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One Night, New York
From its breathless opening pages, ONE NIGHT, NEW YORK transports the reader to the glitter and the danger of old New York. A page-turner with style.' ERIN KELLY
For the hundredth time since they'd made their promise, she wondered if she and Agnes were really going to go through with it, if she was brave and terrible enough.
A THRILLING DEBUT NOVEL OF CORRUPTION AND MURDER, SET IN THE NIGHTCLUBS, TENEMENTS AND SKYSCRAPERS OF 1930s NEW YORK - FROM THE WINNER OF THE VIRAGO/THE POOL NEW CRIME WRITER AWARD.
At the top of the Empire State Building on a freezing December night, two women hold their breath. Frances and Agnes are waiting for the man who has wronged them. They plan to seek the ultimate revenge.
Set over the course of a single night, One Night, New York is a detective story, a romance and a coming-of-age tale. It is also a story of old New York, of bohemian Greenwich Village between the wars, of floozies and artists and addicts, of a city that sucked in creatives and immigrants alike, lighting up the world, while all around America burned amid the heat of the Great Depression.
'When the final credits go up on this dark debut, it's like surfacing into daylight after a session in an old-fashioned cinema' Sainsburys Magazine
For the hundredth time since they'd made their promise, she wondered if she and Agnes were really going to go through with it, if she was brave and terrible enough.
A THRILLING DEBUT NOVEL OF CORRUPTION AND MURDER, SET IN THE NIGHTCLUBS, TENEMENTS AND SKYSCRAPERS OF 1930s NEW YORK - FROM THE WINNER OF THE VIRAGO/THE POOL NEW CRIME WRITER AWARD.
At the top of the Empire State Building on a freezing December night, two women hold their breath. Frances and Agnes are waiting for the man who has wronged them. They plan to seek the ultimate revenge.
Set over the course of a single night, One Night, New York is a detective story, a romance and a coming-of-age tale. It is also a story of old New York, of bohemian Greenwich Village between the wars, of floozies and artists and addicts, of a city that sucked in creatives and immigrants alike, lighting up the world, while all around America burned amid the heat of the Great Depression.
'When the final credits go up on this dark debut, it's like surfacing into daylight after a session in an old-fashioned cinema' Sainsburys Magazine
336 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2021
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December 26, 2021
When you start a book titled One Night, New York, which the publisher describes as being set “over the course of a single night,” you’d think the story would take place… over the course of a single night, right? Wrong.
While the novel does open atop the newly-built Empire State Building on a freezing cold evening in December 1932, it quickly ping pongs back in time to reveal what led our main character, Frances, and her friend Agnes to be there on the verge of murder. Readers follow her journey from dysfunctional family farm life in rural Kansas to the tenements of NYC, where she joins her older brother and tries to start anew.
One Night, New York is billed as a literary thriller, and I suppose it is. I’m shelving it as historical fiction though, because it reignited my desire to read books that take place in other time periods. I was less interested in the story itself than the superb atmosphere and surprising characterization achieved by debut novelist Lara Thompson. For the time I spent with Frances in her world (which, I’ll note again, was NOT just one night), I felt deeply immersed in Depression-era New York and its melting pot of humanity.
The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Cannon, and I would like to applaud her choice to avoid attempting to sound like men while reading the male dialogue. Well done, Ms. Cannon.
And Ms. Thompson too, of course.
My thanks to Dreamscape Media for the gifted audiobook review copy. One Night, New York is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
While the novel does open atop the newly-built Empire State Building on a freezing cold evening in December 1932, it quickly ping pongs back in time to reveal what led our main character, Frances, and her friend Agnes to be there on the verge of murder. Readers follow her journey from dysfunctional family farm life in rural Kansas to the tenements of NYC, where she joins her older brother and tries to start anew.
One Night, New York is billed as a literary thriller, and I suppose it is. I’m shelving it as historical fiction though, because it reignited my desire to read books that take place in other time periods. I was less interested in the story itself than the superb atmosphere and surprising characterization achieved by debut novelist Lara Thompson. For the time I spent with Frances in her world (which, I’ll note again, was NOT just one night), I felt deeply immersed in Depression-era New York and its melting pot of humanity.
The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Cannon, and I would like to applaud her choice to avoid attempting to sound like men while reading the male dialogue. Well done, Ms. Cannon.
And Ms. Thompson too, of course.
My thanks to Dreamscape Media for the gifted audiobook review copy. One Night, New York is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
December 20, 2020
This is a enthralling historical fiction debut from Lara Thompson that plunges the reader into the melting pot that is 1930s New York seen through the eyes of recent arrival from remote Hays in Kansas, young Frances, to live with her older brother, Stan, in a dilapidated overcrowded tenement. Frances ran away from the dust bowl that is Kansas and home, where there is no future, the depression and the dust storms have destroyed lives, families and futures, and in addition, her family to say the least, is problematic. On the train to New York, she bumps into the glamorous and cool Jacks (Jacqueline) and photographer, Richard 'Dicky' Sampson, a well known photographer, interested in doing articles, with photographs and interviews, on her, depicting her pre-New York, the impact of moving to the big city, wearing new, exquisitely beautiful, urban clothing.
It is the character of Frances that holds centre stage, unable to read and write, wanting to learn, determined and feisty, there is much she doesn't know as a poor country girl in the big bad city, yet she can cut through to the heart of an issue, she is forbidden by her brother, Stan, to go out alone, but this will not stop her. Her curiosity and excitement takes her into dangerous and traumatic situations, having to control the fears, grief and trauma that threaten to overwhelm her. It soon becomes clear to Frances that Stan is not the brother she knew from home, he has lost weight, and he is less than forthcoming about what he does for a living, and she is surprised that he is friends with black veteran sax player, Ben, who helps improve her literacy skills. The story begins with Frances and Agnes, a photographer, at the top of the Empire State Building in December, 1932, waiting for a man that is the cause of much grief and misery, yet untouchable, with their plans of revenge. The narrative then goes back and forth in time to explain how they reached this point in their lives.
Thompson provides a scintillating sense of location and time, a New York where you can be both exposed and invisible, on the cusp of great changes, its diverse population, the distinctly different districts, the extreme inequalities, racism, sexism, sexuality and poverty, the art, the jazz clubs, the brutality and casual violence, the bribery and blackmail, grubby corrupt politicians and cops, the glamour girls, the scandals, mobsters and their molls, and the drugs trade. Through the eyes of Dicky and Agnes, who has dreams of being a great photographer, the city and its people are depicted as if through the lens of a camera, stylised, manipulated and natural, the skyscrapers that dominate, the ever diminishing skies and horizons. This is a beautifully written debut that is likely to appeal to fans of historical fiction, along with crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to Virago and Little, Brown for an ARC.
It is the character of Frances that holds centre stage, unable to read and write, wanting to learn, determined and feisty, there is much she doesn't know as a poor country girl in the big bad city, yet she can cut through to the heart of an issue, she is forbidden by her brother, Stan, to go out alone, but this will not stop her. Her curiosity and excitement takes her into dangerous and traumatic situations, having to control the fears, grief and trauma that threaten to overwhelm her. It soon becomes clear to Frances that Stan is not the brother she knew from home, he has lost weight, and he is less than forthcoming about what he does for a living, and she is surprised that he is friends with black veteran sax player, Ben, who helps improve her literacy skills. The story begins with Frances and Agnes, a photographer, at the top of the Empire State Building in December, 1932, waiting for a man that is the cause of much grief and misery, yet untouchable, with their plans of revenge. The narrative then goes back and forth in time to explain how they reached this point in their lives.
