Read an excerpt from Cobblestones – A New Orleans Tragedy by S. R. Perricone

Cobblestones – A New Orleans Tragedy

By S. R. Perricone

Publication Date: July 30th, 2025

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 590

Genre: Historical Fiction

The turbulent history of Post-Reconstruction New Orleans collides with the plight of Sicilian immigrants seeking refuge in America.

Antonio, a young man fleeing Sicily after avenging his father's murder, embarks on a harrowing journey to New Orleans with the help of Jesuit priests expelled from his homeland. However, the promise of a fresh start quickly sours as Antonio becomes entangled in a volatile clash of cultures, corruption, and crime.

In the late 19th century, Italian immigrants in New Orleans faced hostility, exploitation, and a brutal system of indentured servitude. Antonio becomes a witness to history as a bitter feud over the docks spirals into violence, culminating in the assassination of Irish police chief David C. Hennessy. The ensuing trial of nine Italians and the shocking lynching of eleven innocent men ignited international outrage, threatening to sever ties between the United States and Italy.

Caught in the crossfire of prejudice and power struggles, Antonio fights to survive while grappling with his own past and future. His journey weaves a gripping tale of resilience, betrayal, and the enduring hope for justice. Cobblestones: A New Orleans Tragedy is a poignant reminder of the human cost of intolerance and the courage it takes to rebuild a life from ashes.

"A phenomenal epic account of a forgotten slice of New Orleans history for fans of Scorsese / Coppola-type cinematic dramas such as Midnight Vendetta and The Godfather!" ~ HFC Reviews

Excerpt

October 15, 1890

11:30PM

The rain had finally yielded to a soft chilly mist. Girod Street glowed in the lambent flickering of gas street lamps, and nascent electrical lights at the intersections. With the mist, the streetscape would be the vision of a drowsy man suddenly awaken in a dimly lit room. But David Hennessy knew his way home, as he fixed his keen eyes on the faint glow of the electric light hanging at Girod and Basin Streets. He was alone, except for a young boy who ran past him, whistling to announce his presence in the gloom.  Not hearing the clopping of hooves in the mist, Hennessy crossed Basin Street. Seeing the oil lamp his mother customarily left in the front window at night, Hennessy paused in front of 275 Girod Street, to dig in his pants pocket and retrieve his house key.

As he felt for his long brass key, he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. Even in the shadows, he knew he wasn’t alone. As he turned to his left, the night exploded with shotgun blasts and pistol fire from five different directions. Hennessy, a strong tall Irishman, drew his silver Colt revolver, and returned fire at the misty silhouettes, as they scattered—some towards Basin Street and some towards Franklin Street. Hennessy’s lean body was on fire, but he chased two of his assailants towards Basin Street, firing at least two shots at them. But his exertion caused his wounds to pump blood, and he collapsed on the front steps of the Gillis Store at 189 Basin Street. 

Boylan Patrolman J.C. Roe, walking the beat on Basin Street, hearing the fusillade, and seeing shadowing figures wrapped in oil clothe coats, fired a shot at the fleeing figures, which was returned by one of the assailants. The shot creased Roe’s left ear. Hearing the shooting, Billy O’Connor raced down Girod Street towards Basin. There he found Hennessy slumped on the steps of the store. “What happened David? Who shot you?” O’Connor asked.

Hennessy, bleeding profusely, and with a pierced left lung, gasped something only O’Conner heard, but when repeated by O’Connor, would ignite a series of cascading events, which flowed from muddy streets of New Orleans, to Washington, D.C., and to Rome, Italy. Not even O’Conner, could anticipate what would happen next, for an ominous black cloud of ethnic prejudice descended upon America, and remained for decades to come. 

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S. R. (Sal) Perricone

Sal Perricone, a graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans with a BA (1975) and JD (1979), has dedicated his career to law enforcement, legal practice, and public service. Beginning as a sergeant with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department, he progressed to detective with the New Orleans Police Department before practicing law privately in New Orleans. In 1985, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Supervisory Special Agent, specializing in financial crime investigations and organized crime.

In 1991, Sal Perricone transitioned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where he served as Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Senior Litigation Counsel until retiring in 2012. Over his illustrious career, he prosecuted significant cases involving La Cosa Nostra, public corruption, and white-collar crime. He earned numerous accolades, including multiple Director’s Awards and the Attorney General’s Award for his role in establishing the Katrina Fraud Task Force.

An adjunct professor at Tulane University and the University of New Orleans, Sal Perricone has trained law enforcement professionals across the nation. Post-retirement, he has authored two novels with positive Catholic themes, Blue Steel Crucifix and The Shadows of Nazareth. A Brother Martin alumnus, he continues to inspire with his dedication to justice and ethics.

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Check out The Man in the Stone Cottage by Stephanie Cowell

The Man in the Stone Cottage

By Stephanie Cowell

Publication Date: September 16th, 2025

Publisher: Regal House publishing

Pages: 258

Genre: Historical Fiction

“A haunting and atmospheric historical novel.”

~ Library Journal

In 1846 Yorkshire, the Brontë sisters— Charlotte, Anne, and Emily— navigate precarious lives marked by heartbreak and struggle.

Charlotte faces rejection from the man she loves, while their blind father and troubled brother add to their burdens. Despite their immense talent, no one will publish their poetry or novels.

Amidst this turmoil, Emily encounters a charming shepherd during her solitary walks on the moors, yet he remains unseen by anyone else.

