“Right— we’re the good Orientals now. But I still can’t buy a house outside Chinatown. That’s ‘all men are created equal’ for you.”—Amy Chua, The Golden Gate.

In 1944 Berkeley, California, presidential hopeful Walter Wilkinson is found dead in his room at the Claremont Hotel, launching an investigation by Homicide Detective Al Sullivan. Early evidence points to the three granddaughters of wealthy socialite Genevieve Hopkins Bainbridge and links to the 1930 murder of 7-year-old Iris Stafford, rumored to haunt the hotel.

The Golden Gate, written by Yale law professor Amy Chua, is an old-fashioned detective novel rich with California history and real-life figures. The story alternates between Genevieve’s deposition and Sullivan’s first-person narration, weaving in historical nuggets about notable personalities like Margaret Chung, the first Chinese woman physician in the US, and architect Julia Morgan.

Chua effectively combines multiple narratives, creating a detective novel reminiscent of 1940s police procedurals set in San Francisco. While the book offers an engaging plot, the story feels somewhat disjointed at times. Additionally, the depiction of racism and internment camps in the 1940s is disturbing yet thought-provoking.

The Golden Gate is a fascinating read with a strong moral compass and historical depth, earning a solid 4.5 stars. The audio version features a strong ensemble cast.

** Thanks to NetGalley for review copies of the eBook and audiobook. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was an advanced listener’s copy. This was an interesting and unique read. You can tell how much the author cares about the history of the time period in San Francisco. It felt like an oldie detective mystery and that worked for a lot of the read, but ultimately this book didn’t really know its own identity. The pacing dragged and the cat and mouse game with all the sisters and cousins was tiresome. Let’s not forget the grandmother’s testimony, which was unending and frustratingly roundabout. It was just not my type of story.

I will be withholding my review of this book in solidarity with the St. Martin's Press boycott.

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio

I love a historical fiction story with a touch of mystery, and The Golden Gate is a book about just that. The dark murder mystery was fascinating and I loved the full cast narration which really pulled me in.

*many thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The Golden Gate by Amy Chia is a wonderfully written piece of historical fiction and a legal thriller. Characters are realistic and the storyline is gripping. Narration was well done but a physical copy of the book might make keeping track of the many characters more simple.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book as well as listened to the audiobook. With all of the characters and twists and turns, I'm glad I had an ebook copy to read - this story would've been entirely too involved for me to follow along as just an audiobook. If you choose to go the audiobook route, I'd recommend listening when you're able to truly take in the whole story and all of the minute-yet-important details.

I'm impressed with the depth of the intrigue Chua managed to weave into this dark murder mystery. Parts of the story were engaging and intriguing, while other parts were a bit too cliche old-Hollywood, but overall it was an interesting story that left you second-guessing the characters and who really was the guilty party until the very end. Chua also includes quite a bit of accurate, though at times hard to read, history, dialogue, and prejudices that were an all-too-real part of life in this country, and particularly the west coast, in the 1930s and 1940s. For me, though, the most interesting part of the story was the history of the Bay Area that had been interwoven into the narrative.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a decently engaging historical fiction/mystery. I feel like I would have liked it more in an ebook or physical copy as the audio version kept losing my attention. The narrator wasn't the problem, I just kept losing track of what was happening/all the characters. Still enjoyed it though!

What a great historical fiction meets murder mystery in this captivating novel. I enjoyed the family drama that came along with this novel and loved the narration by Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren and Tim Campbell! You can tell this novel was well thought out and a lot of time went into character development. The setting was historically accurate too, as it takes place during WWII. The way the author combines the multiple characters and timeliness is seamless. I would definitely recommend for any historical fiction readers.

I was intrigued to read Amy Chua's first foray into the fiction world after reading two of her nonfiction books a couple of years ago. This book is a historical mystery.
As expected of a Yale professor her research is impeccable and quite a few historical figures and historically accurate events are portrayed in these pages. The tone of the male centric, anti Mexican and anti Japanese feel of the 1940s with its understanding of mental health issues and their treatment still in its relative infancy is well captured and portrayed. The scene setting feels very authentic. Against this background a mystery Detective Al Sullivan (who is hiding the fact he has a Mexican father behind his mother's maiden name) needs to investigate the killing of a prominent politician at the Claremont Hotel in California. The mystery is well plotted and I was captivated by the pool of viable suspects and their respective motives. Great storytelling - I combined my reading of the eARC with the audio (thank you @netgalley@minotaur_books@macmillan.audio).
The audio was so well done and expertly narrated by not just one but three distinct narrators. The different voices definitely helped keeping this intricate story and it's slew of actors straight.

