Lionel Page was the boy who survived, and suffered for it.  After reinventing himself as Lionel Page, investigative reporter, he lives to debunk fraudsters and conmen playing on the public’s desire for supernatural mystery and intervention.  Until he makes a deal with Regina Dunkle, a wealthy and reclusive heiress, visit New York, verify or debunk the authenticity of a lost Edgar Allen Poe Manuscript and she will do the seemingly impossible - prevent his past from coming to light.  


What starts as a curious mystery ends up as a trip down the rabbit hole, where magic may just very well exist alongside the mundane.  His task becomes more dangerous, but more rewarding both as he finds an ally in Madison Hannah and begins to understand just what he is facing.


Ghosts of Gotham is an exciting urban fantasy far removed from the bulk that lines the shelves.  The story is one that is beautiful and disturbing at once, leaving its mark, as the reader wishes she could continue past the end and see further into Schaefer’s world of magic.


5 / 5


I received a copy of Ghosts of Gotham from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


-- Crittermom

If we've been friends on Goodreads for a while, it's probably not a secret that I'm a ridiculously enthusiastic fan of Craig Schaefer's books (and eternal thanks to Sarah, who has championed the shit out of this author, for switching me onto them). Nevertheless, when Ghosts of Gotham came up on Netgalley, I knew I was just the reader to give a completely unbiased and fair review.

Now that we've all stopped laughing...all bias aside, this is a great book. It's a new series, with a new hero/manic pixie dream girl, Lionel Page, investigative reporter extraordinaire. And he's on the hunt for a book - when, in true Craig Schaefer style, the wheels start falling off the world he thought he knew.

If you've read any of his other series, there's some standout Craig Schaefer trademarks present here - he still writes women better than any other author I'm familiar with, some of the more horrific moments are <i>truly</i> terrifying, and there's a couple of stellar twisty turns in the plot that took me completely by surprise. But otherwise, despite this being his fifth separate storyline, there's no feeling of retreading ground - this was fresh, new, and an absolute ball to read. Maddie and her storyline are second only to Harmony Black in my hierarchy of fictional characters I wish I could hang out with in real life; even the villain was just so satisfying.

Should you be a Craig Schaefer newbie, this is definitely a good place to start. And if you're already a fan, then the news is good - this is another absolutely fantastic book from him, with the bonus of more new characters to meet and love.

Not only are there fell creatures wandering through New York’s sewers, but there are secret societies n haunted buildings worshipping ancient deities. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Take a reporter dedicated (like a Geraldo Rivera) to unmasking charlatans, frauds, faith healers and the like and send him in a mission to recover a lost manuscript In Manhattan. What could go wrong? Maybe he learns a little faith in powers that he never believed in before. Maybe he’s struck by love 💗 at first sight. Maybe he’s the one being trained by witches to fight the forces of soul-sucking evil.

This novel is a lot of fun. It’s got magic, mystery, romance, and battle. Like the main character, the reader only sees a tiny bit of the iceberg at first and then the truth slowly reveals itself. Well-plotted with a touch of whimsy. A great read.

This is usually the part where I expound (for the 455th time) on how Craig Schaefer is a mad, mad little genius; but I think NetGalley and 47North would like a little more than that.

So.

I have to admit that I was a little afraid to read this book. The first one outside the Daniel/Harmony/Messa universe? EEK!

Yeah, I don't know what I was worried about. This is Craig F*****g Schaefer, after all.

As I sit here and struggle to find the words, I realize that Craig's books are a lot like a scrambler: smooth sailing for a while, then all of a sudden, a twist throws you against the side of the car. But you know what? I LIKE scramblers, and I LOVE Craig Schaefer. (In that totally non-creepy way you love your favorite authors, that is.) Ghosts of Gotham is another fantastic scrambler ride...just make sure you get off from time to time so you don't get sick to your stomach!

(It's not quite that gross--I'm just taking the metaphor too far.)

