Mayhem in the Mountains: A Gilded City Series

by Jane Loeb Rubin

1924 in the Catskills sizzled with chaos. The region’s turbulent history during that era could easily have erased any trace of the Borscht Belt’s grand hotels. Prohibition fueled bootleggers and whiskey stills—Dutch Schultz ran an underground distillery in nearby Ulster County. Meanwhile, the Ku Klux Klan stormed north after WWI, targeting new immigrants they viewed as threats to the American way of life. Amid the turmoil, the Isaacson family stood their ground, fiercely defending their land, livelihoods, and each other.

Genres: Fiction

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2026

Reviews

[Fara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been completely invested in this family for these 4 books and each one has gotten better than the one before. Ms. Rubin is a talented writer taking a subject that has aspects that appeals to me on so many levels. From the immigration in the 1800's of the first book to this book carrying on the family's 4th generation. From the inherited diseases leading to a love of health care, to the many secrets. The greater love of family and the early days of the Catskills. The KKK and the bootleggers. From Brooklyn and the Lower East Side to Harlem and leaving the City and back, this book and series gives such a wonderful view of New York and family. It is so hard to just review this best of the series without saying that I loved all the books!!

[Margo Stocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. I really enjoyed this series of three books and have waited impatiently for the fourth book. I liked the references of the strength of women and how through education they were able to be successful in all four books. These books deserve more hype and recognition. They are interesting, well written and well researched.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review on Rosepoint Publishing.

Prohibition fueled mobsters and bootleggers. In the heart of the Catskill Mountains of New York, chaos reigned supreme and gave rise to the influx of the Ku Klux Klan looking to target the mass of immigrants who fled the massive destruction of Europe.

The Isaacson family put down roots, determined to make a go of their little farm and defend the land. They moved their chickens out of Harlem and Papa managed to supplement their meager income with his side hustle—the best whiskey east of the Mississippi.

It’s discovered that it’s the youngest, a girl, not the sons, who show the greatest propensity for carrying on the fine family recipe. As careful as they are, the revenuers find their hidey-hole and a shoot-out does not go well for Papa.

I loved the relationship between Ella and her Papa; there is genuine affection. Smart, brazen, she can work out transport details and negotiate well with Dutch Schultz.

There were several passages, however, that lagged the storytelling for me and slowed the tension building a bit. Yes, there is a romance circling the main plot, but then that is no mystery. The narrative is atmospheric, highlights medical practices back then, and manages a strong and satisfying finish. If you enjoy historical fiction, or learning about the distillation of spirits, and the migration of the KKK north, this will be of interest.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

[P Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are seeking a new book for your Book Club, trust me, this is the ONE!

Serial author, Jane, once again captivated me with another ‘based on a true history’ of a previously unknown series of mind-blowing events - nestled in the Catskill Mountains, just north of New York City, in the 1920s - involving several unlikely characters and groups: Ella Levine, an independent and feisty relative of the wonderful Isaacson family, the KKK and Bootleggers! ELLA is the next generation to regale us with her dangerous, compassionate and heartwarming adventures.

I could NOT put this book down once I started and was hoping it would somehow continue to add pages to itself! Jane is so talented in recounting little known history to us; I can’t wait to find out who her next heroine will be and what history she will be storytelling about.

This is a great novel for Book Clubs to discuss for its rich elements, including: morals, values, perseverance, conflict resolution, forgiveness and family.

[Susan Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayhem in the Mountains, Jane Loeb Rubin's latest book, is adventure from start to finish. Rubin's family of characters run away from home on page one and the reader goes with them, carried along by both the story line and its rhythm. This book, more quickly paced than those that came before, takes us into the Catskills in the 1920's and introduces us to more of the family and to the infamous Dutch Schultz. Family secrets and life's secrets emerge and the runaways' world grows. Rich descriptions of changing life in New York at the time provide historical context for this family saga.

The story, which begins in an idyllic summer, after Jews moved their chicken farms from Harlem to the Catskills, quickly populates with a family member who gambles and neglects and neighbors who are members of the KKK. Post war social and demographic issues and medical practices provide well researched, historicallly accurate context in which a young romance grows sweetly and convincingly. The characters in this family saga contend with wickedness and act with wile and wisdom.

The author labels each chapter with the name of a character who speaks in the first person, giving this story immediacy and life. Rubin's research and experience in medical settings provide bases for her rich and meaningful descriptions of medical institutions and professions, adding authenticity to this fictional, nicely crafted story.

[Victoria Gilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stayed with me most after reading Mayhem in the Mountains is how vividly Jane Loeb Rubin recreates a Catskills that feels far removed from the nostalgic image many readers associate with the Borscht Belt. Instead of focusing solely on glamorous resorts and vacation culture, the novel reveals a region shaped by Prohibition, organized crime, rising extremism, and the resilience of immigrant families determined to build a future despite constant uncertainty.

What makes the novel especially compelling is the way it places the Isaacson family at the center of these sweeping historical forces. Their struggles never feel overshadowed by the larger events unfolding around them. Rather, history becomes intensely personal as they fight to protect their home, livelihood, and identity while navigating the dangers posed by bootleggers, corruption, and the growing influence of the Ku Klux Klan.

