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THE GATE HOUSE is the sequel to THE GOLD COAST, a novel that saw John Sutter's aristocratic wife murder her Mafia lover and neighbour. John left the Gold Coast to sail the world before settling in London, where he lived for the next ten years. Now, as an old family servant is about to die, he returns to Long Island, where he finds that his ex-wife, Susan, has also returned, as has the son of her dead lover – a man with revenge on his mind. DeMille's latest novel is certainly an epic, with the story taking a long time to play out. The author is in no hurry to rush the tale, with the various developments being described in detail, and plenty of flashbacks and recaps back to the events of THE GOLD COAST, meaning that it is not necessary to have read the first book. As always, one of his main strengths lies in his characters, all of whom are interesting and well-defined. I found it quite hard at times to like John Sutter. While his wicked wit and humour was clear, his attitude and behaviour often grated on me, making it hard sometimes to concentrate on the plot (and social satire) of the novel. I felt that the plot was somewhat far-fetched. The idea that the three main protagonists – Sutter, his wife and Anthony Bellarosa – would all return to the same place at the same time was stretching the boundaries of credibility, as was the swift reconciliation by the divorced couple and the fact that Bellarosa had not taken any form of revenge in the ten years following the death of his father. Furthermore, it takes an extremely long time before any revenge plan is put into action, keeping readers waiting, waiting, and waiting a little bit more. That said, however, DeMille's skill as an author in creating an interesting tale means that readers tend to forget about such "details." THE GATE HOUSE is an enjoyable, if over-long, read that fans of DeMille and the original book will enjoy greatly. One has to wonder, however, if there is was a burning need for this sequel.
Reviewed by Luke Croll, May 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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