First off, I want to say that apparently this author is not well known. Yet. Well, I think readers are missing a very good book here. Now, on with my review.

Wow! What an adventure this book took me on. I absolutely loved the narration by Freddy about his life. He would make a statement about something in his past and then a few chapters later, he would explain what had happened to him.

The mystery woman shows up very early in the book, as in chapter 1 and then anything about her goes away. This caused some disappointment. However, the author kept me so interested in the other things that were going on that I quickly forgot about it. I realized why the author had hidden her for a while whenever she was brought back into the story. And, why I hadn't heard anything about her.

When she did reappear? Wow!! What a story. It was a surprise for the reader, as well as Freddy.

I could not believe all the layers and layers of the truth and how those crimes were committed. It was very original and an excellent read. I tore through this book wanting to know WTF?

Andrew Diamond is now officially one of the author's I will be looking for in the future.

Huge shout out to the character, Bethany. This woman has got it all going on and she doesn't take any crap. Loved her!!

Thanks to Stolen Time Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Heart pounding and exciting are two of the words that I use when describing this awesome well written and well told story. Definitely pick this up if you're interested in a great read. Happy reading!

My thanks to NetGalley and Stolen Time Press for a free copy of Gate 76 in exchange for my thoughts and review.
Gate 76 is the story of an investigation into an airline disaster / terrorist act, which slowly turns into so much more. Freddy Ferguson, a semi-pro boxer turned PI is drawn to a mysterious woman at SFO. He watches her board a flight at Gate 76, and prior to the plane's departure he sees her leave the flight. He follows her and watches her board a flight to Chicago. He gets on his flight to DC where upon landing he discovers that the initial flight she boarded flew up not long after take off. The firm he works for is hired by the airline to assiste with the investigation. During the course of the investigation Freddy goes off on some tangents, which lead back to the mystery woman and a much much larger story.
The story was written in the first person which I thought landed it a noir feeling of a PI show. I thought it took a while to get the story moving, but once it did, then things kept on at a steady clip. I think anyone that enjoys a good PI story will like this book.

Ebook/ARC/Mystery: First, I receive this book in lieu of an honest review from NetGalley.

While this book started out interesting, it really did not hold my attention. I enjoyed the parts where the author gives you more insight to the main character and first person narrator, Freddy. This is done with backstory memories & dreams and then with the relationship he has with his son. However, there is so much going on between Anna and her sister and the two get confusing.

My biggest problem is with the plane crash itself. No one, including Freddy, really cares. And the conspiracy really behind the crash doesn't really make sense, or maybe it does, but I got confused with all the characters. The author does a great job describing setting and some characters, but other characters who I felt were important never get too much detail.

The book is readable, but I feel it is average. I would often forget that Freddy was a PI and not in law enforcement. Again, the book starts off really strong, but tapers off with the introduction of too many characters.

Those chance encounters. Most of the time, they’re mere blips on the radar of our lives… memorable ones, perhaps, but tiny hiccups in otherwise ordinary days, by and large.

Every once in awhile, though… such encounters turn out to be something more, something with the power to snap us fully out of our norm and change us.

Andrew Diamond’s Gate 76 is the story of one such encounter… and all that follows.
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Freddy Ferguson is a good guy. Oh, he may look a little sketchy—a big man with a would-be ordinary-enough face that’s been pummeled a few too many times in the ring to ever rack up adjectives like “good-looking” or “trustworthy”—but it’s the troubled life he’s had which led first to his boxing career, then made him well-suited for his current gig as a private investigator. That already-seen-the-worst-in-people attitude, the instant suspicion, and a sense of hyper-awareness serve him well when observing others. So, whenever he notices something particularly… interesting, he tends to pay extra-close attention.

Anna Brook has seen plenty, too… and is probably at least as jaded as Freddy. She has made her share of bad decisions and taken a lot of wrong turns, as well, but all of that has given her an idea of what she doesn’t want out of life (pretty much, everything up until now)… and what to look out for, in the future. 

And, one thing Anna most definitely knows is that boarding the plane taking off from Gate 76 is the very last thing she wants to do… although the bodyguard shepherding her roughly through the queue clearly has other ideas.