Thompson provides a scintillating sense of location and time, a New York where you can be both exposed and invisible, on the cusp of great changes, its diverse population, the distinctly different districts, the extreme inequalities, racism, sexism, sexuality and poverty, the art, the jazz clubs, the brutality and casual violence, the bribery and blackmail, grubby corrupt politicians and cops, the glamour girls, the scandals, mobsters and their molls, and the drugs trade. Through the eyes of Dicky and Agnes, who has dreams of being a great photographer, the city and its people are depicted as if through the lens of a camera, stylised, manipulated and natural, the skyscrapers that dominate, the ever diminishing skies and horizons. This is a beautifully written debut that is likely to appeal to fans of historical fiction, along with crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to Virago and Little, Brown for an ARC.
January 2, 2022
I listened to the audiobook of One Night, New York by Lara Thompson that was well narrated by Stephanie Cannon. One Night, New York was a fast paced mystery thriller. It was a coming of age debut book for Lara Thompson. It was well written and totally captured the essence of New York City in the 1930’s. Even though the title suggests that this book took place over the course of one night, glimpses back to the time that led up to that night, make it seem like it took place over a longer period of time. The characters were well developed, colorful and believable and the plot was complex and engaging. It was set during the 1930’s depression era in New York City and vividly described the life in the tenements of New York City, the rampant crime throughout the city, the apparent dangers that lurked beyond every corner of the city and the melting pot of diverse immigrants living within the city during that time.
Frances left Kansas to find refuge with her older brother. She escaped her abusive father and a life that she no longer desired. Frances traveled to New York City by train to join her older brother. She was a girl who had known nothing but the confines of Kansas her entire life. Frances had led a strict and sheltered life. She had never learned how to read or write and felt self conscious about it. Even though Frances was illiterate, it was obvious that she was bright and smart. On the trip to New York City, Frances was befriended by two passengers on the train. Dickie was a well known photographer and Jax was a writer for a magazine. Both Dickie and Jax tried to encourage Frances into letting Dickie photograph her and Jax write her story. Against her brother’s advice and warnings, Frances ultimately did succumb to her curiosity and ventured into Greenwich Village to Dickie’s and Jax’s home. It was there that she met Agnes, Dickie’s assistant. Agnes would end up altering Frances’ life in unexpected ways that would culminate on that fateful night of December 21, 1932, the Winter Solace, on the roof of the newly erected Empire State Building. On that terrorizing night, both Frances and Agnes would get the revenge they so desperately sought against a most despicable man that was consumed by greed and profits no matter the cost.
I loved the descriptions of New York City during the years of the early 1930’s that Lara Thompson described in such detail in One Night, New York. It made me feel like I had been transported back in time to a city I know so well. The flashbacks in One Night, New York were able to give good insight into the various characters and their stories that ultimately led to that singular fateful night. It was suspenseful and kept me guessing. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and recommend it.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Frances left Kansas to find refuge with her older brother. She escaped her abusive father and a life that she no longer desired. Frances traveled to New York City by train to join her older brother. She was a girl who had known nothing but the confines of Kansas her entire life. Frances had led a strict and sheltered life. She had never learned how to read or write and felt self conscious about it. Even though Frances was illiterate, it was obvious that she was bright and smart. On the trip to New York City, Frances was befriended by two passengers on the train. Dickie was a well known photographer and Jax was a writer for a magazine. Both Dickie and Jax tried to encourage Frances into letting Dickie photograph her and Jax write her story. Against her brother’s advice and warnings, Frances ultimately did succumb to her curiosity and ventured into Greenwich Village to Dickie’s and Jax’s home. It was there that she met Agnes, Dickie’s assistant. Agnes would end up altering Frances’ life in unexpected ways that would culminate on that fateful night of December 21, 1932, the Winter Solace, on the roof of the newly erected Empire State Building. On that terrorizing night, both Frances and Agnes would get the revenge they so desperately sought against a most despicable man that was consumed by greed and profits no matter the cost.
I loved the descriptions of New York City during the years of the early 1930’s that Lara Thompson described in such detail in One Night, New York. It made me feel like I had been transported back in time to a city I know so well. The flashbacks in One Night, New York were able to give good insight into the various characters and their stories that ultimately led to that singular fateful night. It was suspenseful and kept me guessing. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and recommend it.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
February 4, 2021
“One Night, New York” is the debut novel from Lara Thompson who won the Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award Competition with this thrilling historical novel.
“At the top of the Empire State Building on a freezing December night, two women hold their breath. Frances and Agnes are waiting for the man who has wronged them. They plan to seek the ultimate revenge.”
Set in 1932 and related over the course of one night, with flashbacks to the weeks leading up to the potential murder and Frances’ life back in Kansas, you’re truly transported to an era in America that was fascinating and informative.
There was so much to this book - a budding romance, family ties, corruption, murder, revenge, all incorporated in a coming of age detective story that draws you in from the first page, when we see Frances and Agnes at the top of the Empire State Building and just enough storyline to kick start the intrigue.
I personally don’t think I’ve ever read a more atmospheric novel set in New York, the towering skyscrapers masking the sky light, the bohemian artists, the diverse residents living in run down tenements, the jazz clubs, the mobsters with their floozies and scandalous affairs. This engrossing and addictive story played out in my mind like a film noir, starring actors from the silver screen of the 30’s like James Cagney, Edward G Robinson, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. There’s no doubting that Frances was the star of the story, she was certainly an enigma in her emotions but I found her backstory very unsettling and endeared to her immediately. Her strength and determination was admirable and together with her friend Agnes, they made a fabulous and formidable couple.
The author has obviously used her passion of stylish Hollywood crime movies and her fascination with the female photographer Bernice Abbott, who is recognised for the amazing 1930’s New York design and architectural photos she took.
For me, this was a book that was way beyond atmospheric, I actually felt a part of the story. I loved the the bohemian and unconventional artists and characters, the beautiful writing and the evocative time and place and this is a book that will stay on my shelves to be enjoyed again in the future.
An extremely well deserved 5 stars.
“At the top of the Empire State Building on a freezing December night, two women hold their breath. Frances and Agnes are waiting for the man who has wronged them. They plan to seek the ultimate revenge.”
Set in 1932 and related over the course of one night, with flashbacks to the weeks leading up to the potential murder and Frances’ life back in Kansas, you’re truly transported to an era in America that was fascinating and informative.
There was so much to this book - a budding romance, family ties, corruption, murder, revenge, all incorporated in a coming of age detective story that draws you in from the first page, when we see Frances and Agnes at the top of the Empire State Building and just enough storyline to kick start the intrigue.
I personally don’t think I’ve ever read a more atmospheric novel set in New York, the towering skyscrapers masking the sky light, the bohemian artists, the diverse residents living in run down tenements, the jazz clubs, the mobsters with their floozies and scandalous affairs. This engrossing and addictive story played out in my mind like a film noir, starring actors from the silver screen of the 30’s like James Cagney, Edward G Robinson, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. There’s no doubting that Frances was the star of the story, she was certainly an enigma in her emotions but I found her backstory very unsettling and endeared to her immediately. Her strength and determination was admirable and together with her friend Agnes, they made a fabulous and formidable couple.
The author has obviously used her passion of stylish Hollywood crime movies and her fascination with the female photographer Bernice Abbott, who is recognised for the amazing 1930’s New York design and architectural photos she took.
For me, this was a book that was way beyond atmospheric, I actually felt a part of the story. I loved the the bohemian and unconventional artists and characters, the beautiful writing and the evocative time and place and this is a book that will stay on my shelves to be enjoyed again in the future.
An extremely well deserved 5 stars.
January 8, 2022
Historical fiction set in New York City will always get my attention. And the Depression Era of the early 1930s is one I find fascinating. Author Lara Thompson, in an impressive debut, tells the story of Frances and her move from Kansas to join her brother Stan in Manhattan. She escapes the dust bowl and poverty arriving in what seems like another planet to her. She is uneducated yet smart. Smart enough to realize that her brother’s vagueness as to the nature of his employment is not a good thing.
The best part of One Night, New York is its atmosphere. The story takes us from the gritty tenements of the Lower East Side to the bohemian world in Greenwich Village and the nightlife filled with jazz in Harlem. It’s a world where the people in power are the true criminals.
