'A Pair of Aces' is about two women who face down the mob in 1930s New York

About this episode

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray discuss their novel 'A Pair of Aces', which features two women confronting the mob in 1930s New York.

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have just published new historical fiction. Their novel A Pair of Aces is about two women in 1930s New York who face down the mob and try to take down the infamous gangster Lucky Luciano. One of the protagonists is Eunice Carter, based on the real first Black female prosecutor in New York. In today’s episode, the co-authors talk with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about how they approached their third collaboration. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Ayesha Rascoe

Guests: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Topics covered

• historical fiction
• women's empowerment
• mob
• 1930s New York
• true crime
• collaboration

Keywords

• A Pair of Aces
• Marie Benedict
• Victoria Christopher Murray
• Eunice Carter
• Lucky Luciano
• historical fiction
• mob
• 1930s
• New York

More episodes of NPR's Book of the Day

• Ann Patchett’s 'Whistler' and 'Tom Lake' are novels written with love in mind · June 12, 2026 · 18 min
• In 'Keeper of My Kin,' Ada Ferrer struggles with being her mother's "chosen one" · June 10, 2026 · 9 min
• Maggie O'Farrell's novel 'Land' takes readers to a famine-ravaged yet resilient Ireland · June 9, 2026 · 9 min
• In 'View From the East Wing,' Jill Biden reflects on the debate that changed history · June 8, 2026 · 8 min
• Two new books ask: What would you do if you encountered alien life? · June 5, 2026 · 17 min
• 'Big Fan' investigates fandom from darts and football to Taylor Swift · June 4, 2026 · 9 min