Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Westside Saints by W. M. Akers in exchange for an honest review. This was a strange and unique book. It took me awhile to get into it and I'm not sure it's my normal reading material.

See full review on The Girly Book Club site.

I really enjoyed this book and when I realized it was the 2nd book in a (soon to be) Trilogy I was excited to go read the first. The book did fine as a stand alone but I still felt I was missing so much valuable information.

The story takes place in 1922 and 1888 on the Island of Manhattan in NY. It’s also got a real jazz era feel. Gilda Carr takes us on another one of her tiny mysteries that uncovers more corruption, secrets and a bit of fantasy. We learn more about the world and the characters in this second book and we really get a better glimpse into why Gilda has become the guarded person she is. The depth of characters and the world building are fantastic and I look forward to the release of the third book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed historical fiction, mysteries and fantasy.

What a series! It was so great to be back in the 1920s with Gilda. The balance between the historical aspect of the setting and the mystery needed to be uncovered which propel the narrative forward. Then you have the characters which just come to life on the page. So good!

This twisted version of the jazz age in new york is such a treat. I can't believe i am saying this but akers got better from westside. the dialogue improved as did the humor. His city is one i want to visit. It was a little dark and broody but that is part of the magic

W.M. Akers has really created an excellent world in these two Westside books. I hope there are more to come. Old New York meets a sort of fairy world, with tiny mysteries to boot. There is a great collection of secondary characters as well, and a raging snow storm that sets the finale off masterfully. I think the larger mystery is well played out and incorporates well into the main characters own family mystery.

I have very particular (some, including my husband, might say annoying) taste in my fantasy and sci fi books and movies. Must be more “Twilight Zone” than “Outer Limits.” Nothing taking place in space. (Exception of course for 2001: A Space Odyssey.) And absolutely no talking animals. (Exception of course for Animal Farm.) So I’m a tough customer. This book ticked all the boxes for me and was a delightful and beautiful read about a fictionalized Manhattan of the 1920s (ish), which in this imagined world is divided strictly and divisive it into Eastside and Westside. (So, humorously, not TOTALLY inaccurate to reality.)

Gilda Carr, our heroine, is a delightfully funny and tough broad who specializes in “tiny mysteries.” In this case, the book begins with the mystery of a stolen pickled finger of a saint. (Being a fan of all things weird in my mysteries, how could I not love this premise?) But much much more happens and snowballs after that, and I don’t want to give any of it away because the shock and the weirdness is a lot of fun.

I loved the way this novel was written. Aside from the gorgeous prose, it also managed to be nostalgic and modern (and even a little futuristic?) all at the same time. Did I also mention it’s totally funny? Though filled with humor and weirdness there is decidedly nothing cozy about it. If you love New York, old-time lady detectives with suffrage era pluck, and a plot with a heavy dose of quirkiness and fantasy, you’re sure to enjoy this book. Be forewarned that the journey is non-linear, but very fun. Also, it has a lovely ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the very talented and funny W.M. Akers for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was my first W.M. Akers book, but it definitely won’t be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.

I read this book without having read the first one in the series. I was able to follow the story-line without any problems, but I’m sure I would have appreciated it more if I’d read the first book.

I put off writing this review for way too long because I wasn’t sure how to put all my thoughts into words. I’m still having that issue, but I think this review is just going to be a weird one. That works, because the book is best described as “weird.” I like a little weird, so that is in no way an insult.

This book was a bit of a downer for me, to be honest. I found myself picturing the entire thing in varying shades of gray (even the things that were specifically described by color). I went into the book expecting light and funny, which wasn’t quite what I got. Gilda, the detective, was an intriguing character. I think I missed some character development in the first book, because she didn’t seem to grow all that much in this one. Her cynicism definitely got on my nerves from time to time.

There was some quippy dialogue which I appreciated. I love a good quip. Or a bad quip. Pretty much any quip. It wasn’t quite enough to pull me out of the oppressive atmosphere of the book, but it did garner an appreciative nod from me.