Once again, Craig inspires a fierce case of "writer's envy" within me. Stephen King once said (and I'm paraphrasing wildly, here) that inspiration is a pool where we all go down to drink. If that's the case, then it's a good thing I have people like Craig inspiring me, so that I can work harder and eventually stop piddly-paddling around in the shallow end.

Hello, meet Lionel, he's a hoax finder, actually magic hoax finder, because he doesn't believe in magic. Or he says so. So many years he does his job and every trick is just it... a trick.

Until he meets Regina, a rich mystery woman who has an errand for him. She sends Lionel to New York to retrieve some special manuscirpt and check if it;s a real thing. In New York Lionel meets Maddie. And the adventure begins...

Lionel is put into the world of witches, demons and gods and reader goes there with him. So if you're afraid of magic, you don't want to be a pawn of gods, you don't like when there's danger around the corner... maybe you should step back. But if you think there's more in this world than average eye could see, if you can feel the magic in the air and generally if you are a fan of gothic mystery with many paranormal elements, You won't be disappointed.

Craig Schaefer gives us another very good adventure in the world a little different from his earlier works. Again we get from him fast paced but complex story with great characters, especially females, because I think that ce can create great women.

So why not 5 stars? It's probably Lionel. I mean the character is really good, but ... he's kind of Daniel Faust only on the other side of the law (at the start at least). Well, I love Daniel, so I like Lionel, but I wish they could be a little more difference between their personalities.

The awful truth? This book could have been really boring. I mean, a Bibliomystery about a reporter hired by an eccentric, reclusive heiress to locate and authenticate an obscure Edgar Allan Poe manuscript? Doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? Ha! It may not sound exciting, BUT. Craig Schaefer is the author behind this book. Which makes it instantly exciting. Not to mention refreshing, intriguing and quite a little titillating, too.

So we have a reporter guy called Lionel Page. He specializes in debunking and exposing supernatural frauds and scams and hoaxes (oh my!). You could say that his mission in life is to prove that magic doesn’t exist. (Poor guy. It’s really rotten luck for him that he ended up being the lead in a Craig Schaefer book.) At the beginning of the story, Lionel finds himself in a little bit of a little situation because reasons, which leads him to make a not-so-little deal with the previously mentioned eccentric, reclusive heiress, which in turn leads him to go to New York, which in turn leads him to meet lots of Super Extra Friendly (if a little not entirely human) people whose sole concern is to make sure Little Lionel has a supernaturally deadly, um, sorry, I meant to say "grand" time while visiting the Big Apple. Much fun and merriment ensue.

“You’re either eating the steak or you are the steak.”
(Always there to give out-of-towners good, sound advice these Super Extra Friendly New Yorkers.)

Yes, this is indeed a world where it is better to be a carnivore with a, um, healthy appetite. (If you want to survive more than two and a half seconds, anyway.) And what a luscious world it is, too. It’s scrumptiously original, it’s deliciously dark, and a most stupendous mix of Urban Fantasy, Horror, Mystery and Mythology. A world where secret societies meet Slavic folklore meet Greek gods (who happen to know a thing or two about stock exchange) meet Russian mobsters meet Dalmatians and cherubs and goats (oh my again!) meet blood-smeared kisses meet ancient homicidal chicks meet interior decorating, fresh viscera-style meets cannibalistic ghouls meet an insurance that’s in insurance (don’t ask) meets phantasms and ghouls and carnage (oh my again again!) meet slightly pissed off muses meet Edgar Allan Poe (duh). Best, most entertainingly refreshing cocktail that ever was, methinks.

Awesome Mr Schaefer being Awesome Mr Schaefer, he didn’t stop at that and also threw in a Super Extra Intriguing Plot. And a Super Fast Paced one at that. Then there are the twists. And turns. And glorious surprises so surprising and glorious that they leave you 1) a little gobsmacked, 2) slightly flabbergasted, 3) somewhat astonished and 4) 1+2+3+4.

