Black Orchid Blues

"The best kind of historical mystery: great history, great mystery, all wrapped up in a voice so authentic you feel it has come out of the past to whisper in your ear." -Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author

"[Walker] blends taut prose, memorable characters, and a strong creation of setting to craft a terrific historical mystery. I want to hear more from Walker and her winning lead, Lanie Price." -Alafair Burke

"Remarkable ... Imagine the richly provocative atmosphere of Walter Mosley or James Ellroy's best period work, and a savvy, truly likable heroine, and you have Black Orchid Blues." -Jason Starr


"Black Orchid Blues is a terrific read. Persia Walker has written a smart and soulful historical mystery brimming with memorable characters and plot twists. Readers will find her book a journey back in time they won't want to end." -Gar Anthony Haywood

"Black Orchid Blues is a terrific trip through 1920s Harlem, including some of its more extraordinary underworlds. But it's not sociology, or travelogue. It's a gripping crime novel with characters who'll stick with you long after the story ends." -SJ Rozan

"Black Orchid Blues is that rare mystery novel: both a smart and sophisticated take on the Harlem Renaissance and an unblinking exploration into its sometimes violent and often tragic underbelly. Walker hits all the right notes in this dark blues riff." -Reed Farrel Coleman

Lanie Price, a 1920s Harlem society columnist, witnesses the brutal nightclub kidnapping of the "Black Orchid," a sultry, seductive singer with a mysterious past. When hours pass without word from the kidnapper, puzzlement grows as to his motive. Then a gruesome package arrives at Price's doorstep, and the questions change. Just what does this kidnapper want-and how many people is he willing to kill in order to get it?

Evil hides behind the genteel façades of affluent Strivers' Row and stalks the ballroom of one of Harlem's most famous gay parties. In a complex plot that keeps you tied to the page, Black Orchid Blues explores the depths of human depravity and the desperation of its victims. Get your copy today.