HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you have a hollowed-out book that’s really a secret cache? A whipped cream canister that actually holds jewelry? Even a fake rock that hides your housekeys? A stuffed animal with a zippery tummy?
Things that hide other things, that’s our topic for the day. And the fab Nadine Nettmann (who is EXACTLY the person you want with you at the wine store, and more about that below) has been looking into how even cities and geography can hide things.
It’s all a result of her (gorgeous! Look at that cover!) new book called THE BOOTLEGGER’S DAUGHTER.
And one hidden thing she uncovered absolutely made me gasp. See if you’re surprised, too.
Read on.
SECRET COMPARTMENTS, TUNNELS, AND HISTORY, OH MY
Thank you, Hank, and all of the Jungle Red Writers for having me here!
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been captivated by things hidden in plain sight. From clues in mysteries to doors concealed behind bookcases to books that are hollowed out to hide keys. When I was little, I had a pencil box that had a secret compartment and while I only kept my eraser in there, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Hidden elements are one of the main reasons I’ve had a decades-long fascination with Prohibition. From 1920-1933, alcohol was hidden in plain sight: boots and heels were filled with liquor, long coats had bottles of booze sewn into the linings, suitcases had secondary compartments, and cars had false floor boards.
Not to mention the aspects a little more out of sight, such as boats pulling up to beaches in the middle of the night, tunnels to transport the illicit alcohol, and of course, speakeasies that could only be entered with the right password.
Histories of cities and towns can also be hidden and I love looking at old photos to see how things used to be. Not just the cars or the streets (sometimes dirt roads), but how the different parts of the city used to look and if the buildings in the photos still remain today. Change, after all, is constant.
This was part of the reason I wanted to write about Los Angeles in The Bootlegger’s Daughter. Not only was I born and raised here, I find it fascinating how a city can go through so many changes and yet some parts will remain unchanged, especially from the 1920s.
Los Angeles also has a hidden history: winemaking. While not a well-known wine region these days, winemaking here dates back to the 1700s and was so key that the city seal from 1854-1905 was a cluster of grapes on the vine. In the 1850s, Los Angeles had more than 100 wineries producing millions of gallons of wine. What happened? Well, a few things and Prohibition was one of them.
While winemaking in Los Angeles still exists, most of the land that once held vines now holds buildings and homes. But the history remains and in a way, is hidden in plain sight. In fact, you might have seen and heard it for years without realizing the connection. From now on, it'll cross your mind the next time someone mentions the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
HANK: Oh, I just gasped! I NEVER thought about that. Hilarious.
I adore secret hiding places too, and always wished our house had one. A revolving bookcase, or a hidden panel in the pantry. Reds and readers, do you have any secret hiding place in your house—or in your life? I guess once you tell us, it’s not secret any more….but hey, it's just between us!
And what questions do you have for Nadine about bootlegging—or wine?
The Bootlegger’s Daughter
In Prohibition-era Los Angeles, two women on opposite sides of the law must take control of their lives, make their marks, and try to survive. Even if it means crossing the line.
It’s 1927. Letty Hart’s father is long gone, but his old winery provides a meager wage and a legal livelihood for selling sacramental wine. But when that contract goes bust, Letty stumbles upon a desperate option: her father’s hidden cellar—and enough liquor to tempt Letty to bootleg the secret stash. In an underworld dominated by merciless men, Letty is building an empire.
Officer Annabel Forman deserves to be the first female detective in the LAPD. But after two years on the force, she’s still consigned to clerical work and policing dance halls. When Annabel connects a series of unsolved murders to bootlegging, it’s a chance at a real investigation. Under the thumb of dismissive male superiors, Annabel is building her case.
As their formerly uncompromised morals erode, Letty and Annabel are on a collision course—and determined to prove they’re every bit as ruthless and strong-willed as the powers that be who want to take them down.
Nadine Nettmann is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the author of the Agatha Award–nominated Sommelier Mystery series, which includes Decanting a Murder, Uncorking a Lie, and Pairing a Deception. Born in Los Angeles, she works full-time in the wine industry and enjoys discovering the history of the city she still calls home. For more information, visit www.nadinenettmann.com
Congratulations, Nadine, on your new book . . . I'm looking forward to reading it [and especially to meeting Annabel] . . . We lived in Los Angeles for many years and did know about its winemaking history . . . so many changes . . . and yet . . . .
ReplyDeleteSadly, our house does not have a secret room or a hiding place . . . but I wish it did :)
MAYBE it does, but it secret even from you? :-)
DeleteThank you, Joan! And I'm with you on secret rooms and hiding places, that would be so cool!