There were some bits that felt a little choppy to me. It’s a very strong possibility that it was intentionally written that way, and I just didn’t get it. Sometimes an author and the reader just don’t jive. It’s abundantly clear that this author is very talented, I just couldn’t connect.

I think I can chalk this book up to “wrong book for right now, right book for another time.” I’ll probably reread this at some point in the future, when a little bit of a hopeless vibe isn’t going to mess with my happy.

Would I recommend this book? I honestly don’t know.

I was sent this 2nd book in the series without having read the first. I found the concept of “tiny mysteries” unique and I liked the alternate historical view of Jazz age NYC. I felt like Gilda was a little underdeveloped for me, but the first book probably made better introductions.
The characters were eccentric and the landscape well-described. Kind of a paranormal sci-Fi take of one of my favorite eras in US history.
I’d recommend reading the first in the series before tackling this one, but for fans of the 20’s, New York City, mysteries, the paranormal, and sci-Fi it’s a really interesting read. I can see this being a great series.

I think I liked this book even more than I did the first in the series! Gilda Carr is back to solve more “tiny mysteries” but as the book cover says “tiny mysteries never stay tiny” and that is never true than with this case.

The book is an instantly engrossing, clever, thriller/mystery that I couldn’t stop reading. Gilda herself is a interesting character with a complicated relationship with both parents. She lost her mother young and idealizes her, her father was a troublesome character but she still has retained a certain fondness for him. Along with all of this is her deep love for The Westside, and she finds herself invested in the people there and hopes to help them survive the terrors of the place. Gilda is also a very pained person. Isolated, introverted, difficult to be around, she is also a very principled person but her inner turmoil and insecurities really come to the forefront in this book. I feel like you really get to know her while reading.

When her long-dead mother shows up in her house what evolves is a strange, jazz age Back to the Future type story. Our parents are never who we think they are. They are infinitely more nuanced, and their personalities are not really seen during our childhood when what we are really seeing is our own needs and selves reflected in them. Solving the mystery in front of her is Gilda’s focus, but it is her relationship with her mother that will really motivate her actions.

Like I said, I really loved this second book in the series. I have no idea if there will be more books to come, but I certainly hope so. I’m going to keep Mr. Aker’s name in my search bar at Netgalley just in case.

Song for this book: Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out – Bessie Smith

Another fun read from W.M. Akers. Love revisiting the Westside with Gilda Carr and friends.

This plot was well thought out and entertaining. Greatly enjoyed Gilda's adventure with uh... Mary :)

Keep thinking about how many seconds and minutes I waste now :(

Looking forward to more in this series.

Westside Saints is another quirky adventure for the solver of tiny mysteries – Gilda Carr.

This time she runs smack into her formerly deceased mother, Mary. Gilda is now confronted with a huge mystery. How did Mary get here? Why doesn’t Mary remember Gilda? Why is Mom so mean? And what is Gilda to do about it all?

At the same time, there is a church. I’m just going to say it. It is a strange church. Even before the long dead patriarch returns from the dead. (Another huge mystery.) Still Gilda perseveres with the tiny mystery – the hunt for the church’s lost saint’s finger.

Yes, there is a lot of stuff going on! Missing fingers, resurrected people, preaching, snow, cold, drinking colored gin, gangsters, a killing fire. There is a lot to keep track of. But, rest assured, somehow, Gilda will bring all the confusing jigsaw pieces together into one wacky finished puzzle.

