"The Alienist meets The City & The City in this brilliant debut that mixes fantasy and mystery. Gilda Carr's 'tiny mysteries' pack a giant punch."

-- David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder As a Fine Art

"[In] W.M. Akers's superb debut,"Westside,"...his research is excellent...his prose sharply crystalline." -- New York Times

"A fascinating, delightfully twisty mystery. Westside crosses prohibition-era New York with the dark strangeness of Neverwhere. Fierce young detective Gilda Carr makes you believe that small mysteries hold the answers to everything." -- Erika Swyler, bestselling author of The Book of Speculation and Light from Other Stars

"Akers' debut novel is an addictively readable fusion of mystery, dark fantasy, alternate history, and existential horror...It's like a literary shot of Prohibition-era rotgut moonshine--bracing, quite possibly hallucination-inducing, and unlike anything you've ever experienced before...The illegitimate love child of Algernon Blackwood and Raymond Chandler." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A cast of meticulously developed and memorable characters as well as strong worldbuilding and atmospherics...Fans of genre-bending fiction will relish this inventive mix of mystery and the paranormal." -- Publishers Weekly

"Full of action and colorful characters, this genre mash-up is expertly done and will be enjoyed by fans of mysteries and fantasy alike." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Akers' hugely enjoyable debut marries inventive alt-history with truly strange magic and a protagonist you won't soon forget." -- B&N Sci Fi & Fantasy Blog