DeleteWhen I read that Vine got it's name because of grape vines, I couldn't believe I hadn't made that connection before. But it makes so much sense.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book. It's great!
I know, isn't that hilarious?
DeleteThank you so much, Mark! When I found that out about Vine, I was so surprised, too!
DeleteCongrats on your book release. Wow, Hollywood and Vine, never crossed my mind.
ReplyDeleteI cannot get over it!
DeleteThank you, Dru! I lived here my whole life and it never crossed my mind until I got into wine. I love that the history was here in plain sight!
DeleteNadine, I've been waiting for this book! Looking forward to meeting Letty and Annabel.
ReplyDeleteThere are several Pinterest groups of nothing but secret rooms, and I'm obsessed with them. When we were building our new space in the lower level of our house I discussed adding a bookcase door to the entry to one of the storage spaces with our very creative carpenter. He was all charged up about figuring out how to design it, but I had to sober up and realize how pricey it would be.
Darn it. Now we just have a boring old door. Ho-hum. However, in a house full of books I do have two or three hollow ones sprinkled around. Nothing's in them, though, also boring.
It would be so fun to have one of those doors!
DeleteOh, Pinterest secret rooms? Whoa. What they won't think of next...
DeleteThank you so much, Karen! And I love that there are Pinterest groups of secret rooms, I'm going to look into those! Bookcase doors are so cool but I can imagine the extra price that goes into them with having to leverage the weight of the books, etc. And I also have a hollow book without anything in it. I should add something in there today. Maybe I will!
DeleteNadine, your book sounds like fun, learning about all of the hidden secrets. My only question for you is how did you start on the path to becoming a sommelier? That’s interesting enough, but you’re a sommelier author. I’d think that makes you very unique!
ReplyDelete(As for hidden rooms, I was introduced to one inside the MLK Library at San Jose State University by a friend who worked there. It’s in the — where else? — mystery section! It’s not really a room; more like a revolving bookcase with a small space behind it. So fun!) — Pat S
I SO agree--I want to hear all about Nadine's background, too! Hint, hint...
DeleteThank you, Pat! A revolving bookcase is so cool! Now I want to go visit one of those.
DeleteFor my sommelier journey, I loved wine but didn't know too much about it. I was at a food and wine festival and one moment I was in the audience and the next moment, the host pulled me onto the panel as a guest and asked me to give my opinion on the wine in front of me. I looked out at a sea of 200 people waiting for my answer and I was frankly terrified, lol. I took a sip of the wine and managed to say, "It's smooth" and the panel continued. The moment changed my life. I wanted to learn more about wine and started studying and fell in love with it. I became a Certified Sommelier the next year and I've never stopped learning. It's been such a wonderful journey.
Wow, Nadine! You never know!
DeleteNADINE: I'm looking forward to learning more about Los Angeles' wine making past. Congratulations on the launch of this new historical series!
ReplyDeleteBut a hidden wine cellar full of illicit booze would be a great find & a temptation for Letty to get ahead of her competitors. And Officer Annabel's goal of becoming LAPD's first detective makes her sound very ambitious & determined to crack a case that can catapult her career.
I can't believe that I never made the connection between Vine St. in Hollywood & the city's past in wine-making. And you mentioned in another blog seeing grape vines in Olvera Street. Too bad I never looked up while visiting the area!
SO agree...love this whole idea!
DeleteThank you so much, Grace! And I never made the connection between Hollywood and Vine either. History hidden in plain sight! And when you come back to LA, we'll go to Olvera street and see the vines!
DeleteNadine, congratulations. Your new book is getting a lot of buzz! The story sounds terrific, set in 1920's LA. It sounds like your two protagonists might be on a collision course.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that LA was originally a wine producing area, but it absolutely makes sense. Hollywood and Vine. Hah. I'll be chuckling all day.
It struck me that way, too...so strange that we never connected it! And now we always will.
DeleteThank you so much, Judy! I'm with you, I didn't know it was a wine region for the longest time. I now think of Hollywood and Vine in a totally different way!
DeleteA fellow Angeleno waving hi to Nadine! The new book sounds right down my alley, especially with the 1920s era. I've also always loved hidden compartments and history, but I had no idea about the SoCal winemaking.
ReplyDeleteThe early female detective reminded me of last year's movie, the delightful Wicked Little Letters. Also set in the 1920s, it features a female (and person of color) detective who solves the case despite her boss admonishing her to stay away from it.
Oh, I haven't seen that movie, but I have heard so much about it!
DeleteThank you, Edith! *waves back* I haven't seen Wicked Little Letters but I definitely need to watch it!