This is a book I wanted to love based on all the great things it has going for it, including excellent prose. And while I liked it, I never felt connected to Frances and most of the other characters. You may like it more than I did. Many of the more highly rated reviews were from readers of the audio version. Perhaps that's the way to go for this book.
And just a minor point. While I realize this book was written by a British author, I would have thought that the U.S. version might have better served the reader if it had been edited using the American spelling of certain words given that it takes place in New York. (favourite/favorite; colour/color, etc.)
Rated 3.5 stars.
The best part of One Night, New York is its atmosphere. The story takes us from the gritty tenements of the Lower East Side to the bohemian world in Greenwich Village and the nightlife filled with jazz in Harlem. It’s a world where the people in power are the true criminals.
This is a book I wanted to love based on all the great things it has going for it, including excellent prose. And while I liked it, I never felt connected to Frances and most of the other characters. You may like it more than I did. Many of the more highly rated reviews were from readers of the audio version. Perhaps that's the way to go for this book.
And just a minor point. While I realize this book was written by a British author, I would have thought that the U.S. version might have better served the reader if it had been edited using the American spelling of certain words given that it takes place in New York. (favourite/favorite; colour/color, etc.)
Rated 3.5 stars.
December 13, 2021
One Night, New York by Lara Thompson, culminates in one very SPECIFIC night in which two women plot revenge on someone who has wronged, not only them, but multiple people in dastardly evil acts including murder in the name of greed and reputation.
The story is set in 1930's Depression-era, New York City, and follows Kansas girl (Francis) who leaves her family behind, mainly because of an abusive father and joins her brother in New York. Frances is poor and can't read, but is not necessarily unintelligent. While traveling from Kansas to New York by way of train, she meets a man and woman (Dickie and Jax) who want to befriend her. Eventually, the couple offer her employment if she’s willing to be photographed. Little does Frances realize at the time, meeting this couple and life in New York will contribute to major life changing events that will impact her life forever....especially on One Night in New York.
Audio Narration: The story was read at good pace by narrator Stephanie Cannon. Ms. Cannon has a pleasant voice - easy to understand. However, being familiar with both Kansas and New York accents, neither was applied to any of the characters. (For me, it was like being around a Brit, expecting the distinctive British accent, but the person doesn’t talk that way at all.) In my opinion, had the narrator been able to master either male/female voices with proper accents and modulation, the story would have definitely been brought to better life and earned higher ratings for the audio version.
Notes: This story contains references or situations to: drug and alcohol abuse, incest, brief explicit sex, LBGTQIA.
Disclosure: I was provided an AAC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.
3.5 Stars
The story is set in 1930's Depression-era, New York City, and follows Kansas girl (Francis) who leaves her family behind, mainly because of an abusive father and joins her brother in New York. Frances is poor and can't read, but is not necessarily unintelligent. While traveling from Kansas to New York by way of train, she meets a man and woman (Dickie and Jax) who want to befriend her. Eventually, the couple offer her employment if she’s willing to be photographed. Little does Frances realize at the time, meeting this couple and life in New York will contribute to major life changing events that will impact her life forever....especially on One Night in New York.
Audio Narration: The story was read at good pace by narrator Stephanie Cannon. Ms. Cannon has a pleasant voice - easy to understand. However, being familiar with both Kansas and New York accents, neither was applied to any of the characters. (For me, it was like being around a Brit, expecting the distinctive British accent, but the person doesn’t talk that way at all.) In my opinion, had the narrator been able to master either male/female voices with proper accents and modulation, the story would have definitely been brought to better life and earned higher ratings for the audio version.
Notes: This story contains references or situations to: drug and alcohol abuse, incest, brief explicit sex, LBGTQIA.
Disclosure: I was provided an AAC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.
3.5 Stars
January 7, 2022
The description of this book was better than the actual story. The setting in 1930’s New York was the best part. It takes place during the depression. Frances, a naive farm girl, leaves her parent’s home to escape famine and her parents. While on the train to New York to live with her brother, she meets Dickie and his wife who offer to take pictures of her for a magazine article. Frances takes them up on their offer and during the shoot meets Agnes, an up and coming photographer who assists Dickie. The story weaves in and out of speakeasies, clubs, crime, glitter, parties and the elite and important people that run NYC during this era.
Sadly, the characters lacked personality and I had a difficult time connecting to them. There wasn’t much to keep me invested in the story. The plot was flat and I expected more excitement based on the description. There were times I thought about quitting but forced myself to the end. I guessed who Frances and Agnes were waiting for so there wasn’t much of a surprise.
The audio performance was also lacking somewhat. The narration would’ve been more engaging with a broader range of voices and a more dynamic storytelling.
I received an audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly, the characters lacked personality and I had a difficult time connecting to them. There wasn’t much to keep me invested in the story. The plot was flat and I expected more excitement based on the description. There were times I thought about quitting but forced myself to the end. I guessed who Frances and Agnes were waiting for so there wasn’t much of a surprise.
The audio performance was also lacking somewhat. The narration would’ve been more engaging with a broader range of voices and a more dynamic storytelling.
I received an audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2021
Drenched in atmosphere, taut with tension and with a ballsy young female protagonist, One Night, New York is the striking debut novel of Lara Thompson and takes place in 1930s New York. Set over the course of a freezing December night in 1932, protagonist Frances Addams and her photographer friend, Agnes, are awaiting the arrival of the man who has caused them both untold suffering at the top of the Empire Stare Building. Planning to take the ultimate revenge against one of the city’s big-hitters the pair know they have only one chance with failure carrying an unthinkable price. But to understand what is at stake and the build-up to this pivotal moment the narrative then rolls back to September 1932 and the arrival of nineteen-year-old Frances from the backwater of Hays, Kansas to live with her five years older brother, Stan, in a rundown tenement. A run on the bank has left the Addams family finances in ruins, their tyrannical father embittered and for Frances the city of New York with its diverse population and imposing skyscrapers offers previously unimaginable opportunities.
Boarding the train to New York and the first time of leaving her hometown is a baptism of fire for Frances as she meets gregarious newspaper photographer Richard ‘Dicky’ Sampson and flamboyant magazine journalist, Jacqueline ‘Jacks’ Du Montford, working together to depict middle-American young women pre and post their arrival in New York. Frances is eager to explore the big city and the opportunity to be made-up for Dicky and Jack’s proposed article but Stan forbids her from doing so or even leaving the tenement without him. Upon her arrival Frances finds that the old Stan and their easy rapport is a thing of the past and notices how much the place and the new world he is part of has changed him, with a heightened tension to their every interaction. Frances may be young, illiterate and new to the city but she is spunky, admirably determined and her unswerving love for her brother is behind every effort she makes to investigate the reason for Stan’s cagey demeanour. Stan’s friend Ben, an older black musician from the club, is equally reserved about the money he is bringing home, along with the bruises and scars. Between Stan’s harassed manner, weight loss and unwillingness to talk about his job at a nightclub Frances decides direct action is needed and sets out to uncover exactly what her older brother is mixed up in.
Far from the gauche country girl that many might assume her to be, Frances is a quick learner and in the Greenwich Village bohemian home of Dicky she meets apprentice photographer, Agnes, and forms a growing bond. Drawn together by desire and each having their own score to settle with the same man I was in awe of Frances’ willingness to carve out her own identity and shake off the limitations that a life in Kansas would have entailed. Her courage in openly entering into a same-sex relationship even in a big city was truly stirring and there is an enigmatic air to her character that I found bewitching. The vibrant atmosphere and Thompson’s portrayal of an expanding New York city is superb and much of my enjoyment of the novel came from her descriptions of a city with bribery and blackmail oiling the wheels of politics, policing and industry. As Frances’ understanding of the very different world Stan is involved in grows, it is a heart to heart with Agnes that unites them in their antipathy towards the man who has wronged both of them. As the narrative cuts back and forth between the momentous evening and events leading up to that night the tension ratchets ever higher and protagonist and heroine Frances’ seems to grow in stature before the reader’s eyes.