An engaging murder mystery set in the 1940's, in Berkeley, California, The Golden Gate had me with its title. After that irresistible finger-wag, I was onboard from Chapter 1.

A rich family, a presidential candidate, a ghost, a major political power of China, an old historic hotel, a brand new detective, and I have to admit my favorite was the 11-year old sidekick. That's a new twist! Reminded me of Flavia de Luce in the Alan Bradley books. . .

Full of California and historical references, twists and turns aplenty, likeable characters and good plot development, this was an enjoyable romp through a mystery that kept me wondering to the very end. Bonus: Author's Note was a satisfying bow tying up the Whys and Wherefores of her writing choices, always an enjoyable treat for this reader. . . motivations are all.

*A sincere thank you to Amy Chua, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.*

I’ve said it before, I am not a fan of historical fiction. Predominately this is due to authors taking gross liberties with historical events that I despise; however, this novel does not fall in this category. Amy Chua paints an incredibly vivid and realistic picture of the greater Bay Area in 1944. I am intimately acquainted with the areas and cities she references and found the descriptions of the landscape to be cathartic. If you are familiar, imagine the Berkley Hills eighty years prior and how vastly different it is from today.

The historical realism of the plot was absolutely on point in discussing the systemic racism and prejudice in California politics, police departments, housing, schooling, etc. during the WWII era. For being considered a “golden” state of opportunity, California was actually not welcoming to the many immigrants that called it home during this time. Forced ethnic enclaves through segregated housing and schooling, corruption at local and state levels, and social class caste systems made sure only those with a WASP background succeeded.

Homicide Detective Al Sullivan is investigating the murder of presidential candidate Walter Wilkinson which occurred at the famed Claremont Hotel in San Francisco under seemingly unusual circumstances. His investigation takes him throughout the Bay Area to question many possible leads from lower echelon workers to the upper-class elite. As the plot thickens around the murder, a sub and side plot emerge simultaneously.

Chua’s writing style makes each plot line easy to follow and they ultimately culminate in one grand finale. Historical facts and additions are woven within each plot line which add immensely to the story. I enjoyed the incredible amount of research this novel took and its vivid portrayal of the era. I can see how these historical references may make the story slow to progress for non-history buffs, however, give this novel a chance. The big reveals in the end and the weaving of multiple plot lines are genius.

NetGalley audio given for an honest review
Debut novel written by author of several non-fiction books, particularly know for Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom.

San Francisco has always held a warm place in my heart. I lived in the area for many years and am sadden by the recent problems in this Golden city. So I was interested to listen to a book that combined a historical perspective and a good mystery. I did get a print copy of the book to refer to while listening to it primarily in the audio.

Stuck between 3 and 4 stars. Rounded up for the ending.

A mystery with strong Historical fiction overtones. The mystery was a good one. It had me guessing during most of the story though the identity of the murderer was one I suspected many times but there were enough red herrings placed well that I questioned my own choices multiple times. In the end the story and the many pieces came together well. The solution was well thought out and was a good story in itself. I did enjoy how the author crafted a multiple faceted story with many elements that show how problems and prejudices of the past are still with us. I also found much of the true history that was woven in added an extra dimension. There is much here about San Francisco during WWII that is uncovered and kept me reading.

The plot of the story concerns two deaths, one an obvious murder of a statesman and one a possible accidental death of a child that happen 14 years apart in the beautiful Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. A prominent family and especially a grandmother and her three surviving granddaughters figure as possible suspects. Around them swirls political intrigue and problems of the time, including the wife of Chiang-Kai-Shek living in Berkeley, Japanese interment camps, child labor and so much more.

The detective, Al Sullivan, half Jewish, half hispanic is on the case and carries baggage of his own. The granddaughters are rich and beautiful and each with their own reasons for wanted the statesman dead. These well known mystery elements are well used but that also makes them somewhat predictable.

There were several times I felt the author overworked the historical facts she layered in the story. Several times the information about the building the Golden gate bridge or info about the Redwoods did little to move the story forward and instead brought me away from the action at hand. It was obvious she enjoyed her research and wanted impart this these facts to the reader but these had little to do with the story at hand.

In all I felt it was a great first effort for a novice mystery writer. It felt a little long and a little meandering into historical fact at times but the story in its completion had much more positives than negatives and I did love the ending. Even though it confirmed my suspicions the solution was an excellent one, often hard to do in a mystery. I imagine this might be the beginning of a mystery series and I would definitely be there for the next one.

