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Madame Queen: The Life and Crimes of Harlem’s Underground Racketeer, Stephanie St. Clair—A Trailblazing Biography of a Black Female Gangster and Activist in 1920s New York
The astonishing little-known history of Harlem racketeer Madame Stephanie St. Clair, one of the only female crime bosses and a Black, self-made businesswoman in early twentieth-century New York.
In her heyday, Stephanie St. Clair went by many names, but one was best known by Madame Queen. The undeniable queen of the Harlem numbers game, St. Clair redefined what it meant to be a woman of means. After immigrating to America from the West Indies, St. Clair would go on to manage one of the largest policy banks in all of Harlem by 1923. She knew the power of reputation, and even though her business was illegal gambling, she ran it like any other respectable entrepreneur. Because first and foremost, Madame Queen was a lady.
But that didn’t stop her from doing what needed to be done to survive. St. Clair learned how to navigate the complex male-dominated world of crime syndicates, all at a time when Tammany Hall and mafia groups like the Combination were trying to rule New York. With her tenacity and intellectual prowess, she never backed down. Madame Queen was a complicated figure, but she prioritized the people of Harlem above all else, investing her wealth back into the neighborhood and speaking out against police corruption and racial discrimination.
St. Clair was a trailblazer, unafraid to challenge societal norms. But for far too long she’s been a footnote in more infamous characters’ stories, like Bumpy Johnson, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Now, in this masterful portrayal of a woman who defied the odds at all costs, she finally gets her due.
In her heyday, Stephanie St. Clair went by many names, but one was best known by Madame Queen. The undeniable queen of the Harlem numbers game, St. Clair redefined what it meant to be a woman of means. After immigrating to America from the West Indies, St. Clair would go on to manage one of the largest policy banks in all of Harlem by 1923. She knew the power of reputation, and even though her business was illegal gambling, she ran it like any other respectable entrepreneur. Because first and foremost, Madame Queen was a lady.
But that didn’t stop her from doing what needed to be done to survive. St. Clair learned how to navigate the complex male-dominated world of crime syndicates, all at a time when Tammany Hall and mafia groups like the Combination were trying to rule New York. With her tenacity and intellectual prowess, she never backed down. Madame Queen was a complicated figure, but she prioritized the people of Harlem above all else, investing her wealth back into the neighborhood and speaking out against police corruption and racial discrimination.
St. Clair was a trailblazer, unafraid to challenge societal norms. But for far too long she’s been a footnote in more infamous characters’ stories, like Bumpy Johnson, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Now, in this masterful portrayal of a woman who defied the odds at all costs, she finally gets her due.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2025
11 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 9, 2025
2.5 Stars!
"Don't Buy Where You Can't Work."
The author describes this as a work of creative nonfiction.
What does that mean?
It means that she should have just written a novel. She created conversations and jumped to conclusions about events she had no way of knowing about.
I'm conflicted about how I feel about this book. I did enjoy the reading experience but I also don't think nonfiction writers should make things up out of whole cloth. Just write a novel.
So who was Stephanie St. Clair?
She was a businesswoman and crime boss in the 1920s and 1930s. Jewish gangster Dutch Schultz tried to have her killed and she may have played a part in his eventual murder. If you haven't heard of her you've probably heard of her protégé Bumpy Johnson or his protégé Frank Lucas of American Gangster fame. She also created the New State Lottery...except when she did it, it was called numbers running and the government spent years trying to put her in jail for it.
Some supplemental information about St Clair can be found in the movie Hoodlum.
I don't know how much of what I read in this book is actually true since the author admits to "creative writing ". I can't say that I would recommend this book but it was a fun read.
"Don't Buy Where You Can't Work."
The author describes this as a work of creative nonfiction.
What does that mean?
It means that she should have just written a novel. She created conversations and jumped to conclusions about events she had no way of knowing about.
I'm conflicted about how I feel about this book. I did enjoy the reading experience but I also don't think nonfiction writers should make things up out of whole cloth. Just write a novel.
So who was Stephanie St. Clair?
She was a businesswoman and crime boss in the 1920s and 1930s. Jewish gangster Dutch Schultz tried to have her killed and she may have played a part in his eventual murder. If you haven't heard of her you've probably heard of her protégé Bumpy Johnson or his protégé Frank Lucas of American Gangster fame. She also created the New State Lottery...except when she did it, it was called numbers running and the government spent years trying to put her in jail for it.
