This was such a clever and immersive historical fiction novel. It was set during a time period that I had never read about before and I was so ignorant of the issues that Sicilians had gone through when they moved to the US.

Not only did I learn a lot while reading the book, but I grew very fond of the main character. It was lovely to see her throw off the 'shackles' that had been placed upon her by her feelings of responsibility to her in-laws after her husband's death. It was quite melancholic at times, but the atmosphere of the book shone throughout and I felt myself researching orchids afterwards.

I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

The year is 1923 and the reader is immersed in the not so 'good 'ol days' of Little Italy, New York. A time when prohibition was the law and the 'Black Hand' enforced a protection racket. A time of first generation immigrants, overcrowded tenements, speakeasy's, rum runners, racketeers, bootleggers, and police corruption.

It was also a period of intense racial prejudice and xenophobia. The Italians disliked the Jewish. The Jewish disliked the Irish. The Irish disliked the Asians. The Protestants disliked the Catholics. And... EVERYBODY hated the Sicilians because of their fear of the Sicilian gangsters. Scarily, it was also a time when the push for eugenics was at its peak.

Our protagonist, Zia De Luca, is a first generation immigrant from Sicily. Since landing in America she has lost her parents to the Spanish Flu, and also her beloved husband and brother in the Great War. Now, at twenty-seven years of age, she and her young son live with her late husband's parents on Mulberry St. in Little Italy. She works in a public library and help out with her father-in-law's cheese shop.

After a library patron enlists her assistance to translate a play, events culminate in his being murdered outside the library. Thus begins a dark spiral that consumes Zia in its wake. Then another murder hits very close to home and Zia is determined to see justice done. She thinks the two murders are connected in some way to a speakeasy called 'The Orchid Hour' and she enlists the assistance of Charles Luciano (formerly named Salvatore and Zia's cousin) to secure her access to the club. She and Salvatore had a strong bond that originated when they suffered the deprivations and squalor of travelling in steerage on the same ship from the old country.

With themes of avarice, bribery, power, and corruption, this novel immerses the reader in its world. The book was well researched and the characters believable. Interspersed with the fictional characters were real historical characters such as J. Edgar Hoover, 'Lucky' Luciano, and many more. New York, the 'Big Apple' is shown to be rotten through to its core. Fans of historical fiction will relish this foray into a rather sordid time in American history.

I read another of this author's books - 'Dreamland' - and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, despite some strengths, I didn't really like 'The Orchid Hour'.

Here, we have the protagonist, Zia, who lives in 1920s New York. She works at the public library, living her life in and around the Italian immigrant community. Two major things happen: a man she has been helping in the library is shot dead outside. Then, her father-in-law is shot dead in his shop. Zia makes it her mission to get to the bottom of who is responsible. Getting a job at the speakeasy (this is prohibition-era America) 'The Orchid Hour' is high on her list. She knows the answer lies in the dingy back alleys of New York.

The reason I didn't love this is that I don't feel it evokes the time period effectively. Characterisation is quite strong, and there is some well-written prose here. However, it feels too modern - it didn't evoke the 1920s for me in the way that other books have (one notable example is 'The Great Gatsby'). I feel that 'Dreamland' did this and took me to a very different place. 'The Orchid Hour' didn't have the same effect. However, I realise this is subjective and others love it, so maybe it's me!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A slow burn mystery in 1920s New York with prohibition and all the glitz and glamour of the age really appealed to me. I also really enjoyed Nancy's previous books: The Fugitive Colours and The Blue. I had a harder time with this novel though, which I found a little slow for my taste but this would be a cosy read for an autumn night.

The Orchid Hour by Nancy Bilyeau was a good mystery read with tons of twists and unraveling bits. I enjoyed the slow burn of the mystery and all of the history that the author included. The main character Zia was a woman of perseverance despite several early tragedies and she definitely didn't take no for an answer. I admired her quiet strength throughout the trials of the book. The 1920s scene was full of bootleggers, gangsters, and private clubs. The glamour of the scene was balanced by the gritty underbelly of crime and desperation that many immigrants faced. I thought the mystery and sleuthing was done well and it was a good read but it was slow at times and I couldn't really get into the story as much as I had hoped.

I found this book to be a very interesting read. I really enjoyed the idea of Audenzia (Zia) Di Luca taking matters into her own hands to pursue justice in a world run by fear and violence. The character development of Zia was really interesting and I loved watching her confidence and her knowledge of what she can do expand. The main thing that hooked me in this book was the mystery and how the three view points weaved together to give such a complex view of this time in New York. Unfortunately the characters other than Zia and Sal seemed a little one dimensional and the romance that emerges also seemed to come from no where. I do wish that the mystery was fleshed out a little bit more but overall I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more by the author.

I received an AD PR copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Insta Book Tours.