P.S. a few words about the audio. The narration has a cast of three, Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren and Tim Campbell. I am not a big fan of multiple narrator audio. That is a personal taste. I don't like the book to interpret too much of the emotion for me. Moreira was great as the detective voice and Toren fit the grandmother perfectly. Tim Campbell was excellent. The narration at times sounded too much like a radio drama at times for my taste but others may love this. The other comment was the director chose to use a type of dialogue interview between Moreira and the author at the end to talk about book background and the elements of narration. This was interesting but became a little of a love fest between the two and it was used rather than the historical background in the Author's note given at the end of the print. I felt the Author's note would be a much better use of this space on the recording.

Thank you to NetGalley for supplying this recording

This is a good murder mystery that suffers from “tries too hard “syndrome. It wants to be “noir “and it just “tries too hard. “I absolutely cannot stand the narration in the audiobook! It was almost like a caricature of a 1940s radio program. The story had enough twists that it kept me engaged, despite the book being about 1/4 too long. I wouldn’t recommend it to my students, because there are too many instances of the subject matter being inappropriate for teens. That being said, if a student found it on his or her own, and wanted to real it I certainly would allow it. With a few caveats. There are sections that are excellent examples of creating a setting, so I would certainly consider using them as mentor texts in a class. There is a lot of outdated language and hideous examples of racism which, albeit were prevalent during the time period, are disturbing and unsettling to hear now. Part of the problem was, I just didn’t like any of the characters very much. You have to feel some sympathy in order to care, and mostly, I just didn’t.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Golden Gate is a riveting mystery full of intriguing characters and interesting historical details. Detective Al Sullivan investigates the murder of a high profile politician at the swanky Claremont Hotel. Sullivan soon uncovers connections to a tragic accident that happened at the same hotel over a decade ago. Even more troubling is that those connections lead to one of San Francisco’s most influential family’s. Taking place in the shadows of WWII this glittering novel will keep you on your toes!

“If I told a jury that Japs killed Santa Claus, I could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Everything changes, Sullivan, once you’ve got a different color defendant in the box. There isn’t a jury in this state that wouldn’t send a Jap to the gas chamber if they had a chance.”

4.5 stars, rounded upward.

‘The Golden Gate marks the authorial debut for Amy Chua, a badass author whose stories will be read for a long, long time. My thanks go to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the review copies. This book is for sale now.

Our story is set during two time periods, 1930 and 1944, in Berkeley, California. Detective Al Sullivan is investigating a murder whose roots are inextricably tangled with those of another, in 1930. Our point of view shifts often, both in time period and narrator. Most of it is told in the first person, either by Sullivan or by the elderly Genevieve Bainbridge, grandmother of the victim in the 1930 murder, now ready, in full Mama Bear protective mode, to do whatever she must to protect what family she has left.

The narrative has a strong noir flavor, and I halfway expect to find Humphrey Bogart around the corner, smoking and looking pensive. However, there is something Chua brings to the story that Bogart never did: a frank look at the injustices of the period, from the immense disparity of wealth among the denizens of Northern California, to the shameless victimization of people of color, who were much fewer in number in this part of the world then, than now.

I put this information up front, because in the early portion of the novel it isn’t obvious that the racism isn’t being highlighted, rather than propagated. I nearly discontinued reading this book because the “J” word is a hot button for me, and I initially believed that it was being used as a lazy way to depict the culture of Anglo Caucasians during this time period. I’ve seen it done many times, the use of the racial slur against Japanese because the author believed it increased the story’s authenticity. In Chua’s case, it’s the opposite.

The solution provided at the end relies overmuch on the journal of Mrs. Bainbridge, and in places, the details of the murder, and the motivation for same, are a stretch. For that reason, I initially rated this fine novel four stars. In the end, though, I realized that the social justice component more than makes up for it.

I was fortunate enough to have both the audio and digital galleys. Although the readers do a creditable job, the complexity of the story, including frequent changes of place, time period, and point of view, make for a confusing listening experience. For that reason I recommend the print version over the audio, unless both are available together.

Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a murder mystery set in San Francisco during the early 1940's. The tone is classic noir and captures the place and time very well. The main character, a gritty half-Mexican detective who hides his ethnicity is well drawn and interesting. I especially enjoyed the mini-history lessons on San Francisco and California history. They were concise, well-placed, and didn't disrupt the flow of the story.

I listened to the audio edition of this book. It was well performed and enjoyable.

I received this audiobook as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

The musical introduction to this audiobook was beautiful… a pleasing dramatic way to begin the book.

The narrators of this audiobook are superb and impressive bringing this story to life.

