It takes more than a little verve to write a story based on the iconic characters created by F. Scott Fitzgerald in perhaps the 20th century s most famous American novel, but Claire Anderson-Wheeler has done just that with The Gatsby Gambit. And, say, old sport, it s delightful.
The Associated Press
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby by shooting Tom Buchanan dead strikes me as a brilliant stroke of literary assassination. With her brother, still besotted with Daisy, looking like the lead suspect and unwilling to protect himself, it s up to his little sister to find the real humanitarian . . . er, killer. Anderson-Wheeler examines questions of class and wealth that feel current in today s tumultuous era.
The Christian Science Monitor
A thoroughly enjoyable mystery story with all the tropes and pleasures of a golden age detective story Well-written and pacy, inflected by the original characters and setting but otherwise unconstrained by them, The Gatsby Gambit romps along in rather happier vein than Fitzgerald might have recognised.
The Guardian
A clever homage to the original novel s criminal underpinnings. Through a combination of familiar characters in new and dramatic situations, Anderson-Wheeler tackles great themes that have preoccupied writers since Fitzgerald and the Lost Generation: money, class, status, and sex.
Oprah Daily
If The Great Gatsby is going to turn into a The Avengers -style bit of intellectual property, with spinoffs of spinoffs of spinoffs and, clearly, it already is then The Gatsby Gambit is an example of how well that could go. Anderson-Wheeler obviously loves and has been thoughtful about the source material, and she has written a novel that respects its elder while, like a boat against the current, she takes its characters in a completely new direction.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Rethink one of America s most beloved literary characters in this page-turning mystery set during the gilded opulence of the Roaring Twenties.
Criminal Element
The Gatsby Gambit fully delivers with the characters we love and the time and setting that made The Great Gatsby so special. Greta is a sharp amateur sleuth who can act almost like an outsider to the people and relationships that make up the Gatsby Mansion. It is a refreshing update indeed!
BookReporter
Anderson-Wheeler has created an engaging protagonist in Greta, whose position just outside Jay's exalted circle makes her an astute observer of it Greta's dawning awareness of her own privilege add texture to the narrative and help point toward the mystery's solution. The novel brims with lavish 1920s details such as etched crystal wineglasses and Jay's Rolls-Royce; it brims, too, with reflections on power, wealth, and who has access to true happiness. Entertaining and slyly philosophical, The Gatsby Gambit is a clever mystery and a neat twist on an American classic.
Shelf Awareness
In a delicious twist on one of my favourite classic tragedies, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Claire Anderson-Wheeler takes his unforgettable characters and shapes their story in a very entertaining Jazz Age, country house murder mystery.
Brown Flopsy
I loved the setting of the book and the atmosphere created between the pages. I sometimes find there s an indescribable something that means I know I will enjoy a book from the first few pages. That s what happened with The Gatsby Gambit. A thoroughly enjoyable, roaring return to 1920s West Egg. I hope there s more investigations from Greta in the future.
From First Page to Last
Lively, smart, and fun, The Gatsby Gambit is both a clever murder mystery and a complex reckoning with a literary legacy. As charming as Daisy Buchanan herself, and as full of pathos.
Flynn Berry, author of New York Times bestseller Northern Spy
With a fiercely defiant female lead and secrets as sharp as the prose, The Gatsby Gambit oozes glamour and intrigue. I loved this bold take on a beloved classic.
Trisha Sakhlecha, author of Can You See Me Now? and The Inheritance.
Claire Anderson-Wheeler brilliantly intertwines the allure of the Jazz Age with a gripping murder mystery in 'The Gatsby Gambit.' A dazzling homage to Fitzgerald's world, this novel captivates from the first page to the last.
Joanna Wallace, author of You d Look Better as a Ghost
Like so many, I m familiar with the dazzling, tragic characters of The Great Gatsby. But in this reimagining of their world, Claire sheds new light on who suffers, and who succeeds. As well as a mystery, it s a coming of age story for Jay s younger sister, Gigi, and I loved her growing insights into her privileged life, and what it costs. It s an accomplished and satisfying read imbued with the luxury and lurking danger in the jewel of West Egg.
S. J. Bennett, bestselling author of the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series.
With an ambitious premise for a debut novel, Wheeler revises Fitzgerald s classic with reassuring authenticity and refreshing zest to deliver a thoroughly satisfying, coy murder mystery. F. Scott would approve.
Booklist
This novel pays homage to the classic with a fresh point of view that will please Gatsby fans and mystery readers. Both Gigi and the novel are clever and breathe new life into one of the definitive novels of the 20th century.
Library Journal
Featuring much of the glamour and sparkle of Fitzgerald s original, this reprise of Gatsby s cautionary tale also revisits the distressing realities behind the glitz. A mystery with a message (and some great jewelry).
Kirkus
