speculation and Light from Other Stars
“Akers’ debut novel is an addictively readable fusion of mystery, dark fantasy, alternate history, and existential horror...It’s like a literary shot of Prohibition-era rotgut moonshine—bracing, quite possibly hallucination-inducing, and unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before...The illegitimate love child of Algernon Blackwood and Raymond Chandler.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A cast of meticulously developed and memorable characters as well as strong worldbuilding and atmospherics…Fans of genre-bending fiction will relish this inventive mix of mystery and the paranormal.” — Publishers Weekly
“Full of action and colorful characters, this genre mash-up is expertly done and will be enjoyed by fans of mysteries and fantasy alike.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Akers’ hugely enjoyable debut marries inventive alt-history with truly strange magic and a protagonist you won’t soon forget.” — B&N Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog
New York Times
[In] W.M. Akers’s superb debut,“Westside,”…his research is excellent…his prose sharply crystalline.”
Erika Swyler
A fascinating, delightfully twisty mystery. Westside crosses prohibition-era New York with the dark strangeness of Neverwhere. Fierce young detective Gilda Carr makes you believe that small mysteries hold the answers to everything.
David Morrell
The Alienist meets The City & The City in this brilliant debut that mixes fantasy and mystery. Gilda Carr’s ‘tiny mysteries’ pack a giant punch.”
Booklist (starred review)
Full of action and colorful characters, this genre mash-up is expertly done and will be enjoyed by fans of mysteries and fantasy alike.
B&N Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog
Akers’ hugely enjoyable debut marries inventive alt-history with truly strange magic and a protagonist you won’t soon forget.
Booklist (starred review)
Full of action and colorful characters, this genre mash-up is expertly done and will be enjoyed by fans of mysteries and fantasy alike.
B&N Sci Fi &Fantasy Blog
Akers’ hugely enjoyable debut marries inventive alt-history with truly strange magic and a protagonist you won’t soon forget.
JULY 2019 - AudioFile
Bailey Carr narrates this audiobook—part fantasy, part mystery— admirably. Gilda Carr is an investigator who specializes in solving “tiny mysteries.” But this time she finds herself involved in a far bigger situation as her search for a missing glove leads to clues about a murder and the dark nature of the Westside. Set in 1921, Akers’s story has a gritty quality. Carr delivers the dialogue well, although her male voices are not always convincingly male. But thanks to a riveting plot and clever dialogue, the audiobook succeeds overall. Listeners will appreciate Carr’s style, which is most convincing as the story reaches its conclusion. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine