“From the captivating first line, The Seamstress of New Orleans transports the reader to the mystery and sultry magic of New Orleans. With McPhail’s acclaimed and atmospheric prose, The Seamstress of New Orleans is a tale of well-guarded secrets, societal bonds that must be broken, and women’s powerful resilience. A powerful and fascinating story.”

“The intrigue surrounding these two young widows will draw you in then you’ll be rooted into the story by the historical detail of New Orleans at the turn of the century and the first female Mardi Gras Krewe. But what you will take away from the novel is the sheer power of female friendship. An exhilarating historical romp of found family and abiding friendship.”

“Reading this novel is like dining on a creole dish: rich, mysterious, and oh so satisfying.”

“In a time and place when women were relegated to the home, these New Orleans ladies set about crafting their own future. Threads of missing husbands, menacing gamblers, and society on the cusp of changing women’s rights weave together to form a riveting tale. The history of the first all-female Krewe was so captivating it sent me to do some googling for extra information. It was also an education about women’s rights and the Napoleonic Code. Fascinating. McPhail has stitched an impressive work of historical fiction that will fuel plenty of book club discussions.”

“A riveting story of two women whose lives are woven together by chance at a time before women could vote, before the streets are paved, before women had the freedom to take jobs beyond the kind carried out by “domestics.” But fate has more in store for these two and when they get together, well, anything can happen. What a story!”

“A stunning novel that immersed me in the sultry, dangerous and beautiful world of New Orleans in 1900…richly rewarding, with the twists and turns through the genteel world of upper-class New Orleans and the harsh dangers of Storyville constantly surprising and keeping my heart racing, and each page turned faster than the last. Brilliant.”