DeleteCongratulations Nadine on The Bootlegger’s Daughter ! I already have it on my Kindle and intend to read it next.
ReplyDeleteThe only hidden thing in my home is a hollowed book in which I keep some cherished memories.
Danielle
NIce! Did you make it yourself?
DeleteThank you so much, Danielle, I love that it's on your Kindle! And that's so cool about the hollowed book! I have one but it's currently empty. I think I might add something in there today.
DeleteI like reading books set in the Prohibition era. Glad to learn about yours. No intentional hiding places in my house, but things do go missing!
ReplyDeleteWell, there is THAT!
DeleteThank you, Brenda! And I hear you on things going missing!
DeleteNADINE: Welcome to Jungle Reds Blog! I was fortunate to receive an ARC of The Bootlegger's Daughter and Congratulations on the book launch!
ReplyDeleteSuch fascinating history! I was drawn to the passages about the Red Line Railway. Although I used to visit family in Los Angeles as a child, I had no idea about the Winemaking history. Yes, I saw the Hollywood and Vine street signs. I thought the word Vine was in reference to a tree? Now I know it is in reference to Wine.
Question: Before Schwab's Pharmacy was built, was there a winery in the area? I used to walk to Schwab's from a relative's house on N. Crescent Heights, which intersected with Sunset Blvd.
Diana
Good question!
DeleteThank you, Diana! I love that you used to walk to Schwab's, that pharmacy was a part of so much Hollywood history. For a winery in that particular area, I don't believe so. It might have had orchards at one point, but if I find an old photograph of the area, I'll send it along. I love looking at old photographs of Los Angeles and Hollywood..
DeleteNadine, your books sounds intriguing and I’m looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I *love* secret compartments. I have a fake Reader’s Digest that’s hollow but I dream of finding actual secret compartments in furniture, secret rooms in houses, etc. One house in our neighborhood has a secret room in the basement. The room is under the front porch and was supposedly used during prohibition. Since most houses in our neighborhood were built in the 50s the timing doesn’t work but it’s still cool that there’s a secret room. The corresponding basement wall in our house is covered with paneling and a bookcase, so if there’s a secret room there, we haven’t found it yet.
Re bootlegging, back in the day my grandma and his brothers were moonshiners!
Crap. My grandpa was the bootlegger, not my grandma! LOL. Her family was the exact opposite of his; they all worked for the Post Office.
DeleteOh, the post office! Very easy to mail contraband, right? Just saying... ANd how did you know about your grandpa's moonshining?
DeleteThank you, Cathy! I love that you have a fake Reader's Digest and I'm so with you, I dream of finding secret compartments in places and secret rooms in houses. Fingers crossed that your basement wall leads to a secret room. Keep me updated! And that's SO COOL that your grandpa was a bootlegger!! You are a bootlegger's grandaughter!
DeleteHank, it wasn’t a secret; everyone in the family knew about it. My dad once told me about going somewhere with his uncle. The uncle pulled the wagon into the woods, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and he opened a door cut in a hollow tree and removed a jug of moonshine! LOL
DeleteNadine, OMG, I am! How did I not notice that?
Why am I showing up as Anonymous instead of Bibliophile???
ReplyDeleteNadine, Oh I forgot to mention the hiding places. I remember many children's mystery novels with hiding places like the Nancy Drew stories. And I remember stories about priest's hole in England. And Secret Passages behind the bookcase in the Library.
Diana
Oh, blogger can be cranky.
DeleteI love that about children's mystery novels, I read similar ones like The Famous Five series, which had a secret tunnel in one and a hidden beach where boats pulled up. I loved those so much.
DeleteHow interesting! Your book sounds like something I'd really like to read. Although there are no special hiding places within my house - at least none that I know about - I've often thought about where I could hide something. But that would depend on what it is, how big it is. If it is very small, say a jewel or coin, it could be hidden in the hem of the draperies. The only way I can think to hide a bottle of booze would be to decant it into a different bottle and passing it off as - what? I can't imagine. Maybe cranberry juice since I'm the only one in the family that would drink that kind of juice.
ReplyDeleteLots to think about here.
Ooh, you have lots of good ideas!
DeleteThank you, Judi! I love the idea of hiding coins in the hem of draperies. They'd never be found by others! And I love that you mentioned decanting booze into something else and passing it off that way. I did that in my book, so I love that you and I are on the same wavelength!
