The Golden Gate, the 7th installment in the Tides of Fortune series is set in 1852 San Francisco. The gold rush is in full swing and the city is growing by leaps and bounds from 900 to 20,000 in a few years. The city even grew into San Francisco Bay.
With exponential growth, the authorities were unable to enforce order in the city. Gangs ruled the streets. Several of these were main players in the story.
The Sidney Ducks - The majority of members were from the then-British penal colony of Australia. A smaller number were Irish who migrated to Australia before moving on to San Francisco. The gang was blamed for the 1849 fire.
The Hounds - The hard core of this gang were Mexican War veterans from New York who had been mustered out in California and hadn’t returned home. Several of the Hounds had been schooled in the notorious Five Points and Bowery gangs of New York City, and they established headquarters in a large tent they dubbed “Tammany Hall.
The Committee for Vigilance - A vigilante group formed in 1851 to “clean up” the city.
Nick Van Doren, the protagonist, and leader of the crew of the Panther manipulates the gang leaders to enable them to escape from an old nemesis.