The Golden Door by
Kerry Jamieson
pbk out April 04
(Hodder)
at £10.99
Will is an Irish immigrant lucky to be earning a passable living in New York in 1930, the
height of the Depression. Will is a riveter, building the highest skyscraper in the world,
working far above the city streets with nothing to save him should he stumble and fall. In the
stifling heat of summer Will anticipates the arrival of his half-sister Isobel from Dublin. But
when he goes to meet her at Ellis Island she is missing. Although her name is clear on the
ship's manifest she has vanished before reaching Immigration Control. Running errands for
his boss, Will is drawn into a reckless affair with a wealthy socialite whose husband is linked
to a sinister political movement. Making slow progress in the attempts to find Isobel Will
finally accepts help from lethal union agitator Foxy Nolan. The trail leads them back to Ellis
Island and to the two islands nearby where they find a horrific secret festering in the Land of
the Free.
Kerry Jamieson specialises in writing about the 1930's and the depiction of the era is
excellent, especially the detailed account of life as an immigrant worker. This is her first
novel and the mystery is a little slow to develop with few surprises as to the direction it will
take. Will's Damascene political awakening didn't quite ring true, suiting the plot rather than
the characterisation. Nevertheless this is an engaging read from a promising young writer.
Manchester Evening News 8.5.04
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
The Golden Door by
Kerry Jamieson
