Bradstreet Gate


Bradstreet Gate is author Robin Kirman's thrilling debut novel. I was immediately drawn to this book because I love a good thriller, and it sounded like it fit the bill. Bradstreet Gate is less about the murder mystery and more about the lives and friendships surrounding it, but it was still a great page turner with a little mystery and drama thrown in. The back cover reads:

"A tour de force about three friends affected by a campus murder, for readers of Donna Tartt, Meg Wolitzer, and Jeffrey Eugenides

Georgia, Charlie and Alice each arrive at Harvard with hopeful visions of what the future will hold. But when, just before graduation, a classmate is found murdered on campus, they find themselves facing a cruel and unanticipated new reality. Moreover, a charismatic professor who has loomed large in their lives is suspected of the crime. Though his guilt or innocence remains uncertain, the unsettling questions raised by the case force the three friends to take a deeper look at their tangled relationship. Their bond has been defined by the secrets they’ve kept from one another—Charlie’s love and Alice’s envy, Georgia’s mysterious affair—and over the course of the next decade, as they grapple with the challenges of adulthood and witness the unraveling of a teacher's once-charmed life, they must reckon with their own deceits and shortcomings, each desperately in search of answers and the chance to be forgiven.

A relentless, incisive, and keenly intelligent novel about promise, disappointment, and the often tenuous bonds of friendship, Bradstreet Gate is the auspicious debut of a tremendously talented new writer."

Although this book wasn't exactly what I expected, I found myself quickly drawn into the story. Kirman's managed to weave together a fascinating story, following threads of three friends whose lives have all been affected by a murder on their college campus. Her prose is mesmerizing, and I wanted to linger on each page, but found myself tearing through the chapters in a hurry to reach the end and find out what happens. The plot is intricate and complex and can be compared to Gone Girl, but with its own definitely unique vibe. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, dramatic novel - pack this one with you for your vacation. It's a perfect beach read. You won't want to put it down!

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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