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mdodds11's review against another edition
4.0
Finally...I book that I didn't fully guess the outcome!
kris10coopah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lilmisssouthernyn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
3catsinatrenchcoat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
athenany's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe how quickly I read this book. It is great: suspenseful, sad, creepy, romantic... even some humor. A little bit of everything. Highly recommended.
ljstrain28's review against another edition
Another random choice from an airport, but so glad I snagged it. Really enjoyed it and excited to see there are more!
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young is a spine-tingling mystery with supernatural elements. This captivating thriller stars Charlotte "Charlie" Cates, a grieving mother whose chilling dreams compel her to accept a writing assignment about the unsolved abduction of a young boy thirty years earlier. Traveling to a remote southern plantation in the swamps of Louisiana, Charlie works with Remy Minot, a detective in the sheriff's office, while gathering information about the cold case. She is quickly immersed in the perplexing case but her life is endangered when she uncovers long buried family secrets that someone is willing to go to any lengths to keep from being revealed.
Months after her son's tragic death, Charlie knows there is no going back to her old life so she is intrigued by a job offer from her old editor, Isaac Cohen. After their initial meeting, she is on the verge turning down the assignment until Gabriel Deveau, the missing boy, visits her in a dream pleading for help. With the Deveau family agreeing to co-operate with her, Charlie temporarily moves to the plantation, Evangeline, on a fact finding mission. There, she meets with family matriarch, Hettie, who is in the final stages of terminal cancer and Gabriel's siblings, Sydney, Brigette and Andre. Although they prove less than helpful, Charlie continues poking around in the family's past hoping to uncover clues that will answer the haunting question of what happened to Gabriel.
Charlie is a well developed, sympathetic character. She is a bit of a loner and after her son Keegan's death, she retreats even further into herself as she mourns his loss. Immersing herself in the mystery of what happened to Gabriel is the first step in moving on from his death and the distance from her old life provides her with some much needed clarity about what comes next for her.
Charlie's investigation is hindered by a lack of co-operation from the Deveau family but a surprising connection to Detective Minot gives her access to old and new evidence in the case. Her psychic dreams continue and while she and Minot discover new information, they end up with more questions than answers. Some of these clues are easy to figure out (although Charlie is sometimes a little slow to catch on) but there are quite a few shocking plot twists that are completely unexpected and impossible to predict.
There is also a slight romantic element to the storyline when Charlie meets Hettie's landscaper, Noah. Her interest in Noah is piqued when she discovers he is the grandson of Gabriel's nanny. They quickly indulge in a bit of no strings fling but Charlie soon grows a little apprehensive of him when a routine background check turns up startling information. Her misgivings deepen when new information emerges and Charlie grows suspicious of Noah's possible involvement in a troubling incident.
Gates of Evangeline is well written debut novel with an intriguing storyline and an appealing cast of characters. An eerie tale that combines supernatural elements with a good old-fashioned mystery and a lovely romance, this first installment in Hester Young's Charlie Cates Trilogy is a riveting story that I highly recommend.
The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young is a spine-tingling mystery with supernatural elements. This captivating thriller stars Charlotte "Charlie" Cates, a grieving mother whose chilling dreams compel her to accept a writing assignment about the unsolved abduction of a young boy thirty years earlier. Traveling to a remote southern plantation in the swamps of Louisiana, Charlie works with Remy Minot, a detective in the sheriff's office, while gathering information about the cold case. She is quickly immersed in the perplexing case but her life is endangered when she uncovers long buried family secrets that someone is willing to go to any lengths to keep from being revealed.
Months after her son's tragic death, Charlie knows there is no going back to her old life so she is intrigued by a job offer from her old editor, Isaac Cohen. After their initial meeting, she is on the verge turning down the assignment until Gabriel Deveau, the missing boy, visits her in a dream pleading for help. With the Deveau family agreeing to co-operate with her, Charlie temporarily moves to the plantation, Evangeline, on a fact finding mission. There, she meets with family matriarch, Hettie, who is in the final stages of terminal cancer and Gabriel's siblings, Sydney, Brigette and Andre. Although they prove less than helpful, Charlie continues poking around in the family's past hoping to uncover clues that will answer the haunting question of what happened to Gabriel.
