The Gate House -Nelson Demille

The Gate House, by Nelson DeMille

Review:

This book did not let me down. It exceeded my expectations for entertainment in every way. I haven't read any of Demille's other books, so I didn't know what to expect. This is a sequel book, but there is no need to read the first one to really enjoy this one. (But I can say I am eager to read it now!)

The book takes place post 911 and there is a feeling for everyone in the story that the world will never be the same again, or safe. (Who can't relate to that?) John Sutter has returned home after being abroad for 10 years to find the old wealthy estates and neighborhoods sold and sub-divided. The Golden Age seems to be dwindling. The story gets going when Anthony Bellarosa, the son of the deceased Mafia Don Frank Bellarosa, appears at the Gate House where John is staying. He is there to draw and lure John back into the violent world of the Mafia Bellarosa family. From there, Demille weaves a very entertaining story of love, regret, family protection and redemption.

I can't say how many times I grinned or laughed out loud while reading this book. The writing is witty and down right funny and then it draws the reader into a very captivating story. It is a modern day mob story, and yet it has a lot of down to earth situations. Overall it is much less violent that I had imagined.

Sarcastic much? Oh yes, John Sutter is dripping with sarcasm, page after page of hilarious insights of "tell me how you really feel John Sutter."

Location, Location, Location, that's what I am talking about!! The setting of the story is very interesting and the author really provides a lot of detail and history for the reader. I really felt I wanted to be walking along one of these 200 acre estates smelling the cool, salty air of Long Island Sound. Fancy mansions, servants, and the lifestyles of the rich and famous, oh who can resist?

I recommend the book!

Thank You Miriam from Hachette.

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Full description: (from the Hachette Website)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers the long-awaited follow-up to his classic novel The Gold Coast.

When John Sutter's aristocratic wife killed her mafia don lover, John left America and set out in his sailboat on a three-year journey around the world, eventually settling in London. Now, ten years later, he has come home to the Gold Coast, that stretch of land on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America, to attend the imminent funeral of an old family servant. Taking up temporary residence in the gatehouse of Stanhope Hall, John finds himself living only a quarter of a mile from Susan who has also returned to Long Island. But Susan isn't the only person from John's past who has reemerged: Though Frank Bellarosa, infamous Mafia don and Susan's ex-lover, is long dead, his son, Anthony, is alive and well, and intent on two missions: Drawing John back into the violent world of the Bellarosa family, and exacting revenge on his father's murderer--Susan Sutter. At the same time, John and Susan's mutual attraction resurfaces and old passions begin to reignite, and John finds himself pulled deeper into a familiar web of seduction and betrayal. In THE GATE HOUSE, acclaimed author Nelson Demille brings us back to that fabled spot on the North Shore -- a place where past, present, and future collides with often unexpected results.