Freddy, watching the pretty-enough woman with the haunted eyes being rushed along, sees all of that, and more, because he also spots her ducking into a ladies’ room before the flight takes off… then watches another woman (but with the very same build and same cardigan sweater) emerge from the airport restroom, moments after the plane has left.

The increasingly-intriguing mystery woman manages to disappear—Freddy has his own plane to catch, after all, and can’t follow her all day—but something about her stays on his mind, and when he later sees news that the flight which departed from Gate 76 has crashed, with no survivors, he has to find out what was—and is—really going on. Because no matter how fascinating the woman may have been, the one word that didn’t come to mind when he was keeping her in sight was “lucky”… yet right now, it’s looking like she’s one of the luckiest women on earth.

As Freddy says, "Look too far into anything, and you'll find out something you're not supposed to know". Just what that something proves to be, well... that's where it all gets really interesting.
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There aren’t many books that I put down in the middle of reading, just so I can say out loud, “DAMN, can this author write..!”, but Gate 76 is one of them. (Seriously, Diamond has major chops. And, since I was verbalizing my high opinion of his storytelling abilities to no one other than my cat, you can be sure I meant every word of it.)

What does Diamond do so very well? In a word, everything. Gate 76 is chock-full of interesting characters… but in believable, relatable ways. (His depictions enabled me to immediately envision the characters… because I’ve encountered those same people, and his words describing them rang completely true.) And, when an author imbues even the minor characters with enough life and story to make them real? You’ve got the makings of a damn good story on your hands.

Okay then, what about that story? Some nice twists and turns, for sure. I’d think I knew right where everything was going… and then something else would happen, or come to light, and suddenly things weren’t as clear-cut. Even better, the “what” and “why” of it all works perfectly with the players. (In case you haven’t already cottoned on, I’m not gonna spoil nothin’, here. You read the story, and see how it all shakes out. I don’t think you’ll regret it.)

But, if you need more convincing, here goes. Fantastic sense of place. (For instance, if you’ve ever driven across or even been in any part of Texas, you’ll appreciate the verisimilitude his depictions lend the tale.) Brilliant backstories. (How do you best understand anyone else? By knowing a little bit about how they came to be as they are, now.) Spot-on dialogue. (Everyone in Gate 76 has his/her own unique voice… just as we all do, in real life. So many authors can’t seem to quite manage that, but Diamond does, and oh-so-well.)

If you follow me, you already know I’m generally not big on doing year-end favorites lists… but if I decide to do one for 2018, Gate 76 will definitely find a place there. And, Mr. Diamond’s next work, whatever it might be, can’t come out soon enough.

~GlamKitty

Retired professional heavyweight boxer, Freddy Ferguson, is now an investigator working for a private entity. He has no clue at first that the mysterious woman seen boarding the wrong plane is in danger. It is not until her face and name appear in connection with a fatal crime that Freddy begins his nationwide search to find her. She could be the only living witness but pursuers might silence her for good.

It is not often that I cancel all plans for an entire day to finish reading a book. Sure I have lazy moments when all I do is read. But Gate 76 was worthy of actually postponing all I had planned just because I could not focus on anything else until the story was done. Calling Gate 76 unputdownable is a statement you can take to the bank.

It has a very strong start with the mysterious woman pulling a switcheroo at Gate 76; minutes before the plane she was supposed to board crashes with a full flight of passengers. The plot takes readers through Freddy fighting his own internal battle while trying to protect a stranger. The ending was fitting. Do I have your attention yet? Trust me, bookhearts. This new release is intended for readers that love suspense and great character development.

Gate 76 has put author Andrew Diamond on my radar. I really wish he would grant my wish and make this into a series; I need more Freddy Ferguson in my life.

Happy Early Pub Day, Andrew Diamond! Gate 76 will be available Friday, June 1.

LiteraryMarie

Well written with great character development. Fast paced with lots of twist and turns. Has all the ingredients, bad cops, politics and drugs.

