Book Summary and Reviews of A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

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Janine_S

Historical fiction at its best
Another delightful historical fiction novel by authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. As I've written before, my favorite go-to genre is historical fiction because I find new facts and situations I've never read about. The fiction read often leads to a nonfiction read. It's the best in books!

This is a doozy of a story. First, we are treated to Assistant District Attorney Eunice Clark, the first Black female prosecutor. And then there is Polly Adler, a high class madam. Both wonderful characters. They team up to take down mobster, Lucky Luciano in 1930s NYC. Eunice and Polly come from different worlds. Both are tough, strong and resilient. What was fascinating was to read how they teamed up and developed a network of women to bring down Luciano for racketeering.

The case was pursued by Carter who persuaded Thomas Dewey, special prosecutor for Manhattan, to prosecute, giving Dewey national prominence. Polly was well known to all mobsters and politicians

The book is told in alternating POVs and is paced nicely.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for granting me access to this ARC.

labmom55

Excellent historical fiction
A Pair of Aces marks the third collaboration between Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It’s as interesting and engaging a story as the prior two.
No one could have envisioned an odder pairing than Polly Adler, well known madam (and eventual author of the book A House Is Not a Home), and Eunice Carter, assistant DA for the City of New York and the first black female prosecutor in the Manhattan district. But these two ladies unite to take down Lucky Luciano when he attempts to take over the prostitution racket.

The book combines the right amount of details to give a strong sense of the history of the case along with an accurate feeling for the time and place. There’s a great underlying sense of tension as both risk their lives and those they care about to achieve their goal. The book kept me totally engrossed and I kept finding excuses not to put it down.

Both main characters are vividly drawn. The authors delve into the moral quandaries that both women face. I’m always impressed that it’s impossible to tell that these books were written by two writers. The writing is that seamless. I was deeply disappointed that the e-galley did not include the authors’ notes. I would have loved to have known what led the authors to assume Polly Adler had such a major role in helping convict Luciano, as supposedly there is no verifiable proof that she did.

My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

Mary_K

Ladies Who Beat the Mob
A Pair of Aces by Victoria Christopher Murray is an interesting twist on the typical mob story. I enjoyed the dual points of view of both Polly and Eunice — both characters are well developed and easy to engage with. Their eventual friendship is one of the book's most appealing elements, though it felt underdeveloped and was ultimately overshadowed by the central conflict with the mob. What Eunice achieves without any meaningful male support is one of the book's most compelling threads. Her husband is an unlikeable and selfish figure throughout, which makes his last minute revelation that he was proud of her feel unearned and contrived. I also wished for more backstory on the Lion and the women who worked for Polly, as those characters hinted at richer stories that deserved more page time. Overall this is a strong example of historical fiction centered on complex female characters. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a fresh take on mob stories, New York in the 1930s, or historical fiction featuring strong female leads.