Charlie is a well developed, sympathetic character. She is a bit of a loner and after her son Keegan's death, she retreats even further into herself as she mourns his loss. Immersing herself in the mystery of what happened to Gabriel is the first step in moving on from his death and the distance from her old life provides her with some much needed clarity about what comes next for her.
Charlie's investigation is hindered by a lack of co-operation from the Deveau family but a surprising connection to Detective Minot gives her access to old and new evidence in the case. Her psychic dreams continue and while she and Minot discover new information, they end up with more questions than answers. Some of these clues are easy to figure out (although Charlie is sometimes a little slow to catch on) but there are quite a few shocking plot twists that are completely unexpected and impossible to predict.
There is also a slight romantic element to the storyline when Charlie meets Hettie's landscaper, Noah. Her interest in Noah is piqued when she discovers he is the grandson of Gabriel's nanny. They quickly indulge in a bit of no strings fling but Charlie soon grows a little apprehensive of him when a routine background check turns up startling information. Her misgivings deepen when new information emerges and Charlie grows suspicious of Noah's possible involvement in a troubling incident.
Gates of Evangeline is well written debut novel with an intriguing storyline and an appealing cast of characters. An eerie tale that combines supernatural elements with a good old-fashioned mystery and a lovely romance, this first installment in Hester Young's Charlie Cates Trilogy is a riveting story that I highly recommend.
tfpjr492's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Charlotte (Charlie) Gates is the managing editor of a New York-based ladies magazine with a targeted audience of affluent women. She has dedicated 12 years of her life to this magazine, and she has worked her way up the management ladder with several well-deserved promotions.
In her personal life she is dealing with some recent misfortunes. Two years ago she divorced her cheating husband(Eric). Now her young son (Keegan) has died. Charlie is struggling to cope with difficult emotions - grief, hurt and anger, as the reader can understand from her internal dialogue at her son’s funeral.
I was angry that he showed up at all. Eric had visited Keegan only once since he . . . moved to Chicago. What right did he have to fatherly grief. . . . that’s MY son.
To add to Charlie’s troubles, her employer will restructure the business - she will lose her job. Her previous editor has an opportunity - write a history of a leading Louisiana family including the unsolved disappearance of a young boy 30 years ago. Meanwhile Charlie has been having dreams of children disappearing, and recently she had a dream of a boy who fits the circumstances of the Louisiana family. Charlie’s life has been turned upside down. The author makes an effective appeal to the reader’s sympathy with Charlie’s internal dialogue below.
Can I help a boy who has been dead for nearly thirty years? But there is nothing else for me. So why not try? . . . Misguided though it may be, I have a purpose now. I’m going to Louisiana.
The Louisiana family and the estate manager obstruct her inquiries into the disappearance of the boy. Charlie finds some solace in an unexpected, uncertain romance with the estate landscaper.
Despite her recent setbacks Charlie perseveres. She is smart, tough and she has a well-developed instinct for using effectively either gentle tact or frank confrontation. Sometimes she displays an endearing trait. Her thought process bumbles along at a somewhat slower pace than the reader’s thought process. This trait is evident when she is sizing up other characters or misjudging appropriate attire.
Charlie is at her best when the story pace quickens, and plot twists surprise both her and the reader. At some points she seems almost reckless. At other times she engages in episodes of self-criticism. Maybe it is a mechanism for dealing with high stress; it does give the reader a reason to think about self-criticism.
The plot rolls to a nerve-wracking climax. The whole story brings the reader to a new view of a mother’s love for her child.
mommabygrace's review against another edition
5.0
Gripping read. Full of mystery, twists, and laughs. I found myself balling by end and wanting more!