Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer

April 11th, 2019 Kimberly Review 20 Comments

11th Apr
Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer
Ghosts of Gotham
by Craig Schaefer
Narrator: Susannah Jones
Length: 14 hours and 35 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne FlameHalf a Flame
Narration: 3.5 cups Speed: 1.3x

Irresistibly drawn to mysteries, if only to debunk them, reporter Lionel Page exposes supernatural frauds, swindlers, and charlatans. His latest case is an obsession—at least for an ancient and wealthy heiress: verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City’s literary underworld. But the shrewd Regina Dunkle offers more than money. It’s a pact. Fulfill her request, and Lionel’s own notorious buried past, one he’s been running from since he was a child, will remain hidden.

As Lionel’s quest begins, so do the warnings. And where rare books go, murder follows. It’s only when Lionel meets enigmatic stranger Madison Hannah, his personal usher into the city’s secret history, that he realizes he’s being guided by a force more powerful than logic…and that he isn’t just following a story. He is the story.

Now that the true purpose of his mission is revealing itself in the most terrifying ways, it may finally be time for Lionel to believe in the unbelievable

SUSPENSE mystery Mythology

It’s no secret, I’ve been craving all thing urban fantasy lately and decided to try Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer, narrated by Susannah Jones. Quests, secrets and witches await you in this addictive tale.

We meet Lionel Page, a Chicago reporter who exposes supernatural frauds, swindlers, and charlatans. He has made quite a name for himself.

When a story from his past threatens his livelihood, he accepts a quest from Regina Dunkle to verify the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript circulating through New York City. In exchange she promises to make his problem go away. Ah, Lionel we all know how that goes. The tale that unfolds introduces mythology, supernatural elements and paranormal creatures.

Schaefer surprised me left and right. When Reginia sends the enigmatic Madison Hannah unbeknownst by the players on the same quest. It had me itching for answers. Then I was surprised and delighted by the discovery of witches and powerful entities as we shot further down the rabbit hole.

Fans of quests, suspense, quick-witted players and fate will delight in the tale that unfolds. I loved the tunnels, hexes, snarky characters and interaction with supernatural creatures who dwell in the underbelly of New York City. This had a gritty flair to it with the mystery, but also dabbled in gods, between worlds and more.

The characters see growth as a relationship develops first from a survival aspect until it evolves into something more. It felt genuine and I enjoyed their interactions. The author gave the characters depth, exposed their scars and allowed us to witness their strengths.

The overall story wrapped up nicely solving several mysteries and giving our couple an HEA. While this is a standalone, it did leave an opening for additional books.

While I would have chosen a male narrator based on the protagonist, I felt narrator Susannah Jones did a nice job of delivering the story. She managed to give characters their own voice while provided a nicely paced listen.

Ghosts of Gotham is perfect for fans of urban fantasy, suspense, witches and supernatural realms. In addition to Audible and CD format, the title is available in KU and paperback.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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20 Responses to “Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer”

  3. Olivia Roach

    It sounds like this one was a good combination of the supernatural and mythological with crime and mystery! I like that the characters were able to surprise you so that you were kept engaged all the way through. I would’ve also chosen a male narrator from the sound of things here too.

    Olivia Roach recently posted: March Wrap Up! [2019]

  6. Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

    Ghosts of Gotham sounds like a fun read Kim! I love that it had witches and hexes in it, because I’ve been on a witch book hunt lately! I like that there are a variety of supernatural type characters. I love that the characters had depth and your couple got their HEA! Great Review Kim!

  8. Ethan

    I’ve always wanted to read more fantasy, but struggle to get invested in all of the world building. The combination of supernatural elements with a mystery really appeals to me as something that could help broaden my reading habits.

    Ethan recently posted: Friday Flicks: Pet Sematary (2019)

    • Kimberly

      Urban Fantasy is a lot different Ethan. The world is familiar and unlike fantasy or high fantasy where the world is unfamiliar to us.

  14. Heidi

    This sounds fun and different. I don’t like though that a male narrator wasn’t used. What is up with that??

  15. Carla

    Nice review Kimberly. I read this title and figured it had something to do with Batman having Gotham in the title. ?