SUMMITVILLE – The Borscht Belt is back – this time, with a twist of mystery and a dash of mobster gold. In Banquets & Bootleg Bounty, author Lily Barrish Levner transports readers to the summer of 1944 at the Concord Hotel. She pays homage to her paternal grandparents by naming her new novel’s main characters Dotty and Abe after them.

“I was lucky to be alive during the tail end of my grandfather’s career as the maître d’ of Kutsher’s. My grandmother had retired as a waitress by then,” said Mrs. Barrish Levner. 

Those characters will be the mainstays of the entire series, the first four books that have already been planned out. The initial novel is the beginning of Dotty and Abe’s careers in the resort industry and involves an associate of Murder, Inc. Book 2, Mountain Maître D’ Mystery, released in July, jumps ten years to 1954 and the Golden Era. Book 3 will skip ahead to 1969 and the Woodstock Festival. Book 4 will be set during the couple’s retirement years in Delray Beach, Florida.

Packed with nostalgic charm, Catskills Capers honors a time of lavish dining rooms, top-notch entertainment, bustling hotels, and vibrant bungalow colonies. Stay tuned for the further adventures of Dotty and Abe in Book 3 Woodstock Waitress Whodunit published in 2026.

“Like a good meal in a top Catskill resort, Banquets & Bootleg Bounty is scrumptious and filling, and will have you waiting anxiously for the next serving,” said John Conway, Sullivan County historian.

Paperbacks can be purchased at the Hurleyville Sentinel office, the Sullivan County Museum, the Borscht Belt Museum, One Grand Books in Narrowsburg, Top Shelf in Ellenville, barneandnoble.com and Amazon.com.  It will soon be available in additional local stores. The ebook is also on Amazon.com. Visit lilybarrishlevner.com for more information.

Join Lily with the Mamakating Historical Society on Friday, September  5 at 7pm as she shares the hidden stories behind Banquets & Bootleg Bounty. She has a BA in English/Creative Writing and a Master’s in Library and Information Science. For the past decade, she has been a copy desk researcher at Bloomberg Businessweek while working on her novel and contributing monthly articles to the Hurleyville Sentinel. She lives in the Catskills with her husband and their dog, Gus. The magic of the mountains still influences her work. 

The Mamakating Historical Society is located at 136 Summitville Road, Summitville. For more information, please call 845-857-8635 or email Mamakatinghistorical@gmail.com.