Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.
In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan’s investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.
The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now Iris’s sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth―not the powerful influence of Bainbridges’ grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley’s district attorney, or the interest of China’s First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings―Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.
Chua’s page-turning debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history.
Written by the Tiger Mom herself, when I saw this book at the airport bookstore of all places, I just had to pick it up for myself and read it on the plane. And I did. It was definitely a spontaneous purchase but honestly I don’t have many regrets—it’s always nice to be one of the early readers of a book when they come out. It was a thriller/murder mystery written by an Asian female lawyer; the choice was easy.
The Golden Gate follows our detective, Al Sullivan, as he investigates the high-profile murder of Walter Wilkinson in the luxurious Claremont hotel. Setting place in 1944 as the “present,” Al investigates the case where all three of the Bainbridge heiresses have been implicated in the murder as possible suspects. With a high-profile murder, there are also many other powerful forces at play, including China’s First Lady, and the suspects’ grandmother, Genevieve Bainbridge. Just how did this unfortunate family get involved in such a messy situation, and who will end up being punished for the crime?
The characters were all pretty good in this book. I really enjoyed following our detective as he navigated through all the shady and suspicious characters involved in his investigation. The character development (as far as thrillers and mysteries go) was also pretty good, and it was easy to get invested into the characters and subsequently the mystery that begs to be solved. There were a good amount of characters in and out of the story that really lent itself to a book that I finished fairly quickly.
The plot was overall decent, but I think it suffered from a couple of drawbacks. While the history was done very well, and the characters set into the times well too, in my opinion there were just a few too many side plotlines to follow. They were not necessarily bad per se, but there were a few going in wildly different directions (although tied together at the end) that I didn’t feel like some of them really added enough to the story. Rather for me some of it detracted from the main story, which I felt was very exciting.
This suspense in this book was quite well done, and there was so much intrigue and mystery involved with both the plot and the setting as well. The pace of the book was definitely one of the better parts (putting aside the some plot points), and I really enjoyed how the truth slowly unfurled itself through the different chapters and POVs. I thought it was going to be pretty predictable, and though it wasn’t anything so crazy, I thought the twists and turns were well done, and I definitely cocked my head in confusion more than once towards the end.
The ramp up towards the climax and finale is quite fast, and a lot happens in the final part of the book. I think I wished it was a bit more drawn out, and I think in my perfect world I would have drawn out certain plot points and shortened some others, or have them more woven in. As it stands, like I said the plot was well-paced in general but I felt for better intrigue and plot weaving, I think the denouement could have been executed a bit differently. Overall, still a great read though.
I feel like I gave it a bit of a weak rating, and I think re-thinking it, it would be something like a 3.75 for me. It just wasn’t that good, and it didn’t have that x factor making it really suspenseful. This truly was one of those thriller/murder mystery mixes, and I think I didn’t fully buy into either trope here. It split the difference which for some reason didn’t really work for me here. But you might think differently! It’s certainly quite the story set in a historical period, and I think if those sound good to you then I would give this book a try.
Overall Recommendations
The Golden Gate is a historical mystery/thriller that revolves around a detective trying to solve a high-profile murder case involving three heiresses as potential suspects. Full of intrigue and twists and turns you may or may not see coming, this one definitely had me at the edge of my seat towards the very end. It reads something in between a mystery and thriller, with unreliable (and suspicious) characters at every turn to lead you astray. Overall a good read, and I can recommend it if the premise interests you!
Down the Rabbit Hole 
Although I get that the author was writing about racism, the repeated slurs of Japanese people was quite offensive. It seems gratuitous and detracted from the story. I’m surprised that a publisher would promote such derogatory wording. Calling Japanese people by that slur is as offensive as the N word is to many Americans.
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