The Bull at the Gate, by Linda Acaster, is the second in the
Torc of Moonlight trilogy of occult romantic thrillers. I read the first and
have been waiting for this second with some impatience. It was worth the wait.
Linda Acaster is a writer with talent. That she’s done
research in depth for this book is clear. The detail, especially of the
archaeology and history of York, is superb. I thought I knew the city, but I’ve
learned things I never even suspected. York is, in fact, another character in
the book.
The story is complex; an intertwining of present day events
with those occurring in Roman York. And, ever-present, the raison d’être of hero
Nick’s every move, is the enigmatic and mysterious entity that may or may not
be Alice. The past returns to haunt Nick, literally, as he struggles to recover
from the devastation of loss that occurred earlier in his life. To complicate
matters, a new woman emerges uninvited into his life. Sophie is clearly a girl intent
on a good time and, when she goes missing, her association with Nick places him
in the field as a prime suspect with the local police.
Are Nick’s experiences real, imaginary, glimpses of another
world and time, or the product of a damaged mind struggling with a past event
too difficult to face? In weaving the tale, Linda Acaster keeps the reader
guessing, providing clues but muddying the waters with an unreliable narrator.
Is this book crime, romance, historical, occult, or is it
both a combination of these and something else entirely? And does it matter
that it crosses genres? As a reader, such classification isn’t important to me.
What matters is a gripping tale populated by characters I can empathise with
and others I can thoroughly dislike. And this book provides exactly that. Had
my circumstances been different, I would have read this at one sitting. As it
was, I found myself eager to read it whenever time and opportunity allowed. I
was driven to reach the end, to discover what would happen.
As with the first book in the series, this is a well-told
tale with real depth and multiple themes explored in a unique style. And, as
expected of a work of intelligence, it makes demands of the reader. There are
several WTF? moments, times when the reader has to pause to consider, times
when questions arise unanswered only to be clarified later in the story. I like
that. Reading is far from a passive activity and Linda Acaster’s writing brings
the occupation to life in a unique way.
I enjoyed the read and have no hesitation in recommending
the book. And, let’s have the final book as soon as possible!