Boarding the train to New York and the first time of leaving her hometown is a baptism of fire for Frances as she meets gregarious newspaper photographer Richard ‘Dicky’ Sampson and flamboyant magazine journalist, Jacqueline ‘Jacks’ Du Montford, working together to depict middle-American young women pre and post their arrival in New York. Frances is eager to explore the big city and the opportunity to be made-up for Dicky and Jack’s proposed article but Stan forbids her from doing so or even leaving the tenement without him. Upon her arrival Frances finds that the old Stan and their easy rapport is a thing of the past and notices how much the place and the new world he is part of has changed him, with a heightened tension to their every interaction. Frances may be young, illiterate and new to the city but she is spunky, admirably determined and her unswerving love for her brother is behind every effort she makes to investigate the reason for Stan’s cagey demeanour. Stan’s friend Ben, an older black musician from the club, is equally reserved about the money he is bringing home, along with the bruises and scars. Between Stan’s harassed manner, weight loss and unwillingness to talk about his job at a nightclub Frances decides direct action is needed and sets out to uncover exactly what her older brother is mixed up in.
Far from the gauche country girl that many might assume her to be, Frances is a quick learner and in the Greenwich Village bohemian home of Dicky she meets apprentice photographer, Agnes, and forms a growing bond. Drawn together by desire and each having their own score to settle with the same man I was in awe of Frances’ willingness to carve out her own identity and shake off the limitations that a life in Kansas would have entailed. Her courage in openly entering into a same-sex relationship even in a big city was truly stirring and there is an enigmatic air to her character that I found bewitching. The vibrant atmosphere and Thompson’s portrayal of an expanding New York city is superb and much of my enjoyment of the novel came from her descriptions of a city with bribery and blackmail oiling the wheels of politics, policing and industry. As Frances’ understanding of the very different world Stan is involved in grows, it is a heart to heart with Agnes that unites them in their antipathy towards the man who has wronged both of them. As the narrative cuts back and forth between the momentous evening and events leading up to that night the tension ratchets ever higher and protagonist and heroine Frances’ seems to grow in stature before the reader’s eyes.
February 12, 2021
I got halfway through the book and gave up. I couldn't get hooked on any of the characters or the slow plot. I'm in the minority here as everyone seems to be raving about this book.
February 25, 2021
One Night, New York is a crime thriller, coming of age story and LGBTQ+ romance set in 1932. I loved it so much! What a fantastic debut from @_lara.thompson and @viragopress!
🚖
The book opens at the top of the Empire State Building as two women await a mystery character they plan to kill. We then go back to events leading up to this moment as Francis escapes an abusive small town life in Kansas for a fresh start in the big city. The whole time you’re just guessing who the victim is going to be and how Francis turned into this woman capable of murder!
🚖
The portrayal of the glamour and corruption of NYC in the Jazz Age was brilliant! It’s a real page turner where the city feels as much of a character as Francis, and we explore it all! From Harlem speakeasies to tenements and Skyscraper rooftops.
I loved the small town girl in the big city vibes and it was amazing to see Francis come into her own. The book perfectly captures the excitement and danger of 1930s New York, culminating in an amazing final scene! I thought the sapphic romance was beautiful too!
🚖
The book opens at the top of the Empire State Building as two women await a mystery character they plan to kill. We then go back to events leading up to this moment as Francis escapes an abusive small town life in Kansas for a fresh start in the big city. The whole time you’re just guessing who the victim is going to be and how Francis turned into this woman capable of murder!
🚖
The portrayal of the glamour and corruption of NYC in the Jazz Age was brilliant! It’s a real page turner where the city feels as much of a character as Francis, and we explore it all! From Harlem speakeasies to tenements and Skyscraper rooftops.
I loved the small town girl in the big city vibes and it was amazing to see Francis come into her own. The book perfectly captures the excitement and danger of 1930s New York, culminating in an amazing final scene! I thought the sapphic romance was beautiful too!
January 5, 2022
Rounding to 3.5 Stars.
One Night, New York is a great audiobook! The story itself is well developed and I really connected with Frances. She is a small town country girl moving to the big city where her big brother lives. He tries to protect her by telling her who to stay away from and what parts of town to avoid. Only for this to spark curiosity in Frances and she learns more about her brother than she ever did, in which she discovers his death. Frances and her friend sets off to find his murderer and avenge his death!
This audiobook is a quick listen that will keep you listening to figure out who in New York is behind all the madness.
Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
One Night, New York is a great audiobook! The story itself is well developed and I really connected with Frances. She is a small town country girl moving to the big city where her big brother lives. He tries to protect her by telling her who to stay away from and what parts of town to avoid. Only for this to spark curiosity in Frances and she learns more about her brother than she ever did, in which she discovers his death. Frances and her friend sets off to find his murderer and avenge his death!
This audiobook is a quick listen that will keep you listening to figure out who in New York is behind all the madness.
Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2021
3,5*
Every year during Harrogate's Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, the Scottish Queen of mystery, Val McDermid presents noteworthy novels from debut authors on her New Blood panel. I can honestly say this is the one I religiously follow because she knows hers stuff (many of her picks went to win Edgars and Daggers) and I discovered many great authors this way.
One of this year's picks was Lara Thompson's One Night, New York and I was incredibly happy to get a copy through Edelweiss as it was the one I wanted to read right away.
Set in Depression-era New York, the novel follows Francine, a young girl who ran away from Kansas to join her brother in the city. In the opening scene Francine and another woman are waiting for someone at the top of the skyscraper and we are aware they have some nefarious plans with this man. The novel then throws us narratively few months back as we discover the events that led to the pivotal meet up at the top of the building.
This being a historical crime novel, I'd say it's the historical part where it excels. The mystery part of the novel is rather simple, but keeps you intrigued and turning pages to see what went down, but still, firmly set in the background. Of course there is murder and horrible things happening to people like Francine, but there is this pervasive feeling that these things are everyday occurrence and like they are intimate problems, and they can't really do anything about it unless they take the matters in their own hands. This is not a bleak outlook, just the way things worked in Depression-era New York. Thompson lost me a bit in the way she was building this part of story because Francine stumbled on people who turn out to be important almost by accident creating this feeling that it's a really small world.
Setting being its main selling point,this novel exudes the atmosphere. Thompson accomplished this in several ways as it wasn't done only through descriptions of smells, people and buildings that fill up the picture in your head. There is this micro view of single girl's experience in new city and through her unfiltered point of view you fill in the rest without the need of history lesson. The thing about Francine is that she is a perfect conduit to depict how the life in 1932. New York looked like. She is young, but curious enough to ask questions and try new things. She doesn't know how to read or write, so she understands things by actually experiencing them. Francine won't explain you what led to poverty, racial divides, gender-roles and breadlines- she lives in the smallest room with smallest kitchen with thinnest walls and this is living in New York for her. Faithful meeting with Dicky and Jacks during her train ride who live in Greenwich Village is her insight into the life of richer and swankier and she sees the other side of New York as well. It's the perfect dichotomy of lifestyles ans she treads in both world carefully not feeling she belongs really, but somehow belonging in New York just the same.
But to bring another layer to this fictional portrait of New York to life, Thompson introduces Frances to another woman, Agnes, who works as Dicky's assistant and is a great photographer in her own right. Per writer's words Agnes and her pictures of skyscrapers that forever immortalized the ever-changing city was inspired by great Berenice Abbott and her Changing New York project. The inspiration goes beyond the superficial and into the core of what was Abbott trying to do with her iconic collections of photographs.
All in all, a great historical crime debut with emphasis on the historical part.
I want to give my thanks to Edelweiss+, Lara Thompson and Pegasus Books for providing me with a review copy of this novel, I enjoyed it a great deal. All opinions are my own.
Every year during Harrogate's Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, the Scottish Queen of mystery, Val McDermid presents noteworthy novels from debut authors on her New Blood panel. I can honestly say this is the one I religiously follow because she knows hers stuff (many of her picks went to win Edgars and Daggers) and I discovered many great authors this way.