The characters, in pure, wondrous Schaefer fashion, are splendidly complex and beautifully messed-up. Lionel is a pretty cool anti hero with an obscure, violent past and a few, um, mommy issues. But the character who really steals the show here? Introducing…Our resident knife-wielding damsel in no distress whatsoever…Madison Hannah! She is amazing, she is badass, she is beyond screwed-up, she is spoiler spoiler spoiler. How Craig Schaefer manages to create such Incredibly Edible, multi-faceted, strong yet vulnerable female characters is beyond me. (He must have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for this most uncommon talent or something. It is the only plausible explanation, if you ask me.)

All in all, I think I would say that this book is Slightly Very Good. And that it could very well be yet another instant favorite courtesy of Craig Schaefer. (What can I say, the man can apparently do no wrong.) Oh, and by the way, this book should be mandatory reading for anyone who loves dark Urban Fantasy with more than a twist, fantastic world building, and brilliant, in-depth characterization. And for anyone who wants to read a pretty damn exciting, original story.

TL;DR: read this thing.

Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. Wow, this book is extraordinary! It is going in my "favorite of all time folder"!
It is a cross of mythology, The Supernaturals, Alfred Hitchcock, and a mash of every horror show I've seen. So many twists and surprises that I gave up on trying to figure it out and just held on and rode this wild ride to the end! Nothing is as it seems! No one is who they say they are...
Ghouls, goddess, an old Poe manuscript, magic, cults, witches, and beings unknown. I loved every page! It is so tightly thought out. The characters are so real, so well developed. The suspense, the world building, the action, the mad genius of this novel is absolutely fabulous!
I don't want to tell anything about it, I would hate to give anything away. Just read it if you love a good fantasy with lots of magic, lots of mysteries, a touch of romance, and through it all, a happy ending!

Gritty, characters, mythology and mystery...what more could I ask for? Fast paced and entertaining I am looking forward to what happens next!

Schaefer is a new author to me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this novel. I can happily say that, after reading this novel, I will be looking up more of his work in the future. The plot sucked me in — I’m a fan of the “I don’t believe in this, wait, maybe I was wrong” trope, and it is executed very well here. The prose is fairly straightforward, but that just made it easier to simply devour the book. Some authors I read for the pretty writing, but there are plenty that I read because I’m just having a good time. Schaefer is in the latter category. Again, let me stress, THIS IS NOT A BAD THING. Sometimes I just want to read something and not have to stop and pay too much attention to how it’s written; rather, I want to focus on WHAT is written.

Maddie was a great character, and I sadly have to relate to some of her experiences ie the self-loathing and the troubled past. Not on the same level, of course, but I can relate.

I loved seeing the plethora of dark creatures that paraded across the page (as it were). What can I say, I’m a fan of the darker side of the supernatural.

I’m hoping to see more of Lionel in the future.

I don’t quite know how I feel about this book. First off, I didn’t realize there was going to be magic involved, and before magic was included I really enjoyed this book. That isn’t to say magic ruinedthis book, but I felt like it took something away from the story. Along with that, there were times that I just didn’t understand what was going on. I liked the characters, and at times I was really hooked, but by the end I was rushing to just get it done. There were several questions left unanswered but maybe that is for the best.

Thank you to Craig Schaefer and 47North for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It's an interesting plot with mysterious characters and twists enough to be entertaining. It's a little off the cuff but enjoyable.

I am not entirely sure what I expected when I started this book, but I quickly realized that this was not it. I do not mean that in a bad way. This book had me enthralled and was very tough to put down. It kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I constantly could not wait until I got to read more. The plot is strong and flows very well. The characters are very well developed and continue to add depth throughout. This book definitely leaves it open to a follow up, but it also ties up all the loose ends that needed answered to make the book complete. A wonderful book I would definitely recommend if you are interested in Science Fiction.

