A Pair of Aces

by Marie Benedict

First published 2026

Eunice Carter sits in her Manhattan office, studying case files that have stumped every prosecutor before her. As the city's first Black female district attorney, she knows she gets one shot at Lucky Luciano, the ruthless boss who controls New York's five crime families. While others chase bootlegging and gambling charges, Eunice sees a different path: prostitution. She needs an insider. Polly Adler runs the most exclusive brothel in the city, serving politicians and gangsters with equal discretion. But Lucky has crossed a line, endangering her girls, and Polly wants him stopped. These two women from opposite worlds forge an unlikely partnership. They build their case woman by woman, witness by witness, working under Lucky's nose while he believes himself untouchable. Their collaboration bridges an enormous social divide and puts both their lives at risk. Together, they prepare to launch the most explosive trial New York has ever witnessed.

Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, 21st-century

Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unlikely-allies

Setting: Manhattan, New York

Period: 20th-century

390 pages · Hardcover · Berkley

Content warnings: racism, sexism

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