DeleteCongrats Nadine! Can't wait to start the book. We lived in San Diego and I remember as a child our family would drive up in our 1954 Chevy on the old Hwy 101 (now it's Interstate 5) which went through all the beach communities, to visit my Aunt & Uncle in Palos Verdes. For what seemed like hundreds of miles Orange County was row after row of orange trees. How interesting to know Hollywood & Vine was a vineyard!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why they call it that! And oh, the orange blossoms smell so wonderful!
DeleteYes it was. Sadly though all those orange trees have been replaced by subdivisions and strip malls. :(
DeleteThank you! And your comment is so picturesque, I can image the 1954 Chevy on the highway with miles of orange trees out the window. I love that!
DeleteNadine, I can hardly wait to read your book! I did NOT think about grapevines whenever I heard Hollywood and Vine. I’d love to know more about the wine making industry back then. There’s a lovely little vineyard in Paris, up behind Monmartre, that is still providing grapes for wine.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a wonderful setting for a novel, right?
DeleteThank you, Suzette! If you're ever in LA, one winery from back then still exists - San Antonio winery, founded in 1917. Very cool place! And the vineyard behind Montmartre sounds lovely!
DeleteI've eaten there many times. Just northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
DeleteCongratulations on the new book, Nadine. It sounds good. I do have to ask, though, was there much discussion about your title being so similar to the first book in the iconic Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember all the details, but my first husband's father was about 50 when my husband was born, meaning he was old enough that he was an active bootlegger during prohibition. I remember it involved boats bringing liquor into Toledo from Canada in some clandestine way. He went on to be a quite respectable businessman, which is what made the stories so fascinating. Sadly, he had passed before I ever knew the family.
wow, what a family history!
DeleteThank you, Susan! My original title was The Bootlegger Queen to convey that the main character was female, but then it evolved over time and eventually ended up as The Bootlegger’s Daughter. That's amazing about your first husband's father! I can picture the boats arriving from Toledo, so cool! And I love that he then went on to be a respectable businessman. What a fascinating history!
DeleteCongratulations on the new book. I do have one of those rocks. It Is half buried, with all the other rocks under the lilac bush near the driveway, not near the front door. I thought there might be a mission in LA, which would make sense for the wine industry but I couldn't see LA on the list of California missions.
ReplyDeleteThose rocks are really effective, as long as you can remember which one is the faux one.
DeleteThank you, Deana! I love those rocks, so much fun to hide things in! At the San Gabriel Mission (about 20 minutes from Downtown LA) they have a vine that dates back over 250 years and still produces grapes. It's so cool to see it real life and the vine is so big, it almost looks like a tree. The winery Byron Blatty makes wine from those grapes, which is such a cool part of history meeting present day!
DeleteI’ve always been fascinated by the idea of secret passages or books. I haven’t run across either yet. But you never know!
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard a lot of good things about your book, Nadine, and I intend to look for it.
DebRo
Thank you, Deb! I hope you find a secret passage one day! Would be such a fun discovery!
DeleteNo secret passages in my house - or when I was growing up. However, there is the story that my great-grandmother on my father's side would go to Canada during Prohibition and hide bottles of whiskey in her car door panels - and then sold shots for 5 cents out of her home.
ReplyDeleteLiz, that is so cool about your great-grandmother! I can totally picture the car door panels coming off and seeing the bottles of whiskey in there. I love it!
DeleteThinking more about secret rooms, and remembering a real one from my childhood. I grew up in Hamilton Ohio, which is about 30 miles north of the Ohio River, and one of the many stops on the Underground Railroad northward to Canada. One friend's huge Catholic family, 13 kids, had a room in their rambling old house that had been used for that purpose. It was right in the hallway, with a cleverly fitted hatch that was nearly invisible, and besides, covered by a carpet. If I remember correctly the actual room was under a smaller room, maybe a pantry, with the area directly below the hatch actually a passageway, so someone hiding there could make small noises and still remain undetected.
ReplyDeleteWe were 10 or 11, and I had not yet read anything about runaway slaves, but I've marveled since at the courage of those who risked so much to help.
Oh, that's amazing. And so powerfully historic. ANd you saw it. Wow.
DeleteWow, what an amazing experience to see one of those rooms in real life! That's so cool! And I love how the latch was almost invisible and covered by a carpet. So much dedication and courage from that family and everyone involved during that time.
DeleteI always wanted secret rooms, tunnels, etc. but no such luck. I did get a secret stash of sorts. Our house was built in 1915 and the plumber and I were trying to find the source of a leak dripping down in the basement. He opened a closet door, the closet backs on to the remodeled upstairs bathroom, looked past the clothes and saw a wooden panel. With permission he pulled it off and there was a space with a safe sitting there. A small safe! I had him move it out and gleefully told my husband in Texas. When he arrived he took it to a place next town over to open it. Nothing but air. But, still. . . Someone forgot their safe.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to see if LA bootleggers make their deliveries like Southern bootleggers, Nadine. I'm anxious to read your book!
