A consummate thriller with some of the best characterization you'll see all year. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
One of the year's best thrillers. -- BestThrillers.com
Even though Freddy Ferguson is similar to the legendary personages of Phillip Marlow and Sam Spade, this unforgettable hard-boiled crime fiction is far superior. ...a phenomenal mystery novel with dynamic characters and a gripping and intricate plot. -- Susan Sewell, Readers' Favorite
Gate 76, by Andrew Diamond, is about loss and redemption... [Freddy Ferguson] doesn't see his own goodness, the spark of caring that sets him apart from his brutal upbringing... Freddy doesn't believe in much of anything, not even justice. He does believe in following his instincts and doing the right thing, even when it may lead to his destruction. -- Sharon Vander Meer, One Roof Publishing
Recommended for those who like a little mystery with their high-paced thrillers. Diamond creates a number of interesting characters that could, should he choose, be the foundation of an entire series. -- Book Reviews to Ponder
Hard-boiled mystery at its grittiest, GATE 76 by Andrew Diamond is the story of a man with a dark past, who knows that even justice cannot be trusted, but sometimes you need to work the angles and only then will the truth come out. Corrupt politicians, dirty cops and secrets uncovered add all the elements of a great suspense as we become wrapped up in the story of a man who cares, in spite of his past, or perhaps because of it. High on detail and plot twists, the suspense ratchets high in this complex tale! If you like your heroes a little rough around the edges, hardened by life, yet still able to do the right thing at any cost and your villains hiding deep in the shadows of a labyrinth of deceit and crime, GATE 76 could be just what you're looking for. -- Tome Tender Book Blog
★ 2018-05-18
In his engrossing thriller, Diamond (Impala, 2016, etc.) reminds readers that something as simple as a wrong turn can be the difference between life and death.Whether in his first career as a boxer or his current one as a private investigator, Freddy Ferguson has always known to trust his instincts, the flares of warning that let him know something is very wrong. So when he's flying home from San Francisco to D.C. and finds a woman in the security line piquing his interest, he's sure she's trouble, but he can't help looking anyway. She appears to be unduly encouraged by two men to board a flight to Honolulu, but she deplanes at the last second, disguises herself, and hops a flight to Chicago. That, the bruises on her wrists, and the two men who made sure she got on the Honolulu flight would be enough to cause alarm. But when Freddy gets back to D.C. and learns that the Honolulu plane exploded over Santa Cruz, it's clear why his instincts were triggered. When Freddy's partner, Ed Hartwell, pulls him into the investigation, it doesn't take the PI long to find out the woman's name is Anna Brook and that she's well-hidden. Just how deep the rabbit hole goes, Freddy can't say. But he's sure going to find out. The prose here is strong and solid, giving the reader an immediate sense of place and voice through Freddy's first-person narration. Plus, it's rare to see writing that so effectively blends action with characterization. Not only do readers have a crystal-clear vision of Anna right from the start, they're also provided insight into Freddy's dog-with-a-bone personality and sense of curiosity. That should be enough to hook most readers, but there are also breakneck twists and turns along with lots of backstory, particularly through flashbacks to Freddy's past and his regrets.A consummate thriller with some of the best characterization you'll see all year.
