The Jazz Club Spy

By: Roberta Rich

Narrated by: Helen Laser

A riveting historical thriller about a Jewish cigarette girl in 1930s New York who finds the soldier who burned down her Russian village years earlier only to be swept up in a political conspiracy on the eve of World War II—from the #1 bestselling author of The Midwife of Venice.

New York, 1939

Giddy Brodsky knows she’s lucky to have a job as a cigarette girl at a Manhattan jazz club, but she dreams of opening her own beauty shop and lifting her family out of poverty. The Brodskys have lived cheek to jowl in the Lower East Side tenements since they came to America nineteen years ago, fleeing a deadly pogrom in their Russian village. But they continue to face prejudice, especially with the rise of the fascist organization the American Bund.

Yet Giddy is focused on the future—until she recognizes one of the Cossacks who irrevocably changed her life and the past comes flooding back. Determined to get justice, she enlists the help of Carter van der Zalm, a regular at the jazz club who also happens to be the director with the Department of Immigration at Ellis Island. When Carter discloses that the Cossack is an “undesirable” and may be of interest to the government, Giddy agrees to moonlight as a spy for him.

Not everyone is who they appear to be, and after a shocking betrayal, Giddy finds herself embroiled in a political conspiracy that could bring America into the war in Europe.

From the gritty tenements to the glittering jazz clubs of 1930s New York, The Jazz Club Spy is a thrilling historical novel about a brash young woman who must use all her wits to save the ones she loves.

©2023 Roberta Rich (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“A wonderfully immersive and utterly delightful novel that beautifully evokes the world of Jazz Age New York City. You’ll fall in love with Giddy Brodsky, an ambitious immigrant with big ideas and a brave heart. . . . Written with authenticity and verve, The Jazz Spy Club is a thrilling romp filled with mystery, political intrigue, and compelling characters. You’ll root for Giddy and her indomitable spirit from the first page to the last. I stayed up all night to reach the entirely satisfying conclusion.”—KIM VAN ALKEMADE, New York Times bestselling author of Counting Lost Stars and Orphan #8

“Roberta Rich brings to life 1930s New York in this fast-paced, gritty historical thriller featuring a cunning, young cigarette girl with a quick mind and a hidden past who is dropped into a political conspiracy on the eve of WWII and comes face to face with secrets and lies that put everything—including her life—in jeopardy. Full of twists and turns, this is a page-turner to the end.”—GENEVIEVE GRAHAM, USA Today and #1 bestselling author of Bluebird and The Forgotten Home Child

“A suspenseful historical novel that never loses touch with humanity, The Jazz Club Spy centres on Giddy Brodsky, a funny, tough-talking cigarette girl in a 1930s jazz club, a cosmetics inventor and entrepreneur, a daughter trying to heal her broken family, and a born spy with nerves of steel. From a high-level conspiracy that could push America into war to a homemade recipe for eyeliner—there’s nothing Roberta Rich can’t do.”—KATHERINE ASHENBURG, award-winning author of Her Turn and Sofie & Cecilia