I was pulled in from the very first page when the main character, Freddy, spots a woman and man acting suspiciously at an airport. The plane she should have been on explodes while in the air, and the PI firm Freddy works for is hired to try to find out who was responsible. He ends up spending much of his time looking for the woman. After the intriguing beginning, I was increasingly feeling let down when many characters were introduced who were into a lot of different things. You have prostitutes, drug dealers, drug users, alcoholics, bad parents, gamblers, dirty cops, bad FBI agents, and politicians. It was difficult to keep track of all the people and what they were involved in. There is also a LOT of cursing. I don’t think it adds anything to a book. It’s a filthy habit that I don’t wish to pick up. I would love to read more books without it. I especially don’t like all the swear words that use God’s name in vain and the book is saturated with them. The prostitutes bring nothing to the book but a bunch of bad commentary from the men about using them.

There is a lot of detail about Freddy in the book from his rough upbringing to his career as a boxer. For awhile, I thought much of the book was actually going to be about boxing, but then the author went back to the main plot. Freddy has some major anger issues and he doesn’t seem to be much of a team player preferring to keep important information to himself. I honestly didn’t like the character. Usually there are a few people in the book that I like, but in this case, I didn’t connect with any of them.

The subject of God comes up several times; the main character has a lot against God because God doesn’t stop the bad things from happening that Freddy thinks should have been stopped. Freddy doesn’t realize if God stopped people from sinning, Freddy would also be stopped from doing things. God didn’t create us to be Stepford children.

By the end the lose ends were wrapped. The story is ok. On Goodreads that gives it two stars.

To me, one of the most interesting things about this book is that even though it is told from a first-person perspective, we don't find out the main character's name until much further along. It comes out naturally as events unfold. I really like that Mr. Diamond allows Freddy Ferguson to tell his story, his way.

Freddy shares about his observations starting with his return trip through an airport and the events that occur afterward.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys private detective mysteries with a dose of political intrigue. However, if violence, adult language, and/or adult situations are not your thing then please keep searching.

Review by 2shay……….

My Favorite Book This Year!!

If 5 Stars, 5 Thumbs-Up and an A+ don’t adequately express my appreciation for this superb story, nothing else I say can possibly work, but I’ll try.

I don’t think I have ever been more captivated. This author? Wow! It’s easy to see why his first novel won so much praise. Mr. Diamond slowly, slowly let us know about Freddy Ferguson’s past as the private investigator tried to track down the woman who boarded the wrong plane. We learn why and how Freddy has such deep intuition about troubled women. Fascinating!

At the same time, we see Freddy, along with his co-workers, uncover all the clues to why she was running, and from what. This is an extremely well done procedural without ever becoming bogged down in details. It doesn’t take Freddy long to discover that the woman’s name is Anna. It takes a bit longer for him to discover what she was doing and how she had gotten on so much trouble that she needed to run. Anna had made some bad choices. Really bad. In the process of tracking Anna’s past, he uncovers major corruption.

Having said that, the real beauty of this novel is intricate clues and hints of backstory that lead both Freddy and Anna to their own path of personal redemption. That’s what this story meant to me. We all have a past, and a few of us need to find a way to make things right. For some, it’s renewed faith…for others it’s self-sacrifice in the face of danger.

I strongly believe that almost everyone will find something to love in this book. There is violence and some off-page sex as well as discussion of sexual situations. It is all necessary and purposeful, never gratuitous. I hope you love this book as much as I did.

Enjoy! ARC graciously provided by Stolen Time Press and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

A good old fashioned American detective story. Freddy Ferguson, ex boxer, is the detective trying to solve the mystery of a woman he saw getting on one plane, then disembarking and getting on another plane - the first plane then crashes on it's way to Hawaii. The mystery woman, Anna, is on her way to Chicago and Freddy is convinced she holds vital clues. Freddy ends up working for the crashed plane's management who need to know of it was sabotage or an accident. The book moves along with FBI agents, crooked politicians, prostitutes all adding to a rich and entertaining story. The vastness of the state of Texas was also well described. I will not spoil the story any more; I really enjoyed it.

This was a hard book to rate. It was very intriguing art the beginning with the mysterious woman at the airport. It slowed down from there for me. Too much boxing dialogue really turned me off. I wanted to get on with the story. Just didn't appeal to me.

Thanks to Netgalley/Author/Publisher for giving me an opportunity to read this book.