WOW! That is a terrific story. LOve that. I just know that there's something like that in our (1894) house. I just know it.
DeleteThank you, Pat! I would have been so excited about the safe! Sorry it was only filled with air, but still, what a cool find!
DeleteWelcome to Jungle Red Writers Nadine; I just downloaded your novel. As far as I know there aren't bootleggers on my side of the family. My girl's grandfather was a 'barrel maker' during the prohibition , and had a really good car. That we do know. No hiding places on Nome Street. Just thinking about this. What about sectioning bamboo and hiding papers there. I am pretty sure this was done in Asia.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, that would definitely work!
DeleteThank you, Coralee! I love that that he was a "barrel maker" during prohibition. That time is such a fascinating part of history! And I love the idea of sectioning bamboo and hiding papers inside!
DeleteThe cover of The Bootlegger's Daughter is so evocative, and what an interesting premise for a book. Who knew LA had a winemaking past. Yes, Hollywood and Vine went right over my head!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Miami I frequented Tobacco Road. It was a restaurant/bar and held the title of having been granted Liquor License #1. Presumably after prohibition. During prohibition it served as a speakeasy. Complete with a hidden room and a door with a porthole opening. Rumor had it that Al Capone hung out there - doubtful, but who knows. It's Miami. The place was torn down a few years ago in the name of build another high rise. An exercise in futility since the builder lost funding and the area is a vacant lot. I heard they tried to reopen The Road, as it was known, in another location, but it failed to catch on.
Oh, that is too bad to lose that bit of history!
DeleteThank you so much, Kait! I LOVE that you used to go to a restaurant that was a speakeasy! And Liquor License #1, such amazing history! Sorry that it was torn down though. That's so sad. There's a bar here in Venice that was a speakeasy and brought booze in from the beach and you can still see the boarded up tunnel if you ask to go into the kitchen. Which of course I did.
DeleteWe need to hire GigiPandian's fictional family business that creates wonderful hidden rooms, staircases, etc.
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking about that! SO much fun. She's terrific. And what a brilliant idea.
DeleteSo true! I love Gigi's books!
DeleteNadine, your book sounds wonderful. I had no idea about Hollywood and Vine although my father was from Northern California and remembered that during Prohibition, their Italian neighbors could still make wine for home consumption.
ReplyDeleteWe own two pieces of furniture with hidden drawers, a secretary and a chest on chest. One of my uncles had a puzzle box that could only be opened by pushing and pulling the correct pieces in the correct order. I loved playing with it as a child.
Atlanta
VERY cool!
DeleteThank you! I love that you have furniture with hidden drawers, that's so cool! My desk is a basic desk but I'd really love to make it have secret compartments. Maybe that's a future project. And I love puzzle boxes! I haven't played with one in ages, but they're so fun!
DeleteOooooh, I'm getting early Perry Mason vibes (the 1932 version on HBO, I think)!!! Love, love, love it! And, yes, I'll never be able to look at Hollywood and Vine the same way again. Congrats, Nadine, I can't wait to read The Bootlegger's Daughter!
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteThank you so much, Jenn! And now I really want to go watch Perry Mason. Maybe that'll be a fun viewing this weekend!
DeleteCongrats, Nadine! I've just downloaded The Bootlegger's Daughter and can't wait to read it! I'm fascinated by anything to do with wine, and will have to check out your sommelier series, too. No hidden rooms in our old house (that we know of!), alas.
ReplyDeleteExactly. That you know of.
DeleteThank you so much, Deborah! And I hope you find a hidden room or tunnel one day, would be such a fun discovery!
DeleteMany a celebratory work lunch has been spent at the San Antonio Winery in LA.
ReplyDeleteMy MINI Cooper had a secret compartment in the dash, where I kept . . . A microfiber cloth.
I love that you've spent time at the San Antonio Winery, it's such a cool place and with so much history! And I love that your mini cooper had a secret compartment!
DeleteThat sounds like a fascinating book, Nadine! As a child, I lived in a circa 200-year-old house in Old San Juan (PR) with a trap door under the stairs leading down to a secret room--brick walls, earthen floors, and enormous cockroaches. It was very exciting as a concept, but after one dramatic viewing, no one in our family ever went down there!
ReplyDeleteOh, that is SO cool!
DeleteThank you, Kim! And wow, I love that you had a trap door in your house! I wonder what the secret room was originally built for or what it was supposed to hold ? So cool!
Delete