One of this year's picks was Lara Thompson's One Night, New York and I was incredibly happy to get a copy through Edelweiss as it was the one I wanted to read right away.
Set in Depression-era New York, the novel follows Francine, a young girl who ran away from Kansas to join her brother in the city. In the opening scene Francine and another woman are waiting for someone at the top of the skyscraper and we are aware they have some nefarious plans with this man. The novel then throws us narratively few months back as we discover the events that led to the pivotal meet up at the top of the building.
This being a historical crime novel, I'd say it's the historical part where it excels. The mystery part of the novel is rather simple, but keeps you intrigued and turning pages to see what went down, but still, firmly set in the background. Of course there is murder and horrible things happening to people like Francine, but there is this pervasive feeling that these things are everyday occurrence and like they are intimate problems, and they can't really do anything about it unless they take the matters in their own hands. This is not a bleak outlook, just the way things worked in Depression-era New York. Thompson lost me a bit in the way she was building this part of story because Francine stumbled on people who turn out to be important almost by accident creating this feeling that it's a really small world.
Setting being its main selling point,this novel exudes the atmosphere. Thompson accomplished this in several ways as it wasn't done only through descriptions of smells, people and buildings that fill up the picture in your head. There is this micro view of single girl's experience in new city and through her unfiltered point of view you fill in the rest without the need of history lesson. The thing about Francine is that she is a perfect conduit to depict how the life in 1932. New York looked like. She is young, but curious enough to ask questions and try new things. She doesn't know how to read or write, so she understands things by actually experiencing them. Francine won't explain you what led to poverty, racial divides, gender-roles and breadlines- she lives in the smallest room with smallest kitchen with thinnest walls and this is living in New York for her. Faithful meeting with Dicky and Jacks during her train ride who live in Greenwich Village is her insight into the life of richer and swankier and she sees the other side of New York as well. It's the perfect dichotomy of lifestyles ans she treads in both world carefully not feeling she belongs really, but somehow belonging in New York just the same.
But to bring another layer to this fictional portrait of New York to life, Thompson introduces Frances to another woman, Agnes, who works as Dicky's assistant and is a great photographer in her own right. Per writer's words Agnes and her pictures of skyscrapers that forever immortalized the ever-changing city was inspired by great Berenice Abbott and her Changing New York project. The inspiration goes beyond the superficial and into the core of what was Abbott trying to do with her iconic collections of photographs.
All in all, a great historical crime debut with emphasis on the historical part.
I want to give my thanks to Edelweiss+, Lara Thompson and Pegasus Books for providing me with a review copy of this novel, I enjoyed it a great deal. All opinions are my own.
November 11, 2020
"The tempo of the metropolis is not of eternity, or even time, but of the vanishing instant." ~ Berenice Abbott
Thank you so much Kimberley at @littlebrown for my ARC (advanced reader copy) of One Night, New York by @_lara.thompson I really enjoyed it. Billed as crime fiction I'd say One Night, New York is an historical crime mystery, it feels like a whodunit in reverse as the book starts at the end and then the story itself unfolds.
One Night, New York is a slow burning story of a young woman discovering who she is in 1930s New York, against the backdrop of the city itself going through the beginning of it's own reinvention. Frances and her lover, Agnes waiting high above New York city to kill a man... But what caused them to be there, in such a desperate situation?
Everything is oblique and hinted at, Frances's view of life and even New York is small and limited however as she grows in tandem with NYs expansion things start to link up and the pieces of the puzzle become a little clearer. In the 30s Greenwich Village was a happening place to be, artists and gangsters, business men and musicians, everyone was accepted and you could try to write your own rules and live your own way, a concept Frances would not have managed back home in Kansas, but in New York...
Agnes's character references Berenice Abbott, a photographer well-known in the late thirties for her sexuality as well as her profession. Women then were taking their first strides into working in male professions and wearing the trousers (literally!) as well as allowing themselves to live their sex lives out in the open, an incredibly transitional time.
(Warning: this book covers a few uncomfortable topics such as rape, incest, and domestic abuse.)
I'm giving One Night, New York a 3.5 ⭐ I enjoyed it and it's historical setting, I liked that it made me go off and do a little research after, but there's something that I can't quite put my finger on about it 🤔 that stops me giving it a 4. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book from Lara Thompson though!
Thank you so much Kimberley at @littlebrown for my ARC (advanced reader copy) of One Night, New York by @_lara.thompson I really enjoyed it. Billed as crime fiction I'd say One Night, New York is an historical crime mystery, it feels like a whodunit in reverse as the book starts at the end and then the story itself unfolds.
One Night, New York is a slow burning story of a young woman discovering who she is in 1930s New York, against the backdrop of the city itself going through the beginning of it's own reinvention. Frances and her lover, Agnes waiting high above New York city to kill a man... But what caused them to be there, in such a desperate situation?
Everything is oblique and hinted at, Frances's view of life and even New York is small and limited however as she grows in tandem with NYs expansion things start to link up and the pieces of the puzzle become a little clearer. In the 30s Greenwich Village was a happening place to be, artists and gangsters, business men and musicians, everyone was accepted and you could try to write your own rules and live your own way, a concept Frances would not have managed back home in Kansas, but in New York...
Agnes's character references Berenice Abbott, a photographer well-known in the late thirties for her sexuality as well as her profession. Women then were taking their first strides into working in male professions and wearing the trousers (literally!) as well as allowing themselves to live their sex lives out in the open, an incredibly transitional time.
(Warning: this book covers a few uncomfortable topics such as rape, incest, and domestic abuse.)
I'm giving One Night, New York a 3.5 ⭐ I enjoyed it and it's historical setting, I liked that it made me go off and do a little research after, but there's something that I can't quite put my finger on about it 🤔 that stops me giving it a 4. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book from Lara Thompson though!
December 18, 2021
It's 1932 and Francis from Kansas (a tired cliché from this Kansas native, but I digress), leaves her abusive home to follow her brother to New York. On the train, she meets an eclectic couple who live in the boho Greenwich Village and can't stay away from their artistic and freewheeling vibe. Here she meets Agnes, the one with whom we hear in the first chapter Francis is plotting to push a man over the edge of the Empire State Building.
This had so much going for it for me, but it just never quite hit the mark for a Wow read. First, I thought the story would be a literal one night story, which I thought would be fantastic...but it wasn't. The tension culminated on that one night, but most of the story is the lead up. The love story also felt a bit forced. Francis is super naïve in all ways except, apparently, one. This felt incongruous to me. Did I mention the trope of Kansas girl in over her head in the big city?
All this said, the story had good noir bones. Speakeasies, atmosphere, danger and bohemian artists all contribute. I did enjoy listening to this story. I think I just had higher expectations for this one. I would like to see what this debut author will write next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.
This had so much going for it for me, but it just never quite hit the mark for a Wow read. First, I thought the story would be a literal one night story, which I thought would be fantastic...but it wasn't. The tension culminated on that one night, but most of the story is the lead up. The love story also felt a bit forced. Francis is super naïve in all ways except, apparently, one. This felt incongruous to me. Did I mention the trope of Kansas girl in over her head in the big city?
All this said, the story had good noir bones. Speakeasies, atmosphere, danger and bohemian artists all contribute. I did enjoy listening to this story. I think I just had higher expectations for this one. I would like to see what this debut author will write next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.
December 29, 2021
I'm not sure how I feel about One Night, New York. On one hand, it was pretty great for being a debut novel. However, the description is not accurate and does not give you a correct idea about what this novel is about.
One Night, New York does not take place over the course of one night, as you may assume. It occurs over a few months and keeps flashing forward to the "one night" in question.
Frances is a girl suffering from parental abuse in Kansas. She escapes and takes a train to New York City to live with her brother, Stan.
