historical fiction trilogy
THE GALLIANO CLUB
Based on the stories told by author Carmen Amato’s grandfather who was a deputy sheriff of Oneida County, New York, during the 1920’s, the Galliano Club historical fiction thrillers transport you to the blue-collar world of Lido, NY and the epic battle between a Chicago bootlegger and an Italian immigrant for control of the Galliano Club.
Prequel plus Books 1-3.
PREQUEL: 3 outsiders each find a road that leads to the Galliano Club.
BOOK 1: The club isn’t for sale. Just ask the body behind the bar. Winner, 2023 Silver Falchion for Best Historical.
BOOK 2: Blackmail is contagious when everyone connected to the club has a secret to hide.
BOOK 3: Her sister was killed in Lido but the man who could help get revenge is already in jail.
Find the trilogy and prequel on Amazon & Read for free on Kindle Unlimited
Find out what it’s like to be a newly-arrived Italian immigrant in 1926, with bootleggers and rum runners. Watch Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig make the New York Yankees into a legend as the Roaring Twenties under New York’s Governor Al Smith comes to life.
The Galliano Club is an unmissable read for fans of The Godfather, The Untouchables, and Boardwalk Empire.
“The Roaring Twenties in their uninhibited violence and excitement come alive . . . A sure hit.”
– Michael Hogan, author of Women of the Irish Rising
Listen to the critically acclaimed audiobooks narrated by James Froemel
The Galliano Club, with its cast of unforgettable immigrants, brash bootleggers, and headstrong women comes to life as you listen to the compelling performance by voice actor James Froemel.
Dark secrets, heart-stopping drama and cruel intentions–every bit of excitement is captured in the new audiobooks! Listen and fall in love with Luca, Tess, Benny and 1926,
“A gripping thriller series that will immerse you in the gritty, violent world of America in the 1920s.”
– Amanda Hughes, author of The Looking Glass Goddess and The Image Seeker
The Galliano Club is based on a real place
How Rome became Lido
My hometown of Rome, New York, inspired the fictional city of Lido, the setting for the Galliano Club series. At the crossroads of the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River, Rome occupies a prime spot in upstate New York south of the Adirondack Park where the wealthy flocked to deluxe lodge hotels in the 1920’s.
The blog InWoodOut did a fantastic “Travel Guide to the Galliano Club series” which is a must-read for fans of the books, armchair travelers or anyone heading to central New York state.
Once upon a time, Rome supplied 10% of all copper used to build American’s electrical grids, telephone network, ship hulls and bridges. Immigrants from Italy and Poland provided the workforce.
Stately brick, parks and flags
Rome was built of brick, with buildings of 3-5 stories lining main thoroughfares like Dominick Street, James Street and Liberty Street. Most of the downtown streets are named after presidents.
Sharp readers know that the fictional Hamilton Street In Lido NY is really Dominick Street, where today you can find the Revere Copper and Brass mill, which was inspiration for Lido Premium in the books. Vogel Park became West Park.
While the courthouse and former city hall still stand, most of the tall buildings that once lined city streets are long gone. These vintage color postcards helped me re-imagine today’s city.
The real Galliano Club
The Galliano Club itself survived urban renewal and can still be found today on Dominick Street in Rome, with its double doors and second floor. When I was in high school, there was a dance studio on the second floor where I took tap dance lessons.
The Galliano Club of the books is larger, with 5 windows across the second floor and a big plate glass window in the front. There’s still a dance studio on the second floor, the fictional Tapping Toes School of Dance.
My grandparents’ storied start
The Galliano Club books were inspired by the stories told by my grandfather, a deputy sheriff of Oneida County during Prohibition.My favorite was the night he was sent to conduct a stakeout in a cemetery and took along his best friend who was an insurance salesman. They never captured the bootleggers who’d supposedly buried their hooch but it made for a great tale.
As a deputy sheriff, my grandfather was called into action for a manhunt on the night of his wedding reception. A guest at my grandparents’ party had gone home, then murdered two other guests. An alarming start to a marriage that nonetheless endured for 50+ years.