I love how Amy Chua has woven the history and social caste system of San Francisco into this murder mystery.

Fascinating legal thriller set in the 1940s in California. Loved the characters, the setting and of course the processing of trying to figure out "who dun it." I also really enjoyed the ending where the narrator and the author discusses the novel and the author's personal story behind it.

In 1940s San Francisco, former presidential candidate Walter Wilkinson is found murdered in his room at the Claremont Hotel. Eyewitness accounts are indicative of a woman’s presence in his room before the murder. Three young women from an affluent and well-connected family - Nicole and Cassie Bainbridge and their cousin Isabella Stafford- are among the suspects. In 1930 Isabella’s sister Iris, seven years old at the time, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the same hotel. Coincidence or is the recent murder somehow connected to the family tragedy?

Detective Al Sullivan of Berkeley P.D., who is half Mexican but passes for white – a fact that helped him secure his position, is tasked with the investigation. A deep dive into Wilkinson’s life reveals his personal connections to key political figures, affluent families including the Bainbridge family, as well as some shady dealings. Who killed Walter Wilkinson and why? Political rivalry or personal grudges?

Combining elements of historical fiction, family drama and classic detective fiction, The Golden Gate by Amy Chua is a skillfully crafted novel with well-thought-out characters (a combination of fictional as well as those based on real people) and meticulously researched and vividly described historical backdrop of WWII era America/ 1940s California- the politics, the socio-economic divide, the racism and class distinction and much more. The 1940s timeline is shared from the perspective of Detective Sullivan with the deposition of the girls’ grandmother, Genevieve Bainbridge as she is questioned about her granddaughters’ possible involvement in the murder, interspersed throughout the narrative along with past events from multiple timelines. The pacing is a tad uneven but not so much that detracts from the overall reading experience. The author weaves these multiple threads, characters and timelines into an atmospheric and absorbing narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it to fans of historical fiction and/or fans of hardboiled detective fiction set in that era.

Do read the Author’s Note wherein she discusses the research that went into crafting this story and the different people and historical events that inspired this novel.

I combined my reading with the audiobook narrated by Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren, and Tim Campbell who have done an incredible job of voicing the characters and bringing the story to life.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the digital review copy and the ALC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"The Golden Gate" a debut novel by Amy Chua masterfully weaves a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of 1944 Berkeley, CA, a city pulsating with political intrigue and hidden secrets. The story revolves around the shocking murder of the notorious politician, Walter Wilkinson, whose lifeless body is discovered in the famous Claremont Hotel. At the helm of this mystery is Detective Al Sullivan, a character whose complexity adds depth to an already engaging storyline.
Sullivan, a brilliant detective who defied discrimination and societal prejudice, embodies resilience and determination. His multicultural heritage and the challenges he faced growing up are skillfully portrayed, making him a relatable and empathetic protagonist. His journey from a marginalized individual to a respected detective underscores themes of identity, prejudice and triumph over adversity.
The novel's plot thickens as Wilkinson's murder becomes entangled with the enigmatic death of young Iris Bainbridge, a decade before at the same hotel. Iris is one of the wealthy, well known Bainbridge matriarch's granddaughters. The ties that bind these characters together are intricate, and the author expertly keeps readers guessing with an array of potential suspects. Wilkinson, the victim emerges a complex figure, disliked by many. Wilkinson is also rumored to have had an affair with Chiang Kai-shek, the wife of the general battling Mao Tse Tung for the leadership of China. The murder suspicion cast upon the Bainbridge sisters adds layers of mystery and the web of deceit grows more tangled with every page.
What sets The Golden Gate apart is its ability to transport readers to the complex time in 1944, from the glamour of the Claremont Hotel to the simmering tensions underlying the political landscape. The vivid descriptions and historical details were captivating. The inclusion of San Francisco's history as a backdrop adds richness to the narrative. The city with its storied past and iconic landmarks, becomes a character in itsellf, immersing readers in a time when it was undergoing significant transformations.
The narrative is rife with unexpected twists and turns. Chua's clever plotting and intricate character development create a thrilling tapestry of deception and suspense. Each revelation peels away layers of the character's facades, revealing hidden motives and long-buried secrets.
Sullivan's character adds a profoundly human dimension to the story. His relationship with his eleven-year old niece, forged through unexpected circumstances, is a heartwarming aspect of the narrative. Their bond not only showcases Sullivan's resilience and compassion but also brings a tender, familial touch to the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me the audiobook. The audiobook narrator did an exceptional job with the characters which made it all the more enjoyable.