Its an excellent read. Captures ones interest from the very beginning. Has many complex twists in between and an excellent ending.
Freddy's boxing background and his genuine affection for his step son adds value to the character. Even with several characters involved, author has managed to tie up all the ends.

Highly recommended for all mystery lovers,

Gate 76 begins with Freddy Ferguson, a troubled detective, noticing a woman who seems distressed and uncomfortable, with a suspicious man, while at the airport. Freddy follows her and sees her get on a plane and then get off and get on another plane. Later that day, the first plane crashes, killing everybody on board. Freddy's agency works for the airlines so he and his coworkers began looking for clues to what happened to the plane and who caused it to blow up.

Freddy had an uncomfortable premonition that trouble surrounded this lady, even before the plane crashed. After the accident, he's on a mission to find out what she was doing and why she changed planes. He keeps his search secret from his employer and co-workers and comes into contact with a shady FBI agent. During all of this, Freddy is haunted by his past, memories of his cruel father and the death of his mother and his boxing career that was derailed by a crooked manager. Freddy is bitter and sad and trusts no one and these feelings surround his search for the mystery woman.

At first I was lost interest in the book when it was talking about Freddy's boxing past but that past is a big part of what makes Freddy who he is and leads him to react to others the way he does. His past with his parents color his outlook on life greatly and I began to appreciate how knowing his background helped me to have a better understanding of the choices he makes.

I enjoyed the book and wouldn't mind reading more about Freddy...I think his outlook on life may have changed by the end of the book and it'd be nice to read more about him. Thank you to Stolen Time Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

A decent espionage type thriller with a good plot, but I found the writing a bit dry for my taste. A lot of talky writing trying to explain to me who the characters are and what the situations are. I'm a big fan of what my high school English teachers always told me, "show, don't tell." A fun read, but this book had just a bit too much "telling" and not enough showing for me.

A real page turner. Lots of twists and turns. Interesting plot and premise.
Would recommend this book to those who like flying.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Andrew Diamond, and Stolen Time Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

What at first seems to be an airline disaster thriller soon takes on a life of its own in Andrew Diamond’s latest novel. While waiting to board his flight back to DC, Freddy Ferguson notices another passenger in queue at Gate 76, a flight soon departing San Francisco for Honolulu. This passenger, a fairly attractive blonde, seems distraught and slips out of line at the last minute, rushing to board another plane. As Ferguson lands in DC, the news is full of reports of that Hawaii-bound flight, which blew up soon after takeoff and killed all those on board. Ferguson and the Private Investigation firm for which he works is soon hired by the airline to look into what might have happened. Even with a baggage handler in custody in San Francisco, something does not seem right, especially since Ferguson saw that woman acting oddly. Ruled one of the dead passengers, Ferguson knows this woman, Anna Brook, may hold the clue to better understanding what actually happened and who is to blame. Sifting through all the paperwork and following up on leads sees Ferguson chase down a tangential idea to the heart of Texas, where things take an interesting turn and leave him wondering if he can penetrate the layers of red tape put in place by the Feds. Might there be something more sinister than an act of terror? Ferguson may have bitten off more than he can chew with this case, as he battles his own personal demons from the past. Diamond offers readers an interesting thriller that evolves continuously. Recommended for those who like a little mystery with their high-paced thrillers.

This being my introduction to the world of Andrew Diamond, I was not sure how I would react. The dust jacket blurb had me hooked and the novel began well, developing not only the backstory of Freddy Ferguson’s rough life before becoming a PI, but also some of the more personal aspects to the man’s life that shaped him. Diamond creates a number of interesting characters that could, should he choose, be the foundation of an entire series. The uniqueness of some central characters mesh well and give the reader much to hold their attention, though I will admit that the story does develop in such a way that there are numerous individuals who emerge and whose storylines must be followed, causing a degree of confusion at some points. Working with a mix of short and longer chapters, Diamond pulls the reader into the middle of the story and develops the plot effectively, creating both the slow revelation and the cliffhanger moments in equal measure. I enjoyed Diamond’s varied nature when it came to presenting the narrative and the twists taken to get to the final outcome, leaving the reader to piece the entire case together over the span of the book. These twists keep things engaging and free from a predictable outcome. I’ll surely read another Andrew Diamond novel, given the chance to do so.

