A PAIR OF ACES - Marie Benedict/Victoria Christopher Murray
Berkley
BUY
Cheryl McNeil (A+)
FICTION (Historical)
REVIEW: I've read several books by Victoria Christopher Murray, however, reading A PAIR OF ACES was my first opportunity to see both Murray and Marie Benedict work as a team. Their writing styles blended and the book flowed seamlessly.
The story takes place in 1935 and 1936 and follows two women whose lives couldn't be more different. Polly Adler immigrated from Germany by herself as a child. She’s now a madam who owns a high-class brothel and finds herself pulled into the dangerous world of organized crime. Eunice Carter is a wife, mother, and attorney working as a special assistant to the district attorney investigating prostitution and mob activity. I really liked that the story was told from both of their perspectives.
Eunice is intelligent, determined, and constantly has to prove herself in a room full of white men who don’t always value her opinions. At the same time, she is dealing with problems at home because her husband isn't exactly supportive of the work she is doing. It makes her character feel real.
Polly's story is heartbreaking in a different way. As more of her past is revealed, I understood how she ends up where she does. Additionally, businesses like hers have little power once the mob gets involved. She navigates the situation the best she can and that made me feel compassion for her.
One of my favorite parts of the book was watching Eunice and Polly covertly work together. Their lives depend on secrecy and their meetings, while brief, are some of the strongest scenes in the novel. There is always a little tension because they never know who may be watching or what can happen next. I wish they would have appeared more on the pages together.
I appreciated that the authors explored marriage, motherhood, race, power, and the different expectations placed on women. I thought they did an excellent job showing that black women and white women both faced unfair treatment, although in different ways.
The pacing kept me interested, and I liked how the investigation unfolded. Overall, A PAIR OF ACES was an excellent blend of historical fiction with strong female characters, real historical figures, and a little suspense mixed in and I highly recommend it.
3rd July 2026 | romcol@caribsurf.com | romcol1962@gmail.com
The story takes place in 1935 and 1936 and follows two women whose lives couldn't be more different. Polly Adler immigrated from Germany by herself as a child. She’s now a madam who owns a high-class brothel and finds herself pulled into the dangerous world of organized crime. Eunice Carter is a wife, mother, and attorney working as a special assistant to the district attorney investigating prostitution and mob activity. I really liked that the story was told from both of their perspectives.
Eunice is intelligent, determined, and constantly has to prove herself in a room full of white men who don’t always value her opinions. At the same time, she is dealing with problems at home because her husband isn't exactly supportive of the work she is doing. It makes her character feel real.
Polly's story is heartbreaking in a different way. As more of her past is revealed, I understood how she ends up where she does. Additionally, businesses like hers have little power once the mob gets involved. She navigates the situation the best she can and that made me feel compassion for her.
One of my favorite parts of the book was watching Eunice and Polly covertly work together. Their lives depend on secrecy and their meetings, while brief, are some of the strongest scenes in the novel. There is always a little tension because they never know who may be watching or what can happen next. I wish they would have appeared more on the pages together.
I appreciated that the authors explored marriage, motherhood, race, power, and the different expectations placed on women. I thought they did an excellent job showing that black women and white women both faced unfair treatment, although in different ways.
The pacing kept me interested, and I liked how the investigation unfolded. Overall, A PAIR OF ACES was an excellent blend of historical fiction with strong female characters, real historical figures, and a little suspense mixed in and I highly recommend it.
3rd July 2026 | romcol@caribsurf.com | romcol1962@gmail.com