The Orchid Hour is a novel set in the 1920s Prohibition era in New York and we follow Audenzia (Zia) as she navigates life as not only a single parent war widow but also navigating the rules and regulations within the sicilia families she was not only born into but married in to too. I loved seeing Zia develop across the course of the book from a timid librarian into an investigator after her father-in-law and an elderly accuantance she was fond of are killed. Zia had so much strength and courage, especially for the era and her heritage. Her investigation takes her to the Orchid Hour, which is a nightclub owned by a very dangerous gangster. The author did an amazing job of mixing fictional characters with real-life people, and the book really pulls you in! I didn't want this book to end!

Perfect blend of history and mystery, Nancy Bilyeau creates characters that you empathise with. You feel the atmosphere of the 1920s - both the struggle of the Italian immigrants and the underworld of prohibition New York.

A great story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Orchid Hour.

This was a great read. The feeling I had after reading this can only be described as book-hangover. It was interesting, captivating. and the descriptions of New York in the 20s made me want to go back in time and travel there. Since this is historical fiction, there are also mentions of the mafia and their empire at the time, and about the social status of immigrants in the US. The way all of this is written about and described is engaging and it didn’t feel like I was taking a history lesson. All the facts blend perfectly with the murder mystery and Nancy Bilyeau makes it seamlessly.

The mystery kept me reading and guessing until the very end. All the ends get tied up beautifully, creating an perfecting ending to the story. While it started off slow, when it picks up, it picks up. This is definitely a page-turned that will get you hooked and not let go.

The jewel of this book though, is the main character. I fell in love with Audenzia de Luca aka Zia. She’s a strong, independent woman who just started working at the Seward Park branch of the New York Public Library, raising her young son while also helping her late husbands’ parents run their cheese shop in Little Italy. She’s brave, courageous and feisty. She just blossoms throughout the story, and it made me very happy to see her grow.

An absolutely fantastic read. Go read it!

A great read, enjoyable characters, setting and plot that took me into that world. A real page turner.

“I didn’t need an obnoxious reporter to tell me about the Valachi hearings. That … broke the most important rule in front of the entire world last year. “We call it Cosa Nostra,” Valachi said to the senators, lawyers, and reporters in Washington, D.C. … Leave it to Vito Genovese to keep this guy around.”

My thanks to Lume Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Orchid Hour’ by Nancy Bilyeau.

In recent years I have enjoyed a number of Nancy Bilyeau’s novels and was especially drawn to her latest given the 1920s setting. As the above quote indicates its protagonist is quite a tough cookie.

New York City, 1923. Audenzia (Zia) de Luca had been widowed during the Great War and now lives with her son and in-laws in Little Italy. She works at the public library and while there befriends one of its regular visitors, the quiet Mr. Watkins.

When he is shockingly murdered outside the library, Zia is brought in and questioned by the police. Then there’s another tragedy, even closer to home. One of the police detectives lets slip that both crimes are connected to a new speakeasy in Greenwich Village called The Orchid Hour.

With the police investigation getting nowhere, Zia decides to find her own answers. When she learns that her cousin Salvatore (Sal) is involved with The Orchid Hour, she asks him to help her get a job there. She impresses its manager, David la Costa, with her knowledge of orchids and is hired to assist with the rare orchids used to decorate the club.

Still, undercover work is dangerous and Zia comes into contact with powerful and dangerous men. Will she be able to bring the killers to justice before they learn her secret?

I found this a rich work of historical fiction that drew on the glamour of Manhattan during the Jazz Age when Prohibition led to the rise of bootleggers and organised crime. The 1920s narrative is framed by chapters set in 1963 as Zia reflects upon her colourful life and infamous family connections, including her cousin Sal, who the world came to know as ‘Lucky Luciano’.

In her Author’s Note Nancy Bilyeau clarifies that while characters such as David la Costa, Zia and the de Luca family are fictional, she has placed them in the context of the historical figures of the period, including its notorious crime families, politicians, and of course, J. Edgar Hoover.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Orchid Hour’ very much. I found it an engaging read and feel that Nancy Bilyeau captured the ambiance of the period with ease. So without doubt Jazz Age glamour, gangsters, speakeasies, and a bright young librarian determined to uncover the truth proved a winning combination for me.

Highly recommended.

What a fascinating journey into Jazz Age New York during the roaring 1920s-- prohibition, speakeasies, crime bosses and vengeful murders. Nancy Bilyeau has written a fantastic ensemble of characters that bring this era, the glitz, glamour and the danger, to life! The pacing of the book was perfect. It captivated me right from the first few pages and kept a steady pace right until the end. I particularly enjoyed the author's notes at the end which described in detail some real life individuals and their representation in the story. This was historical fiction as it should be- vivid storytelling intertwining historical accuracy with fictional characters and events.

Thank you to Lume Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I always love a good period novel set in 1920’s New York. I loved reading about the speakeasy during the prohibition era. The author did a great job really setting the tone and describing the scene. I will say, I was not invested in the characters as much as I would have liked. But overall this was still a good read!

A well crafted and beautiful story, loved the period and theme. The ending was wrapped up too quickly but overall a LOVELY novel!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Set in 1920s New York, Zia is trying to make what she can of her life following the death of her husband. Life is turned on its head when, following the death of the Deputy Mayor, Zia is drawn into The Orchid Hour, a brand new speakeasy which is at the heart of the murder.