This novel is not really a thriller or a crime/detective story. I will label it historical fiction. When you lose the "thriller" expectation, it's actually quite good. The author writes beautifully and the way she describes things is extraordinary. I can't wait to see what else she releases.
One Night, New York does not take place over the course of one night, as you may assume. It occurs over a few months and keeps flashing forward to the "one night" in question.
Frances is a girl suffering from parental abuse in Kansas. She escapes and takes a train to New York City to live with her brother, Stan.
This novel is not really a thriller or a crime/detective story. I will label it historical fiction. When you lose the "thriller" expectation, it's actually quite good. The author writes beautifully and the way she describes things is extraordinary. I can't wait to see what else she releases.
March 17, 2022
I sometimes read books that I just wish would end....because the story is uncompelling, and I am just not "getting it". This was one of those. I plucked it off the "Lucky Day" shelf at the library.....story of a young girl from 1930's depression ravaged Kansas. Goes to NYC to be with her big brother who has been there a couple of years. She finds herself entangled with the ugly side of "roaring 30's" NYC, drugs, thugs and other. People die, she falls in love with a woman , her brother is killed, ultimately the book ends with she and her lover leaving on a boat to France.
Not sure what the journey was about, or the point or the message. Thankfully it was not a long or hard read, although I will give Thompson credit for some really lovely and colorful expressions and phrasing, it was not enough to cover the lack in the book.
Not sure what the journey was about, or the point or the message. Thankfully it was not a long or hard read, although I will give Thompson credit for some really lovely and colorful expressions and phrasing, it was not enough to cover the lack in the book.
March 7, 2022
I reviewed One Night, New York at Criminal Element.
Frances and Agnes are atop the Empire State Building 21 December 1932. It’s the night of the winter solstice. They are on a mission, one they’re not sure they can execute. They plan to push a corrupt monster over the edge, a man who deserves killing because of what he has done to them. The events of One Night, New York take place over a twenty-four hour period, coupled with flashbacks. Debut novelist Lara Thompson paints word pictures with exquisite descriptions. Frances understands why so many people jump—the city seduces you from the sidewalks below up to the deck of the Empire State Building.
If this was the first and last time she was going to see her city from up here, if tonight was everything, then she must stain her mind with the sight of it. The dimming sky looked as though it had been stripped from the heavens and ironed flat: a thousand lit windows scattered like sequins on the dress of the night.
Few words pack more meaning than the Great Depression and the Empire State Building. The Great Depression was a painfully traumatic time in American history whereas the Empire State Building symbolized all that was progressive and exciting about New York City. On 12 September, Frances flees her family farm in Hays, Kansas to join her brother Stan in the Big Apple. She escapes from profound and soul-chilling poverty. Consider—she and her downtrodden mother shared a pair of Sunday go-to-church shoes for five years; it is implied that her father sexually abused her and Frances gave birth to a stillborn baby; the money Stan sent her so she could learn to read is stolen by her parents. Frances’s parting shot from her father is a farewell blast from his shotgun: she is petrified he will prevent her from boarding the train. Stan’s gift is a ticket to freedom.
Frances spends three days in the third class carriage. She cradles a newspaper underneath her head for a pillow. On the last day, two well-dressed characters come into her carriage, looking around as if they were at the zoo. They make Frances a little nervous and more than a little mad. Dicky is looking for new people to photograph, and for his companion Jacks to write about them so they can recapture earlier successes. They channel the famous Depression photographs of Dorothea Lange while they look for inspiration.
‘Inspired by the debris in this carriage? I don’t think so?’ The woman’s voice was getting louder. ‘We need to find some characters, Dicky, some real, no-holds-barred, stop-the-press characters. I haven’t been inspired since you found that woman standing in the middle of that sorry-looking-field with all those children. Now she was something to get worked up about.’
‘You can be beastly sometimes, Jacks, absolutely beastly. I know you don’t mean it, but there’s no need to be rude. Inspiration’s everywhere. You just have to be open enough to see it.’ The woman made a scoffing noise. ‘Look here,’ the man continued. ‘Like I said. Fine bone structure, good skin. Give her a wash and she might do.’
Frances doesn’t want to be treated like “some dumb Dora who’d never travelled anywhere before.” She overhears them preparing to take ‘a shot first.’ What? They want to shoot her? No, the man had “no gun in his hand, just a wooden box,” a camera. Still, how dare these strangers presume to take her picture without her permission? Photographer Dicky and writer Jacks are simultaneously taken aback and enthralled with Frances’s spunk—although they still want to take her picture and she must not change a single, dirt-encrusted detail of her appearance. They give her a business card and invite her to visit them in old Greenwich Village once she gets her bearings.
When Frances arrives at Penn Station she doesn’t immediately spot Stan. The building is more beautiful than a church: “Golden light poured in through sky-high windows, shafting on to marble floor tiles in angular patterns.” Stan steers her through the turbulent streets of New York. Some foreshadowing: they stop and Stan tells Frances to look up at an amazingly tall skyscraper. ‘Empire State. A hundred storeys. Forty million bucks to build.’ They marvel at it.
Stan treats his sister to a meal at the Horn and Hardart automat. Out of nowhere a man starts beating on his companion and Stan just sits there. This is not the Stan Frances remembers. Worse, he knows the man and tells Frances to ignore what she sees. He brings her to a tenement apartment where the walls are paper thin. The streets of New York may be paved with gold but Stan has a brutish ignoble job—he’s a thug for a gangster.
Frances gets a job doing piecework embroidery. It is so hard on her fingers and arms that she needs to ice them. All she thinks about is visiting Jacks and Dicky. Stan forbids her to further her acquaintance but Frances didn’t escape one prison to willingly submit to strictures in her new life. Their apartment in the Village is bohemian, bold and marvelous—she’s not in Kansas anymore. Frances and Agnes, Dicky’s talented assistant photographer, form a deep romantic connection.
One Night, New York is flush with authentic New Yorkers—soldiers down on their luck, seedy gangsters in glamorous nightclubs, and bohemian artists and hangers-on. Agnes and Frances’s lives intersect with the dangerous criminals who have Stan in their clutches and tragedy ensues. No spoilers but readers will race through the chapters to discover the fate of their target at the top of the Empire State Building.
Lara Thompson is immensely talented. No surprise she won the “inaugural Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award competition.” Her precise elegiac prose makes old New York come to vivid life.
Frances and Agnes are atop the Empire State Building 21 December 1932. It’s the night of the winter solstice. They are on a mission, one they’re not sure they can execute. They plan to push a corrupt monster over the edge, a man who deserves killing because of what he has done to them. The events of One Night, New York take place over a twenty-four hour period, coupled with flashbacks. Debut novelist Lara Thompson paints word pictures with exquisite descriptions. Frances understands why so many people jump—the city seduces you from the sidewalks below up to the deck of the Empire State Building.
If this was the first and last time she was going to see her city from up here, if tonight was everything, then she must stain her mind with the sight of it. The dimming sky looked as though it had been stripped from the heavens and ironed flat: a thousand lit windows scattered like sequins on the dress of the night.
Few words pack more meaning than the Great Depression and the Empire State Building. The Great Depression was a painfully traumatic time in American history whereas the Empire State Building symbolized all that was progressive and exciting about New York City. On 12 September, Frances flees her family farm in Hays, Kansas to join her brother Stan in the Big Apple. She escapes from profound and soul-chilling poverty. Consider—she and her downtrodden mother shared a pair of Sunday go-to-church shoes for five years; it is implied that her father sexually abused her and Frances gave birth to a stillborn baby; the money Stan sent her so she could learn to read is stolen by her parents. Frances’s parting shot from her father is a farewell blast from his shotgun: she is petrified he will prevent her from boarding the train. Stan’s gift is a ticket to freedom.
Frances spends three days in the third class carriage. She cradles a newspaper underneath her head for a pillow. On the last day, two well-dressed characters come into her carriage, looking around as if they were at the zoo. They make Frances a little nervous and more than a little mad. Dicky is looking for new people to photograph, and for his companion Jacks to write about them so they can recapture earlier successes. They channel the famous Depression photographs of Dorothea Lange while they look for inspiration.