I also appreciated how the novel sheds light on a fascinating period of American history that is rarely explored in fiction. The combination of meticulously researched historical detail with emotionally engaging storytelling creates a narrative that is both educational and deeply immersive. Rubin reminds readers that beneath the Catskills' later reputation as a vacation destination lay stories of courage, perseverance, and communities determined to stand against fear and intolerance.

Mayhem in the Mountains is an absorbing work of historical fiction that will resonate with readers interested in Jewish history, immigrant experiences, Prohibition-era America, organized crime, twentieth-century American history, and family sagas rooted in resilience and hope.

[Tema Frank]

Mayhem in the Mountains is the 4th book in Jane Loeb Rubin’s Gilded City Series, a fictional exploration of the lives of her great-grandmother’s immigrant family. I haven’t read the earlier books, and it isn’t essential to follow the story. (That said, I did find the number of characters overwhelming at the beginning.) The novel starts in June 1924 with 18-year-old Ella taking her younger brother, Robbie, and running away from their abusive father. Ella knows that she’s got relatives on a farm in New York State’s Catskill Mountains and hopes that the relatives will let them stay for the summer.

To her immense relief, the relatives not only welcome them, but they give Ella paid work and a realistic hope of attending nursing school when the summer’s over. At first everything seems idyllic, but as time goes by, she finds herself dealing with threats from both the Ku Klux Klan (who knew the KKK was so far north?) and a major Jewish bootlegger.

I liked that so many of the characters have secrets, which get revealed gradually through the book, and that the women are shown as strong, independent-minded characters. That said, I found that many of the characters spoke and thought in such similar voices that I kept having to refer to the chapter headings to remind myself whose perspective I was getting. Perhaps if I had already known the characters from the earlier books in the series, this would have been less of an issue.

(This review first appeared in the Historical Novel Society's book reviews section)

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the second volume I have read in the author's series about the Isaacson family and like the first book in the series, In the Hands of Women, it taught me about a period of Jewish history that was relatively unfamiliar. Each novel is enjoyable as a standalone story, although the interwoven and intergenerational characters can also enrich the reader's experience. Mayhem in the Mountains focuses on a community in the Catskills in the era of prohibition, before it became the Borscht Belt home of summer resorts. We meet the plucky Ella who rescues her younger brother in an impulsive journey to escape her abusive father and find refuge with an Uncle and Aunt she barely knows. On the way they encounter the notorious Jewish gangster, Dutch Schultz, who both imperils their family business and helps to save it from a local KKK cell. Ella also discovers the truth about her father's weakness and comes of age, gaining both love and the nursing education she craves and deserves. In the process the family also teaches some antisemites the error of their beliefs. Although the real world often lacks such happy endings, this book makes an engaging and entertaining read.

[Mally Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Settle in before you start Mayhem in the Mountains —this coming-of-age adventure will keep you reading straight through to the end. The novel vividly evokes 1920s America through the eyes of 18-year-old Ella Levine, a determined young woman who finds unexpected belonging among her extended Jewish family in the Catskills after years of neglect. But danger lurks as Ella crosses paths with notorious gangster Dutch Schultz and, with her family, faces the antisemitism of the rising Ku Klux Klan. Rich and unforgettable, Mayhem in the Mountains is a story of resilience, identity, and family that kept me turning pages late into the night.”

[Marlie Wasserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rubin brings us to the Catskill Mountains in 1924 in her riveting and action-packed new novel, Mayhem in the Mountains. As the story opens, the Ku Klux Klan threatens those they consider outsiders, and Prohibition fuels crime. Against this turbulent backdrop, Rubin follows three characters struggling with family bonds and sweeping change. Whether you’re a fan of Rubin’s earlier novels or new to her stories, you’ll race through Mayhem in the Mountains, cheering for her characters to overcome all obstacles. Grab this book!

[Debra Spice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh jane Rubin, how I love this book. Each one of the novels in your series takes a unique twist through the history of Jewish immigration to America. And this one did not disappoint. Who knew that in the 1920s with bootleggers and prohibition and the KKK, that the Catskill Mountains, we revere
was entirely at risk. Learn about this history through Rubin's embracing characters of the Isaacson family. A wonderful summer read.

[Kathie Bennet]

Coldwater Endgame by James A. Ross is a tightly written legal thriller that blends courtroom intensity with a dark, emotionally charged family narrative. Strong pacing and well developed characters, especially Tom Morgan, drive a story built on moral conflict, buried truths, and escalating tension. A smart, engaging read for fans of character driven suspense.

[Laura Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayhem in the Mountains is a must read for all historical fiction readers! The novel combines history, family, and resilience bringing the 1920s Catskills vividly to life. Through Ella’s courage and determination, the story explores identity, love, and the strength of family in the face of prejudice and danger. Mayhem is an engaging and memorable novel that will no doubt be a book club must!!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second half really drew me in with the intensity and twists! Characters are so well done, i truly enjoyed rooting for and getting to know the endearing Ella and her support system of Miriam and Albert.

[Sharyn Kail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful storyline and read.