The Gates of Evangeline is a solid mystery suspense with a flair of supernatural elements. It was reminiscent of both Steig Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo as well as Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects (although not quite as intensely dark as Flynn). Sent to a remote area of the Louisiana bayou, New York journalist Charlie Cates is tasked with writing a book about the 30-year-old kidnapping of the son of an illustrious and historic southern family. Dealing with her own recent personal trauma, Charlie attempts to uncover long-buried secrets while seeking some peace of her own. The Gates of Evangeline successfully combines paranormal elements with a more classic mystery narrative to deliver an enjoyable, and at times, hair-raising read.

I really did enjoy this book overall. The story and the pacing were interesting enough to get me to finish the book, but I had some issues with it that prevented a higher rating. The Louisiana setting and central mystery of the plot drew me in, but I found all of the characters to be little more than caricatures of "Northerners" and "Southerners"- the attempt at dialect for some of them was particularly irritating. Although, since this is a first novel, it could just be that it was an awkward initial attempt at trying to lend the characters some authenticity.

I'm not sure that I'd read the other books in the series, once they're available, even though I did find "Gates" to be a real page-turner.

I figured out the mystery pretty quick and the ending was trite, but I still enjoyed the book. It wasn't bad, just predictable.

The Gates of Evangeline was such an unexpected surprise of a book! I loved the story as well as the subplots involving Charlie dealing with the grief of losing her young son. I believe this is the author’s debut and I am incredibly impressed by her storytelling abilities.

I have read several works of fiction about the grief of a parent after losing a child. I have to say this book is one of the most moving that I have ever read. The author did a great job of Charlie conveying the many emotions of a woman in the throes of unimaginable grief. I liked that the book was not only about Charlie solving a decades old mystery, but also her struggles to move on after her son’s death.

The secondary characters were intriguing and I liked learning about the scandals of the Deveau family. Also, there is a touch of romance, but it didn’t overpower the story.

The mystery was intriguing and I liked the paranormal angle. I loved the eerie vibe while reading and I enjoyed the setting of an older southern mansion. The book is more spooky than scary with the pacing on the slower side. I liked the buildup though and I felt like the climax really delivered.

The Gates of Evangeline a terrific book that will appeal to fans of Southern Gothic novels.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy for review!

I'm a sucker for a good Southern gothic romance/mystery and The Gates of Evangeline did not disappoint.

Eagerly awaiting the second installment next year.

great writing, good mystery but the ending is quite cheesy & tidy

I mostly liked this book but only gave it three stars for a couple of reasons:
- A one night stand with a guy that you barely know; I get it, you are hurting but really?
- I flew through the last half of the book because the mystery had gotten pushed under all these other inconsequential things
- The ending of the book was so ridiculous.

I would recommend the book if you have nothing else really to read but I do not plan on continuing to read anymore of this author's books.

[3.5 stars]

I love me some Southern family drama and books about wealthy people behaving badly, so it’s not surprising that those aspects of this debut novel appealed to me. But, The Gates of Evangeline also contains a number of elements that usually turn me off: ghosts/visions, a cliche romance, some cheesy writing, and some predictable plot twists.

But, I really enjoyed this book despite all the red flags. It reads quickly and easily and, though I guessed a couple of the major plot points early on, I was surprised by most of the surrounding details. Maybe I just needed a solid Southern family drama page turner or, maybe, I just needed an easy read. Whatever the reason, The Gates of Evangeline came along at just the right time and would make a great beach read.

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