The Gold Coast (Paperback)

Gold Coast is one that never particularly appealed to me; although I knew nothing about it other than what was on the back cover. It was the one I never bought and never read, because it seemed the least likely to interest me. But I ran out of everything else and finally bought it the other day. It was a modest revelation. I could not believe it was by the same author as the other stuff, other than maybe The Charm School. The point above about my usually "settling" for DeMille is to emphasize just how wonderful I thought this book was, and how much I think it transcends his other work and other novels out there.

The characters are exceptionally well developed. After finishing the book, I felt as though I could tell you what they might do in situations not presented by the book, for example; in other words, I understood them. The story, the setting, and the sense of place and history were equally impressive. The writing was even above his usual standard.

In short, this is an excellent book for anyone that simply enjoys good fiction, whether you are a DeMille fan or not. I suspect his strongest advocates love this book too, but the reason I took time out to write this review, which I rarely do, is to suggest that those of you, like me, who though his other stuff was merely good not great, might really be dramatically surprised by this one.

As is the case with many of DeMille's novels, John Sutter is a hoot. His insights into life in general, the Gold Coast in particular, and his encounters with the local Mafia Don are very funny. The novel is written in first person, not a perspective I always like, but here it is extraordinarily effective. The reader comes to know, like, and care about John Sutter and his deepening predicament. DeMille's prose is superb. The writing is clear and crisp. The storyline starts out at a leisurely pace, but it always keeps the reader's attention and interest, and the plot quickly picks up momentum. This is an absorbing and very funny story.

DeMille is one of the great novelists of the times. I do not exaggerate; many of his books in my opinion are instant classics. The Gold Coast is one of these.