W
W.M. Akers
Westside Lights
Synopsis
In 1923, private detective Gilda Carr searches for peace aboard a stolen yacht with ex-gangster Cherub Stevens — until eight people are slaughtered on the deck of the Misery Queen, Cherub among the dead. Hunted by both the police and the mob as the prime suspect, Gilda must solve the tiny mystery of who killed her friend before it becomes the last mystery she ever solves.
Genres
Characters
Gilda CarrProtagonist
Private detective in 1923 Westside Manhattan who solves "tiny mysteries"; becomes the prime suspect when a massacre kills eight people aboard her stolen yacht.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read the previous Gilda Carr books before Westside Lights?
Westside Lights is the third and final book in W.M. Akers's Gilda Carr Tiny Mystery trilogy, following Westside (2019) and Westside Saints (2020). It continues Gilda's story directly from the events of Westside Saints, so reading the earlier two books first is recommended.
Is Westside Lights a fantasy novel or a mystery novel?
Both. Westside Lights is set in an alternate 1923 Manhattan where the walled-off Westside district is a dangerous, half-magical no-man's-land, and it follows private detective Gilda Carr investigating a murder — blending historical fantasy and hardboiled mystery in the tradition the series has used throughout.