Smart and brilliant, this thriller is a roller-coaster ride into a world where gods and demigods and semigods and immortals are all still around and occasionally move not just the scenery but the course of the action as well. Lionel Page, a reporter who has spent his career debunking frauds of the purportedly psychic type, becomes involved in an ever-shifting and complex race to track a murderer, keep old gods from killing, and learn some life-saving magic. Along the way readers meet his mentor, Maddie, members of an elitist cult, several cool witches, and some very hungry ghouls. Super fun.

This was my second book by Craig Schaefer and I enjoyed this one just as I did the first one I read (that reminds me, I really have to finish the Daniel Faust series sometime soon).
Ghosts of Ghotam was different, entertaining, and kept my attention. I love stories about magic in a modern setting and this one didn't disappoint. This story is whimsical and yet heavy at the same time. Fast paced plot and an edgy tone made for interesting characters without seeming superficial. The writing was good, the characters pretty well-defined, the plot easy to follow, without being too simplistic. The only thing that didn't really live up to my expectations, after the book gripped me so in the beginning, was the resolution of the mystery/book. I was a little disappointed in how all turned out (but not so much that I didn't fall asleep with a content smile on my face after finishing the book at 1 a.m.). I will defenitely read more of this author.

Lou Jacobs's Reviews > Ghosts of Gotham

Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer
Ghosts of Gotham
by Craig Schaefer (Goodreads Author)
M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review Dec 19, 2018 · edit
it was amazing

Reporter Lionel Page has spent his life debunking and exposing frauds, charlatans and wanna be supernatural beings. His editor has entrenched the idea of reporting the facts of the story ... and not being the story. Suddenly he's confronted with the possibility of exposure of his own buried past. Out of nowhere Regina Dunkle, an apparently wealthy and reclusive heiress contacts him with a deal he can't refuse. In exchange for assuring him that his past will remained buried forever, he is asked to go to New York City to find a long lost unpublished manuscript of Edgar Allan Poe.
In his quest to New York he uncovers numerous nefarious forces trying to obtain the same
manuscript .. for untold purposes, none of which are obvious or for good intentions. Along the way Lionel crosses paths with the magnetic and beautiful Madison Hannah ... who eventually acts as his guide and teacher into the secret and occult side of the Gotham City.
Once aboard the Schaefer train of narrative there is no getting off. Suddenly the unbelievable is the readily plausible and expected. Inexorably the unravelling of the action filled narrative leads down a path of myth and magic ... filled with ghouls , witches and goddesses.
A meld of urban fantasy with elements of horror and supernatural build into a magnificent worldbuilding event. The complex and flawed characters are beautifully rendered into a melange of intrigue. This book is desert for aficionados of Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne and Jonathan Maberry. Thanks to Netgalley and 47North publishers for providing an Uncorrected Ebook proof of this wonderful tale in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoy this writer's Harmony Black series. This series has a touch of the new Greek mythology trend in it. Luckily, I enjoy that, too. And yet I found bits of it to be too much: too much backstory of too many characters, too much movement of too many characters. The first book builds the world, so if this series continues, I would imagine the next book would be less heavy on memory moments.

