The Night Gate

Synopsis

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE CHINA THRILLERS
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021

'Enzo MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met.' BookBrowse
'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books

In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart.

Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train - one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown.

And Enzo's investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders - the Mona Lisa.

Tasked by the exiled General Charles de Gaulle to keep the world's most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa as it is moved from château to château by the Louvre, she finds herself just one step ahead of two German art experts sent to steal it for rival patrons - Hitler and Göring.

What none of them know is that the Louvre itself has taken exceptional measures to keep the painting safe, unwittingly setting in train a fatal sequence of events extending over seven decades.

Events that have led to both killings.

The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. In his latest novel, Peter May shows why he is one of the great contemporary writers of crime fiction.

LOVED THE NIGHT GATE? Read the first book in the acclaimed China Thrillers, THE FIREMAKER
LOVE PETER MAY? Order his thrilling standalone, A SILENT DEATH

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Summary

Chapter 1: The Night Gate

* Summary: The chapter introduces Francine, a woman who experiences a disturbing encounter at the gate of her apartment building. As she attempts to enter, the latch seems to resist her, and she hears a voice whisper her name. Francine is shaken by the experience and begins to suspect she is being watched.
* Example: "The gate creaked open with an eerie groan, as if it were resisting her entry. As she stepped through, she heard a faint whisper: 'Francine.' It sent a chill down her spine."

Chapter 2: The Unseen Observer

* Summary: Francine investigates the strange occurrence at the gate and discovers that other residents have also had unsettling experiences. She becomes increasingly paranoid and begins to feel like she is being followed.
* Example: "As Francine questioned her neighbors, she found that several of them had witnessed strange movements outside their windows and had heard similar whispers in the night."

Chapter 3: Shadow in the Window

* Summary: Francine becomes convinced that a malevolent entity is targeting her. She sees shadowy figures in her apartment and hears whispers that grow louder and more threatening.
* Example: "Francine caught a glimpse of a dark shape lurking in the shadows of her bedroom. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, but the terror it left behind was palpable."

Chapter 4: The Midnight Caller

* Summary: Francine receives a series of anonymous phone calls, with the caller breathing heavily and making disturbing statements. She becomes convinced that the calls are connected to the entity that is stalking her.
* Example: "The phone rang at midnight, shattering the silence. Francine listened in horror as the caller exhaled heavily into the receiver, echoing the whispers she had been hearing."

Chapter 5: The Ritual

* Summary: Francine learns from an elderly neighbor that the night gate is associated with an ancient ritual. She believes the entity is trying to torment her in order to complete the ritual.
* Example: "Mrs. Jenkins, the elderly neighbor, spoke in hushed tones. 'That gate... it's a symbol of an ancient evil. Someone is performing a dark ritual, and you are at the heart of it.'"

Chapter 6: The Showdown

* Summary: Francine confronts the entity at the night gate, armed with the knowledge of the ritual. She faces her fears and uses her newfound strength to banish the malevolent force.
* Example: "With a trembling hand, Francine approached the gate. The whisper had returned, but it now sounded weak and distant. She mustered all her courage and declared, 'I will not be your sacrifice!'"

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

* Summary: Francine emerges from her ordeal triumphant. She has faced her fears and broken free from the entity's torment. The apartment building and its residents are returned to peace.
* Example: "The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the apartment building. Francine stood victorious, her spirit renewed and her nightmares finally behind her."