e-ALC, 12:30:44
Narrated by: Robin Miles and Barrie Kreinik
Release Date: June 2, 2026
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: June 20-22, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this ALC from the publisher and their app. I also received an ARC of this book from TxLA. I read the audio and the ARC at the same time. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Drug Use, Racism, Violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual Violence, Abortion, Drug Use, Hate Crime
For Readers of: Adult, ARC, Audio, Dual Narrators, Dual POV, Historical Fiction, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Own Voices, Racial/Ethnic DiversityA gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law—a prosecutor and a madam—who team up to bring down notorious Mob boss Lucky Luciano in 1930s New York
Eunice Carter, assistant district attorney for the City of New York and Manhattan’s first Black female prosecutor, has her sights set on the one and only Lucky Luciano, head of New York City’s five largest organized crime families. Other prosectors have tried to bring down Lucky, but they’ve all focused on the crime syndicate’s traditional businesses—bootlegging, gambling, loan sharking, and drug dealing—or tax evasion. No one has thought to approach the Mob through its role in prostitution. Until Eunice. But she can’t get Luciano alone.
Polly Adler has worked long and hard to build up her high-class brothel business. Her client list is filled with well-known names, both the famous and the infamous, who all know her booze is top-notch, her music first-rate, her food exquisite, and her girls the best. But Lucky has gone too far, putting her girls in danger, and Polly finally sees the chance to end his reign once and for all.
Together, Eunice and Polly fashion a case utilizing a network of women. Bridging the enormous divide between them and risking their own lives, they assemble evidence bit by bit, under the nose of the man they’re trying to convict. It is this very alliance—of two women from vastly different worlds—that launches the most sensational trial New York City has ever seen.
*MY THOUGHTS*
If you don’t know by now, I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction. I’m just not a person whose interested in history. HOWEVER when it comes to Black history I’ve always been interested. Add on to it that the main character isn’t a well known person, and I’m more than happy to jump right into it. And that’s exactly what happened here.
Ok so I had never heard of Eunice Carter before. She’s another erased and forgotten Black woman. And this one really ticked me off because damn she helped bring a whole criminal case down (whether she had a damning tip or not, she still contributed) and they still damn near erased her from the history books. After all the sacrifices she made and all the things she could have done for less protection but more recognition from the whole world, she was still largely ignored for what she did. I was so scared for her and her family. That read a tough situation that she still made it through with grace.
Polly was a bad ass. Madam with a business that ran like a well oiled machine. She had hidden places all over her house. I found myself more impressed than anything. The biggest thing I was impressed by tho, was the fact that she was so protective of her girls. She was smart and fiercely loyal and took care of them like no other. And if something went wrong, she made sure to find them by any means necessary . I was just as impressed with her as I was with Eunice.
This was a pretty interesting story. I had never heard of any of these people before, so I had a good time going to Google and cross referencing facts. And I know my little 2 days looking into this case was nothing compared to the mountain that I’m sure they did, but man, they really know their shit. I learned a lot about the law and lawyers too. And to factor in being Black and being a woman, or an immigrant, a woman, and a sex worker? Yeah it was a lot. This whole thing was so empowering.
My mom is the historical fiction fan, but when you start mixing in little known Black people, you can bet I’m adding it to my TBR. This one was so good. I think I loved it so much because I don’t think I ever would have known or even heard about Eunice Carter or this case without it. And I guess for that I have to think the authors for putting me on. Because this was like 10 outta 10 no notes.
Overall, I give this