If you told me to read a book about modern day witches I’d probably pass. But, since I only skimmed the description, this came across as a bibliomystery, which immediately piqued my interest. And what a good thing that was. I mean, this book does actually have a terrific bibliomystery (a different and terrifyingly literal interpretation of a famous Poe story) as its spine, but a lot of the plot has to do with witches. Then again there are also cults or secret societies and conspiracies and occult and suspense and towards the end it gets positively cosmic, so there’s much to love here. But the main thing is that Craig Schaefer is just such a great storyteller. The man seems to specialize in series and trilogies of the similarly natured occult mysteries and since series and trilogies aren’t really my thing, never heard of him until now, but this book is certainly good enough to put him on the radar of any reader interested in speculative fiction. Wildly imaginative scenarios, genre mixing, great characters, realistic dialogue, situations even, despite how otherworldly the ideas get. It just all came together so nicely and worked so well. Last time I’ve experienced this kind of mad mash up of awesome was reading Gene Doucette, probably, which is a high praise indeed. Just a stunningly inventive, genuinely exciting and very, very entertaining adventure. This book is probably going to end up as a book one is either series or trilogy too, there’s certainly enough world building in here to sustain it and it’s possible I wouldn’t be averse to reading it then, if only to see if the magic stays magical as it were. Honesty, I’d be very happy with this book if it never introduced any amount of supernatural into it at all or was very minimal with it and just stay a bibliomystery with an investigative reporter (with a past he tries to hide…oh, and this deserves a mention, what sort of a person tries to disassociate himself from his past by…get this…just dropping one letter from the end of his last name. Like that’s it, from Paget to Page. And for a public figure with a book out and all. That’s the great disguise. How it takes all those years for someone to put two and two together is a miracle. And even though Page’s wanting his past to stay secret is a huge motivation to propel the plot forward, it’s the least logical detail of the book. And the book has magic and witches in it. Madness.) entering into a deal with a shadowy wealthy old woman to find a manuscript for her collection. But the author chose to go with magic and it worked and was tons of fun. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

It was Ok, but not terribly memorable. I never was able to get involved with either of the main characters... or the plot.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

Lionel Page has made a name for himself digging into hoaxes, frauds, and con artists. As an investigative reporter, he’s busted psychics, faith healers and miracle men, exposing their powers for nothing more but parlour tricks.

He’s proved repeatedly that magic didn’t exist. Craig Schaefer’s proved him wrong.

Lionel’s new case gets weird fast. He must believe in the unbelievable or die. Simple.

Schaefer is one of my favourite storytellers. His insane plotting skills impress me more than his utilitarian prose. That said, I appreciate the way he wrote Ghosts of Gotham. It’s easy to read and easy to understand.

Schaefer sets his story in a grim and noisy New York. You don’t have to look far to experience the dark side of humanity The Modern Gomorrah. Rumour has it that Hecate, an arch-manipulator, chose NY as her base. The narrative tallies closely with the Macbeth play though there are a few additions which start things off with an appropriate bang.

For the most part, this story is split between two main characters:

Lionel Page(t) an investigative reporter irresistibly drawn to mysteries. He hasn’t recovered from a childhood trauma (a psycho has killed his mother and people unfortunate enough to host her). He’s a workaholic whose life turns around exposing fake miracles.

Maddie has years of experience and violent past she tries to run away from. Her relationships with other humans are troubled and determined by her self-loathing. But make no mistake. Don’t even try to push her around. Unless you have a death wish.

Characterisation is great and much deeper than in Craig’s other books. I loved getting into Maddie’s chapters. Especially as it becomes obvious that you should never toy with her. Lionel’s chapters are equally good. Maybe even more poignant. He has no choice but to abandon his skepticism and plunge head-on in the world of dark magic and monsters.

I loved all the directions that the story went. I enjoyed foreshadowing that lead to surprising but inevitable twists. Schaefer does them remarkably well. In essence, it’s a simple story about revenge, loneliness, and life. Very Greek. Very emotional, but also fast and furious.

You’ll get to see demons, goblins, witches, semi-goddesses, and others I don’t want to spoil for you. The ending made me excited and satisfied. I wish it wasn’t a standalone book. I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t mind following Lionel’s future endeavours

I don't usually cross over from science fiction to horror but I do have fond memories of the days when I would read Lovecraft, Machen, et al so when I'm caught up with science fiction I might take a chance on a horror novel or collection. This one appeared in the science fiction and fantasy category so figured it would have enough otherworldliness to satisfy but that ended up not being the case. It''s more like a Scooby Doo where the monsters are finally real. The opening scene is a debunking of a TV healer, which comes across as a pet peeve of the author's. The right reader might go for this but it wasn't "weird" enough for me.