‘Inspired by the debris in this carriage? I don’t think so?’ The woman’s voice was getting louder. ‘We need to find some characters, Dicky, some real, no-holds-barred, stop-the-press characters. I haven’t been inspired since you found that woman standing in the middle of that sorry-looking-field with all those children. Now she was something to get worked up about.’
‘You can be beastly sometimes, Jacks, absolutely beastly. I know you don’t mean it, but there’s no need to be rude. Inspiration’s everywhere. You just have to be open enough to see it.’ The woman made a scoffing noise. ‘Look here,’ the man continued. ‘Like I said. Fine bone structure, good skin. Give her a wash and she might do.’
Frances doesn’t want to be treated like “some dumb Dora who’d never travelled anywhere before.” She overhears them preparing to take ‘a shot first.’ What? They want to shoot her? No, the man had “no gun in his hand, just a wooden box,” a camera. Still, how dare these strangers presume to take her picture without her permission? Photographer Dicky and writer Jacks are simultaneously taken aback and enthralled with Frances’s spunk—although they still want to take her picture and she must not change a single, dirt-encrusted detail of her appearance. They give her a business card and invite her to visit them in old Greenwich Village once she gets her bearings.
When Frances arrives at Penn Station she doesn’t immediately spot Stan. The building is more beautiful than a church: “Golden light poured in through sky-high windows, shafting on to marble floor tiles in angular patterns.” Stan steers her through the turbulent streets of New York. Some foreshadowing: they stop and Stan tells Frances to look up at an amazingly tall skyscraper. ‘Empire State. A hundred storeys. Forty million bucks to build.’ They marvel at it.
Stan treats his sister to a meal at the Horn and Hardart automat. Out of nowhere a man starts beating on his companion and Stan just sits there. This is not the Stan Frances remembers. Worse, he knows the man and tells Frances to ignore what she sees. He brings her to a tenement apartment where the walls are paper thin. The streets of New York may be paved with gold but Stan has a brutish ignoble job—he’s a thug for a gangster.
Frances gets a job doing piecework embroidery. It is so hard on her fingers and arms that she needs to ice them. All she thinks about is visiting Jacks and Dicky. Stan forbids her to further her acquaintance but Frances didn’t escape one prison to willingly submit to strictures in her new life. Their apartment in the Village is bohemian, bold and marvelous—she’s not in Kansas anymore. Frances and Agnes, Dicky’s talented assistant photographer, form a deep romantic connection.
One Night, New York is flush with authentic New Yorkers—soldiers down on their luck, seedy gangsters in glamorous nightclubs, and bohemian artists and hangers-on. Agnes and Frances’s lives intersect with the dangerous criminals who have Stan in their clutches and tragedy ensues. No spoilers but readers will race through the chapters to discover the fate of their target at the top of the Empire State Building.
Lara Thompson is immensely talented. No surprise she won the “inaugural Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award competition.” Her precise elegiac prose makes old New York come to vivid life.
February 12, 2022
Phew! A dark one! But Thompson did a fantastic job of setting the scene of the underbelly of 1932 New York.
March 10, 2022
This beautifully written book is so many things: a LGBTQIA+ romance, an atmospheric dive into 30s NYC, a parable of difficult family relationships, a crime story but at the heart, it’s the story of a young woman taking all of the best and worst New York has to offer and making it her own. Thompson brings that era of Manhattan to life in a cinematic way, which made up for the times the story spun its tires.
December 12, 2021
First of all, the summary is insanely misleading. It's not "set over the course of a single night," it's set across a couple of months with a handful of flash-forwards to the night in question. And the vast majority of those play a frustrating pronoun game to avoid revealing who their target is (he, him, the man who had just arrived, the man in the doorway, the man they were speaking about). Even when the man is present, the author refuses to reveal his identity to the point where it became ludicrous.
The rest of the book was fine. Standard level historical fiction. Agnes was a great character, and I liked Jax more than I thought I would. But on the whole, it felt like the book never lived up to its summary.
The rest of the book was fine. Standard level historical fiction. Agnes was a great character, and I liked Jax more than I thought I would. But on the whole, it felt like the book never lived up to its summary.
January 24, 2022
Argh. I'm worn out. Sadly, I picked up a book, read it, and am left wondering. Why was this written? What was the point? I had the audiobook, and loved the narrator. The book was too long. So many times I was sighing, and heard blah, blah, blah.
Thank you NetGalley for accepting my request to read and review One Night, New York.
#NetGalley
#DreamscapeMedia
#OneNightNewYork
#Audiobook
#StephanieCannonNarrator
Thank you NetGalley for accepting my request to read and review One Night, New York.
#NetGalley
#DreamscapeMedia
#OneNightNewYork
#Audiobook
#StephanieCannonNarrator
February 25, 2022
I was not very crazy about it. It was very slow. Started to pick up a bit before the end. I was pushing myself to finish reading it so I could start reading another Book. I would not recommend.
December 29, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
I have a lot of feelings about this one. It kept teetering between 3 and 4 stars for me, and I'm leaning toward 3 for reasons I'll mention below... Also, I listened to this on audio, so if I misspell any character's names, that's why.
The writing in this debut novel is absolutely stunning. Thompson has a gift with prose. The story follows Frances, a young girl from Kansas who moves to New York in the 1930s and finds herself entrenched in a world of crime.
The premise is promising, and is more or less executed successfully, in my opinion. While the pacing is not necessarily slow, it did take a couple of chapters to really hold my interest. However, after about 20% or so in, I was hooked and invested, and kept creating opportunities for me to continue reading.
That said, a promising beginning and an engaging middle did not necessarily lead to a fulfilling resolution. While the ending did not leave me unsatisfied, I don't feel as though it sets this book apart from other stories of a similar nature.
I did like that Thompson incorporated an LGBT storyline. Frances and Agnes's storyline in this novel has me craving more historical sapphic romance/mysteries. What I did not super enjoy was the racial commentary this book seemed to tell. I appreciate a novel set in the 1930s not glazing over the issue of race, but there were several moments where I was like.... "Yeah, a white author is telling this narrative." Which isn't necessarily a bad thing -- I wish more white authors moving forward didn't ignore the issue of racism, but it is a tricky line to tread if you wish to do it respectfully. Again, I'm a white person, so my opinion here isn't worth as much as a person or color's, but it did impact my enjoyment of the novel.
That said, I did find the characters extremely interesting, and I would have loved to have gotten to know Dickie and Jax a little more than we did. But still, I found them, and Frances, Agnes, and Ben to be entertaining and I enjoyed following them throughout the story.
This is a well-written historical crime novel, and I'm not usually someone who gravitates toward historical fiction.
I also had the privilege of listening to this book on audio, and the narrator was absolutely wonderful. She was engaging, entertaining, and gave each character a distinctive voice without trying too hard. Everything I want in a narration.
Content Warnings for domestic abuse, racism, xenophobia, and mentions of drug use and sexual assault.
I have a lot of feelings about this one. It kept teetering between 3 and 4 stars for me, and I'm leaning toward 3 for reasons I'll mention below... Also, I listened to this on audio, so if I misspell any character's names, that's why.
The writing in this debut novel is absolutely stunning. Thompson has a gift with prose. The story follows Frances, a young girl from Kansas who moves to New York in the 1930s and finds herself entrenched in a world of crime.
The premise is promising, and is more or less executed successfully, in my opinion. While the pacing is not necessarily slow, it did take a couple of chapters to really hold my interest. However, after about 20% or so in, I was hooked and invested, and kept creating opportunities for me to continue reading.
That said, a promising beginning and an engaging middle did not necessarily lead to a fulfilling resolution. While the ending did not leave me unsatisfied, I don't feel as though it sets this book apart from other stories of a similar nature.