Whilst I enjoyed the backdrop of prohibition New York and the glamour of the jazz age the lack of real plot was disappointing. I found the characters quite one dimensional and was disappointed with the flatness of the ending. It felt very much style over substance for me.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. The views here are entirely my own.

“There is a certain hour, in the dead of night, when the orchid’s scent can put you under a spell.”
1920s New York and Zia De Luca, a young widow is working in a local Public Library.
After she loses her job, she discovers that a library borrower had been murdered outside the library and as she discovers another murder closer to home, she becomes a super sleuth and gets a job at the speakeasy The Orchid Hour as she is convinced the murderer has links to the speakeasy club.
A powerful and evocative read, beautifully layered and utterly seductive.
The roaring 20s is an era that I love and I found the historical details of corruption and prohibition during this period fascinating.
Thanks @tudorscribe @lumebooks & @netgalley for the eARC

Okay, this was not what I was expecting. You see, for some reason, I thought this was going to be the third book in the Genevieve Planché series, but I guess that’s not coming until next year sometime. That doesn’t mean that this book is disappointing, because it isn’t, it’s just that I thought I was going to be reading something else. This also isn’t to say that the Genevieve Planché series are free of things like intrigue and danger, because they there’s a good deal of all that, and I still enjoyed those books. Mind you, I think my regular readers know that I’m not all that much of a crime thriller or murder mystery reader. But give me an interesting slant on those and I’m willing to give them a try. The whole art world bit that’s in the Genevieve Planché books was just that type of angle you don’t regularly get in those books.

Now, the “roaring 20s” is an era that I find to be absolutely fascinating. The generation of young people coming of age in the aftermath of the Great War, were really fascinating. On the one hand, they understood the devastation and havoc that war wreaks on normalcy, but on the other hand, they weren’t willing to turn back the clock to where they were before that war. They were full steam ahead with trying to repair their lives, and hopefully the world around them. Mind you, as we know, these weren’t all days of sunshine and rainbows, and the baser elements of society took advantage of those trying to get ahead by hook or by crook as well as those wanting to escape from their troubles through artificial means. That’s one reason why gangs of thugs and organized crime became so rampant in the US. With all that fodder for crime and murder, no wonder writers of these genres enjoy placing their historical books during this era.

So, I can’t blame Bilyeau for joining in on this fun, but I was hoping that the creativity of the deceptions inside the art world from her Planché books would carry through to this book as well. Instead, Bilyeau leaned heavily on the bootlegging and mafia themes that plagued that era. However, on the up side, the whole business with the orchids (and yes, these literally are the living, flowering kind) was a stroke of genius. The way that Bilyeau included this interesting aspect of the story were some of the most interesting passages. I’m only sorry she didn’t give us a bit more of that. Our protagonist here is also a member of a family that had a cheese shop, and I would have been happy for a bit more about that, as well.

But most of the story has to do with our protagonist trying to find out who killed a deputy Mayor and who killed our protagonist’s father-in-law. The idea that the two murders might have been connected comes into play, and it leads to a couple twists we don’t see coming. That said, I found that building a new, high-class, prohibition era night club was central here, and sadly felt a bit mundane. That, together with the romantic elements here felt less than convincing for me. Even so, it is still a good thriller, and I can recommend it, but for me, it isn't my favorite by Bilyeau, and I don’t think this can get more than four out of five stars, which is still a pretty good rating. (But I'm still anxiously awaiting the next Planché book!)

The Orchid Hour by Nancy Bilyeau is an enchanting Historical Fiction novel jam packed with atmosphere and originality. Told in multiple points of view, the story is set in New York City during the 1920s, the age of organized crime, speakeasies, jazz, glamour and gangsters. The setting is vivid and the plot drips with suspense. Not only is there murder but also snippets of romance. Talk about a beguiling story to become fully immersed in!

Sicilian immigrant Zia De Luca and her son live with her inlaws in Little Italy. She works as an assistant librarian at the Immigrants' Library in a peaceful calm environment. Murder has a way of changing things and she becomes part of The Orchid Hour. She and Lt. Frank Hudgins inveigle and investigate together. What a team! I really like the orchid and Sicily connections, tight suspense and atmosphere in particular. Do be sure to read the author's notes on her inspiration.

Looking for your next unique and enthralling read? This could very well be what you crave. A brilliant change from the ordinary.

My sincere thank you to Lume Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this fabulous book.

4.5 stars
What a fascinating story full of great characters and the vivid setting of New York City in the 1920’s.
Zia is a wonderful heroine. The journey she follows from meek and timid librarian, trying to provide for her son and be a good daughter-in-law, to the brave and courageous investigator in The Orchid Hour mixing with the seedier side of life is so compelling. Her resilience and determination in finding the truth is to admired but of course comes with a cost.
I loved the links to the real life crime world of the 20’s - it really brought home how dangerous it was for Zia. and the details about the orchids were fascinating.
A truly brilliant piece of storytelling.