After Emily’ s untimely death, Charlotte— now a successful author with Jane Eyre— stumbles upon hidden letters and a mysterious map. As she stands on the brink of her own marriage, Charlotte is determined to uncover the truth about her sister’s secret relationship. 

The Man in the Stone Cottage is a poignant exploration of sisterly bonds and the complexities of perception, asking whether what feels real to one person can truly be real to another.

Praise for The Man in the Stone Cottage:

 “A mesmerizing and heartrending novel of sisterhood, love, and loss in Victorian England.”
~ Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author of Queens of London

“Stephanie Cowell has written a masterpiece.”
~ Anne Easter Smith, author of This Son of York

“With The Man in the Stone Cottage, Stephanie Cowell asks what is real and what is imagined and then masterfully guides her readers on a journey of deciding for themselves.”

~ Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Painted Girls

“The Brontës come alive in this beautiful, poignant, elegant and so very readable tale. Just exquisite.”

~ M.J. Rose, NYT bestselling author

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Stephanie Cowell

Image (c) Jesse Cowell

Stephanie Cowell has been an opera singer, balladeer, founder of Strawberry Opera and other arts venues including a Renaissance festival in NYC.

She is the author of seven novels including Marrying Mozart, Claude & Camille: a novel of Monet, The Boy in the Rain and The Man in the Stone Cottage.  Her work has been translated into several languages and adapted into an opera.

Stephanie is the recipient of an American Book Award.

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The Price of Loyalty by Malve von Hassell

The Price of Loyalty

By Malve von Hassell

Publication Date: August 21st, 2025

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 379

Genre: Historical Fiction

In a time of kingdoms and crusades, one man's heart is the battlefield.

Cerdic, a Saxon knight, serves Count Stephen-Henry of Blois with unwavering loyalty-yet his soul remains divided. Haunted by memories of England, the land of his childhood, and bound by duty to King William, the conqueror who once showed him mercy, Cerdic walks a dangerous line between past and present, longing and loyalty.

At the center of his turmoil stands Adela – daughter of a king, wife of a count, and the first to offer him friendship in a foreign land. But when a political marriage binds him to the spirited and determined Giselle, Cerdic’s world turns again. Giselle, fiercely in love with her stoic husband, follows him across sea and sand to the Holy Land, hoping to win the heart that still lingers elsewhere.

As the clash of empires looms and a crusade threatens to tear everything apart, Cerdic must confront the deepest truth of all-where does his loyalty lie, and whom does his heart truly belong to?

A sweeping tale of passion, honor, and impossible choices-perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom and The Pillars of the Earth.

Excerpt

The Art Of Hunting With Birds Of Prey

And in September, O what keen delight!

Falcons and astors; merlins, sparrow hawks;

Decoy birds that shall lure your game in flocks;

And hounds with bells; and gauntlets stout and tight.

Folgore da San Geminiano (12th century)

Usually, Adela loved September. 

During harvest season, the air was rich with the scent of ripened apples. Other fruits were swelling on the trees. Her favorite were the fragrant golden green pears. She didn’t care for the drink that the monks made from pears called poiré, but stewed pears were wonderful. Best of all was eating the pears fresh so that the sweet juice would run down her chin. From the window in the room where they had their lessons, she could see carters trundle oak barrels through the town on their way to the cider mills. The sight of the well-worn oak encased in bands of iron made her think of the dense, pungent odor of wet leaves in the forest during a hunt. 

When the sisters allowed the girls to walk into the town on market days, they would marvel at the stalls overflowing with apples—red, golden, even green. At the abbey, some Benedictine monks, mostly occupied with brewing ale, worked on fermenting apple cider. The nuns complained that the monks spent too much time experimenting, using different types of barrels and extending the time of fermentation. Then, when they were finished, they tried out the fruits of their labor and would get drunk. The nuns locked the girls away during those days. Adela had to pinch herself from laughing at them. She had watched them sing and sway with abandon in the cloister hallway, their habits slipping and smelling strongly of spilled cider. Evidently, they enjoyed it as much as the monks did. 

September meant crisp mornings and clear days warmed by the sun. On days when she was not at the abbey and her father was at home in Caen, he allowed her to come along on hunts. Her father showed her how to fly her merlin. While everyone in the castle feared his harsh, grating voice when he lost his temper—and this happened frequently—he never once raised his voice when teaching Adela during a hunt. He was always patient when showing her how to handle her bird, when to remove the hood, and how to use the lure.

“Why can’t I fly a falcon?” Adela asked, enviously eying the peregrine falcon her father was training for Henry. She liked the bird’s nearly white throat above the mottled black and white belly and its stark yellow-ringed eyes. Her kestrel looked less dramatic, with its soft golden-brown plumage with black spots and black-tipped tail; she had named it Doucette for her best friend at school. 

“Children fly kestrels,” her father responded. “Falcons are for kings and emperors. When you are a lady, you can fly a merlin. That’s the order of the world. You should know this by now. Repeat the list for me.” 

“How often do I have to do this?” Adela protested. 

“Until you remember.” 

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Malve von Hassell

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994). 

Malve has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer. She has published two children’s picture books, Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2023), and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012).

The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015/KDP 2024) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945, as well as a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany, Tapestry of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences (Next Chapter Publishing, 2021), also available in German, Bildteppich Eines Lebens: Erzählungen Meiner Mutter, Fragmente Und Schweigen (Next Chapter Publishing, 2022).

Her latest publication is the historical fiction novel, The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois (Historium Press, 2025).

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