Gilded Needles Audiobook By Michael McDowell cover art

Gilded Needles

Valancourt 20th Century Classics

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Gilded Needles

By: Michael McDowell
Narrated by: R. C. Bray
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Welcome to the Black Triangle, New York's decadent district of opium dens, gambling casinos, drunken sailors, gaudy hookers, and back room abortions. The queen of this unsavory neighborhood is Black Lena Shanks, whose family leads a ring of female criminals-women skilled in the art of cruelty. Only a few blocks away, amidst the elegant mansions and lily-white reputations of Gramercy Park and Washington Square, lives Judge James Stallworth.

On a crusade to crush Lena's evil empire, the judge has sentenced three of her family members to death. And now she wants revenge. One Sunday, all the Stallworths receive invitations-to their own funerals. Can even the wealth and power of the Stallworth family protect them from Lena's diabolical lust for vengeance?

©1980, 2017 Estate of Michael McDowell (P)2017 Valancourt Books LLC Historical Fiction Horror Scary
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This story gave me bad dreams. It was a lot to take in… “Sensory overload”, as one of my fellow bookclub members stated. Moral of the story, watch how you judge people you deem lesser than you and definitely watch how you treat people. Some people will do Karma’s work for her.

Disturbing and haunting story

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RC Bray nailed it as usual. Interesting story. Slow to start, but gradually pulled me in. Story is worth a listen, but probably not a second for me.

RC Bray does no wrong

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Loved it! Wonder why it took me 45 years to read it! A must read! I will share it with my friends!

Great Suprize

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I was expecting some horror. Maybe even some supernatural. Long build up for a fizzled ending

Dark and gritty descriptions,

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Another excellent novel by one of my favorite authors. Initially I was blasé about the story line but it came together. The descriptions of poverty and despair were brutal. The polarities in the story were both stark and nuanced.

Stellar

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Yes. This is why Stephen King said he was the best paperback writer in America!

Michael McDowell, ladies and gentlemen

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RC Bray is one of my favorite narrators and I’m disappointed he’d get a script that has the “N” word in there and agree to still say it. Same goes for the writer.

N bomb much?

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