Kudos, Mr. Diamond, for this wonderful piece. I hope some of your other pieces are just as exciting and that you’ll consider bringing Freddy Ferguson back for more.

This story begins with a private investigator, Freddy Ferguson, observing an attractive woman being manhandled to board a flight to Hawaii. He watches as she manages to make a switch and board a flight to Chicago. He wonders about what he observed on his flight back home to Washington, D.C., and when he disembarks Freddy hears the news that the Hawaii flight has crashed into the sea with a full passenger list.

The next day, Freddy and his partner, Ed Hartwell, are engaged by the airline’s management to help investigate whether it is an accident or sabotage. A cell phone video shows an explosion in the plane’s midsection just before it plunges into the ocean. Hartwell, a former FBI agent, is tasked to San Francisco to monitor the FBI’s investigation while Freddy is assigned to dig into the backgrounds of the passengers, looking for terrorist connections or violent offenders with records.

While Freddy doesn’t bring his observations of the woman in the San Francisco airport to anyone’s attention he knows there is one passenger who was not on the plane and his “premonition” about her drives his need to find her and who she’s running from.

What unfolds as Freddy begins to track this woman, identified as Anna, is a compelling story of corruption and greed. Andrew Diamond develops characters that pull the reader into the story. A fine balance is struck between following the bombing investigation and discovering the details of Anna’s situation, both of which are subject to Freddy’s sharing pieces of his past. The writing style will remind readers of those “pulp” detective novels from the 50’s. This is a complex and richly conceived novel that deserves to be savored.

Investigator Freddy Ferguson believes in his gut and when he gets that familiar `sinking feeling` as he makes eye contact with a woman at the airport, he watches her. He watches her board one plane, leave that plane, and board a second aircraft. That first plane, the one she didn’t board, gets blown out of the sky, every seat full, they say. But Investigator Ferguson knows that is not so. He knows there was one empty seat on that plane.
When the firm he works for is asked by the airline to investigate the crash, Freddy in convinced it is essential that he track down his mystery woman, that she knows something, that she might be a potential witness, that she might be in danger. And the search is on.
Gate 76 is an excellent and satisfying read. One that instantly captured my interest. It`s a story that concentrates as much on dialogue and character-building as it does on the mystery of who is behind this mass murder, and why. Running through the story is an encapsulated look at Freddy`s troubled path through life and one woman`s fight to stay out of the clutches of those who would harm her. It’s a look at humankind and all its vagaries. It’s about tragedy, and heartache. It’s a book with a protagonist who is not easy to like, and yet manages to gain the trust and respect of diverse individuals ; one who questions his life, the world, and his place in that world. One who likes to go his own way and digs deep to unearth the truth. I ended knowing that I`d like more of Freddy.
There`s lot of characters, a lot of seemingly unrelated threads and events. The plot weaves it way through FBI agents, local cops, the Texas Highway Patrol, politicians, informers, some are good guys, some are not. I like to solve mysteries as I read them. This one, I created and discounted several end-games. I was deep into the story before things started to fall into place . Gate 76 is well written. It`s first person point of view, which is not my favourite writing style, but soon it didn’t matter as I was pulled into this fascinating mystery.
I did find I had to go back from time to time to sort out characters and events and how they all tied into the overall plot. Even so, I have no hesitation in recommending Gate 76 to those who enjoy a good mystery. This was my first novel written by Andrew Diamond. I would definitely read more. I`d give it a solid 4.5.
I received an ARC of Gate 76 from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

When Freddy Ferguson witnesses a mysterious woman appear to board one flight, only to race toward another gate at the last minute, he had no idea she would become his gut-deep fixation. Why didn’t she board the plane she was escorted to? That plane that was blown out of the sky only minutes later. Was that fear or determination on her face? Does she know something that could yet get her killed?

As a private detective working for the airline, it’s his job to investigate the passenger manifest for possible suspects. The plane was full, they said. All passengers were accounted for, they said. No one survived, they said, but Freddy knows better and he is determined to find out who she was, what she was running from and where she went…

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.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Stolen time Press!

Publisher: Stolen Time Press (June 1, 2018)
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
Genre: Mystery | Suspense
Print Length: 320 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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