In a new novel, 2 women in 1930s New York City face down the mob

NPR

Published May 31, 2026 at 8:09 AM EDT

Ayesha talks to authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray about the prosecutor and the madam who join forces against the mob in their new historical novel "A Pair of Aces".

Related Content

"I felt guilty for being the chosen one": Ada Ferrer on her memoir about leaving Cuba

Daniel Ofman, Adrian Florido, Sarah Robbins

When she fled Cuba, Ada Ferrer's mother took only one of her two children. In her new memoir, Keeper of My Kin, Ferrer grapples with that decision's reverberations across generations of her family.
Maggie O'Farrell talks about her highly anticipated new novel, 'Land'

Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon talks with "Hamnet" author Maggie O'Farrell, whose new novel, "Land," draws on her own family's history with Ireland's Great Famine.
This anti-romance romance novel explores connection between love and philosophy

Here & Now Newsroom

"The End of Romance" follows a woman who finally leaves a restrictive and emotionally abusive marriage and crafts a new philosophy about life.
'American Rambler' traces the path, and truth-squads the tale, of Johnny Appleseed

Richard Horan

Isaac Fitzgerald, author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts, grew up with tales of local townie Johnny Appleseed. So when he found himself in need of a long, mind-clearing walk, he traced the legend's path.
Author Matt Haig explores the afterlife as a journey on 'The Midnight Train'

Here & Now Newsroom

The book centers around Wilbur Budd, a successful businessman who, after his death, finds himself taking a train to revisit formative moments in his life.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.