I did like that Thompson incorporated an LGBT storyline. Frances and Agnes's storyline in this novel has me craving more historical sapphic romance/mysteries. What I did not super enjoy was the racial commentary this book seemed to tell. I appreciate a novel set in the 1930s not glazing over the issue of race, but there were several moments where I was like.... "Yeah, a white author is telling this narrative." Which isn't necessarily a bad thing -- I wish more white authors moving forward didn't ignore the issue of racism, but it is a tricky line to tread if you wish to do it respectfully. Again, I'm a white person, so my opinion here isn't worth as much as a person or color's, but it did impact my enjoyment of the novel.
That said, I did find the characters extremely interesting, and I would have loved to have gotten to know Dickie and Jax a little more than we did. But still, I found them, and Frances, Agnes, and Ben to be entertaining and I enjoyed following them throughout the story.
This is a well-written historical crime novel, and I'm not usually someone who gravitates toward historical fiction.
I also had the privilege of listening to this book on audio, and the narrator was absolutely wonderful. She was engaging, entertaining, and gave each character a distinctive voice without trying too hard. Everything I want in a narration.
Content Warnings for domestic abuse, racism, xenophobia, and mentions of drug use and sexual assault.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2021
3.5 stars
A young woman flees abuse & the poverty-stricken dust bowl for the lights of New York, getting caught up in the seedy underworld of speakeasies & corrupt politics. This is well written with strong characters & a style & structure that pulled me in. The ending fell a bit flat for me, but overall I liked it.
[What I liked:]
•The characters are great, memorable & distinct. I really liked Frances, the MC, for her honesty & resilience. Everyone in this story has secrets & regrets that shape their character development & feed into the story’s momentum.
•This story is really sad, but it managed to engage me emotionally with some difficult content without becoming OTT tragic or melodramatic in tone. The quiet sadness balanced with the MC’s resilience & will to survive worked well.
•The way the story is structured worked well for me, even though I generally dislike dual timelines. Knowing a sinister plot was afoot at the start, but not knowing what was being planned for whom or why, was compelling. The secrets & details also weren’t drawn out for so long as to get annoying.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•I’m not sure why the novel fudged the historical facts surrounding the Jimmy Walker scandal. In reality, he resigned in early September & went to Europe until things blew over; he did not stay mayor until December or go to jail.
•The ending felt a bit flat, in the sense that it felt lacking in emotional resolution. It felt really bleak (from Frances’ POV), which didn’t sync well with the promise of finding a new life for herself in Paris.
•The romance didn’t feel forced, exactly, but it didn’t feel necessary either. I think the story could’ve worked just as well if Frances & Agnes had just been friends. Since they were supposed to be lovers, I would have appreciated more nuance to their attraction/relationship development; it just felt rather sudden, especially since Frances was initially so uncomfortable/unfamiliar with even the idea of queer relationships.
CW: domestic violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child death, incest, racism, PTSD, substance abuse, suicide, murder, sex trafficking, ableism
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
A young woman flees abuse & the poverty-stricken dust bowl for the lights of New York, getting caught up in the seedy underworld of speakeasies & corrupt politics. This is well written with strong characters & a style & structure that pulled me in. The ending fell a bit flat for me, but overall I liked it.
[What I liked:]
•The characters are great, memorable & distinct. I really liked Frances, the MC, for her honesty & resilience. Everyone in this story has secrets & regrets that shape their character development & feed into the story’s momentum.
•This story is really sad, but it managed to engage me emotionally with some difficult content without becoming OTT tragic or melodramatic in tone. The quiet sadness balanced with the MC’s resilience & will to survive worked well.
•The way the story is structured worked well for me, even though I generally dislike dual timelines. Knowing a sinister plot was afoot at the start, but not knowing what was being planned for whom or why, was compelling. The secrets & details also weren’t drawn out for so long as to get annoying.
[What I didn’t like as much:]
•I’m not sure why the novel fudged the historical facts surrounding the Jimmy Walker scandal. In reality, he resigned in early September & went to Europe until things blew over; he did not stay mayor until December or go to jail.
•The ending felt a bit flat, in the sense that it felt lacking in emotional resolution. It felt really bleak (from Frances’ POV), which didn’t sync well with the promise of finding a new life for herself in Paris.
•The romance didn’t feel forced, exactly, but it didn’t feel necessary either. I think the story could’ve worked just as well if Frances & Agnes had just been friends. Since they were supposed to be lovers, I would have appreciated more nuance to their attraction/relationship development; it just felt rather sudden, especially since Frances was initially so uncomfortable/unfamiliar with even the idea of queer relationships.
CW: domestic violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child death, incest, racism, PTSD, substance abuse, suicide, murder, sex trafficking, ableism
[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]
January 11, 2022
Thanks to dreamscape media and netgalley for an ARC of this book! I listened on audiobook, and I think that impacted my experience with this title. If I had it to do again, I think this would have been a better reading experience!
Firstly, the title made me really excited- there aren't many books that take place over just one day or one night, and this one doesn't either! Most of the book is a build up to the one night, and the one night itself is a very small portion of the book. I think the build up was too long, and the actual carrying out of Agnes and Francis' plan was too short.
I did really like the descriptions and imagery of 1930s NYC. I think the descriptive imagery was my favorite aspect of the entire book. I think this is worth the read, and again I would recommend reading a physical copy instead of listening to this one.
Firstly, the title made me really excited- there aren't many books that take place over just one day or one night, and this one doesn't either! Most of the book is a build up to the one night, and the one night itself is a very small portion of the book. I think the build up was too long, and the actual carrying out of Agnes and Francis' plan was too short.
I did really like the descriptions and imagery of 1930s NYC. I think the descriptive imagery was my favorite aspect of the entire book. I think this is worth the read, and again I would recommend reading a physical copy instead of listening to this one.
February 8, 2021
A great historical fiction novel set in the 1930s NYC. We follow a character by the name of Frances as she goes to live with her brother from the country. Small mystery unveils but we deal with more than that. Racism, sexism, economic struggles, political turmoil, jazz the list goes on. It really gives a great sense of the time. Thrown amongst that is the mystery but I wouldn't say it hits centre stage. It reminded me of a Jeffery Archer novel in that respect. If you enjoy historical fiction this will be for you
December 28, 2021
Agnes has had enough of the abuse from her father! So, she takes off to New York City to find her brother. Agnes is a small-town country girl. So, the big city has many appeals…and many dangers and her brother is tied up into all of them!
Agnes is a character I had big feelings for. She is truly a country bumpkin gone to town. But, it doesn’t take her long to find her niche. And when something happens to her brother, this does not stop her from taking matters into her own hands.
I fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars on this one. The story is very intriguing, I just found a lot of it to be too coincidental. But, the setting and the time period is right in my wheelhouse.
Stephanie Cannon, the narrator, did a wonderful job. I enjoyed how she enhanced all the voices and added the perfect inflection.
Need a twisty tale set in New York City…This is it! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for an honest review.
Agnes is a character I had big feelings for. She is truly a country bumpkin gone to town. But, it doesn’t take her long to find her niche. And when something happens to her brother, this does not stop her from taking matters into her own hands.
I fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars on this one. The story is very intriguing, I just found a lot of it to be too coincidental. But, the setting and the time period is right in my wheelhouse.
Stephanie Cannon, the narrator, did a wonderful job. I enjoyed how she enhanced all the voices and added the perfect inflection.
Need a twisty tale set in New York City…This is it! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for an honest review.
January 30, 2022
4.5 stars. I’m surprised that this book has such low ratings. I found it to be an entrancing read that brought the City to life in the time of prohibition. The author was able to create an air of mystery and suspense while still telling the heartbreaking story of a farm girl from Kansas. She’s a much better writer than Jack’s probably was and much less pretentious 🤨
April 8, 2023
The switching between times and places was really well done. Some chapters were a little slow, but on the whole an enjoyable book!
October 19, 2024
Writing was fine but story got somewhat confusing. At times I had to 2nd-guess what I was reading about as it seemed the storyline jumped. Would not recommend.
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