In Westside Saints, Akers has done it again, creating this very colorful alternative New York, messing with all the characters and deftly spinning a tale that threatens to spin out of control. But the top will stop spinning without falling off the table, all the characters will right themselves just where they need to be, and the saint’s missing finger will be found. You just cannot possibly imagine how this will all happen. And that is exactly what makes Westside Saints so fun!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Westside Saints by W.M. Akers is a fantastic follow up to last year's Westside. It's great being back in Gilda's world of alternate 1920s New York City. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres and a magical Jazz Age is one of my personal favorites, especially when they're set in an atmospheric metropolis such as NYC. Just like the last time around there's so much to love about this story, its characters, and its setting. This time around Gilda is determined to stick to solve her tiny mysteries - the concept as those is still just as fascinating - but she unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of something bigger and closer to home than she could have expected involving saints, miracles, resurrections, and her long deceased mother. I particularly enjoyed getting to meet Mary, Gilda's newly restored to life mother. You can really see where Gilda gets her pushiness, inquisitiveness, determination, and cynicism, that's for sure. And, dealing with her mother is just about driving Gilda insane, even though Mary doesn't realize exactly who Gilda is to her. Honestly, though, that just makes their scenes together all the more priceless. It was fun getting to explore a little more of the world Aker's has created. His writing is so visually descriptive and the city just pops off the page. While I enjoyed seeing Gilda again, there are moments where slow pacing drags down the action and a few scenes nearer to the end that I needed to reread to clear up some initial confusion. Overall, though, I can't recommend the Westside series by W.M. Akers enough and I have a feeling that you'll want to try it if you also enjoy the styles of Neil Gaiman and Caleb Carr. I hope we'll get to see more of Gilda in the future. I'm looking forward to more of this author's future projects.

After the extraordinary events of her first outing in W.M. Akers’ Westside, Gilda Carr is even more determined to stick to tiny mysteries. She’s got two to work on as Westside Saints opens. The first is to find the exact shade of blue that matches the sky when the sun sets in New York. Gilda has feelers out on that one. Second, and perhaps equally impossible to solve, is the disappearance of the finger of Saint Roisín, stolen from the Electric Church. These tiny mysteries are Gilda’s way of making a living in the wilds of New York’s Westside. Not only do they help Gilda make a living, but they also help her stay out of the way of the more dangerous inhabitants of the Westside. That’s the idea anyway because nothing ever seems to go to plan for Gilda.

The Westside in Aker’s version of 1922’s New York is a strange place. Guns don’t work, nor do electric devices. Because the NYPD can’t enforce the laws, the place is run by gangs who traffic in illegal alcohol and drugs. It’s an almost medieval place. Gilda grew up here and is fiercely protective of her violent little home. That said, if she can take down people whose extralegal shenanigans will ruin lives or get people killed, Gilda will. The cases of Saint Roisín’s finger and the mysterious shade of blue give Gilda a chance to investigate the Electric Church, which seems to make most of its money by promising grieving widows that their lost loved ones will someday be resurrected. It’s clearly a scam, isn’t it? Gilda is sure it’s a scam…until not only does the dead founder of the Electric Church reappear, but also the mother Gilda lost to tuberculosis years ago.

Once again, Gilda is swept up in schemes way above her pay grade as the solver of tiny mysteries. The plot is an incredible adventure, weighted by the emotional tension between Gilda and her putative mother, Mary. The Mary who popped into Gilda’s life looks longer than her daughter for the very good reason that this version is the one who hasn’t met Gilda’s difficult father. This Mary is lively, haughty, and engaged to someone else. She rushes into danger and is more than willing to throw punches and stamp in insoles while Gilda hovers trying to protect her future(?) mother. It’s really entertaining to watch.

That relationship and the madcap plot make this book as good, or better, than the first one in the series. I strongly recommend Gilda’s adventures in the weird Westside to anyone who likes their mysteries strange, complicated, and set in amazing alternate worlds.

This is quite imaginative with some mystery. It's a little uneven at times, but mostly engaging. I didn't read the previous in the series, but that didn't seem to matter. The setting doesn't feel authentic all the time, but that doesn't take away from the story overall.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

This alternate history/mystery/action suspense/ science fiction story was entertaining, well written, and intriguing. There were atmospheric scenes that stay with the reader long after the reading is done. The themes of alienation and loss, and economic inequality set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age was compelling.

The plotting was at times hard to follow. Some scenes, particularly toward the end, were choppy and muddied with contradictory information. But it was a wild ride. The book, second in a series does inspire me to seek out the first book.

Writing was good, but the story bores me to tears. I was able to get to page 100 and had to DNF. I think if this is your style, it could be enjoyable. For this little Texas girl, I had to move on.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to review the novel in exchange of an honest review.