Some supplemental information about St Clair can be found in the movie Hoodlum.
I don't know how much of what I read in this book is actually true since the author admits to "creative writing ". I can't say that I would recommend this book but it was a fun read.
July 16, 2025
Madam Queen by Mary Kay McBrayer is a creative biography of Harlem numbers boss Stephanie St. Clair. St. Clair built her empire in a world run by bullets, bribes, and boys' clubs—and she did it all in pearls and with perfect posture.
McBrayer tells the story with a voice that's part historian, part Southern bestie on a true crime binge. While the vibe is undeniably fun, the book sometimes veers off the factual path. I didn’t love the creative license taken to imagine conversations and inner thoughts—it’s marketed as creative nonfiction, but at times it feels more creative than nonfiction. I'm here for the drama, but I'd prefer my receipts with the tea.
3.75 stars – A glitzy, gutsy tribute with a bit too much improv for my taste. Still, Madam St. Clair remains a queen worth reading about—even if some of her lines came from the author's imagination.
Want to read
June 9, 2025This came out a week ago and I just got approved for the arc 👀
July 2, 2025
Madame Queen by Mary Kay McBrayer (book cover is in image) tells the story of how Stephanie St. Clair became Madame Queen. Migrating from Guadalupe in 1911 and making her way to NYC, we are taken through her journey as an indentured servant to female gangster.
As an intelligent woman with an exceptional mathematical aptitude she earned the initial investment/seed money for her business through gambling, and used it to fund her legal and illegal businesses.
Eventually, by reinvesting her gains back into the people of Harlem, and and through other philanthropy, Madame Queen gained a reputation as a philanthropist and the loyalty of those she lived with and partnered with.
Not afraid to challenge the norms of society and the criminal world, Madame Queen forged a place in the world for herself that women of the time rarely were able to attain.
I had the great fortune of being able to read the book and listen to the audio. The narration by Janina Edwards was excellent, delivered with a soothing and engaging voice. Even though this is labeled as nonfiction, she a unique voice to the characters that had dialogue in this biography. In addition, I was able to move between book and audio with ease. I strongly recommend this book for those who enjoyed The Queen of all Mayhem by Dane Huckelbridge.
Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and Listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.
#HarlequinTradePublishing
#ParkRow
#HarlequinAudio
#MadameQueen
#MaryKayMcBrayer
#JaninaEdwards
#Biography
#Crime
#Harlem
#yarisbooknook
#NetGalley
As an intelligent woman with an exceptional mathematical aptitude she earned the initial investment/seed money for her business through gambling, and used it to fund her legal and illegal businesses.
Eventually, by reinvesting her gains back into the people of Harlem, and and through other philanthropy, Madame Queen gained a reputation as a philanthropist and the loyalty of those she lived with and partnered with.
Not afraid to challenge the norms of society and the criminal world, Madame Queen forged a place in the world for herself that women of the time rarely were able to attain.
I had the great fortune of being able to read the book and listen to the audio. The narration by Janina Edwards was excellent, delivered with a soothing and engaging voice. Even though this is labeled as nonfiction, she a unique voice to the characters that had dialogue in this biography. In addition, I was able to move between book and audio with ease. I strongly recommend this book for those who enjoyed The Queen of all Mayhem by Dane Huckelbridge.
Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and Listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.
#HarlequinTradePublishing
#ParkRow
#HarlequinAudio
#MadameQueen
#MaryKayMcBrayer
#JaninaEdwards
#Biography
#Crime
#Harlem
#yarisbooknook
#NetGalley
June 21, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Park Row Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’m so glad that for the past 15 years or so, there have been many books written about the unsung American women and minorities. Many times though, there is hardly a paper trail to follow. That’s the case with Madame Queen.
This book is what I call a docudrama. The author provides an intimate look at a time of United States history and centered on Stephanie St. Clair, an immigrant from the West Indies. She became a powerful and influential Black woman in Harlem, holding down a respectable job all while running an underground gambling operation.
The problem is that there are whole chapters of speculation, made up scenarios and conversations. Combining the known facts with the above makes a crummy biography. Because of this, the author should have probably written an historical fiction novel, which is what half of this book is.
When sticking with the facts, Madame Queen focuses on Black history and systemic corruption with a fresh cultural depth. I really didn’t care to read so much about the mechanics of organized crime, though. I did appreciate that an underrepresented story expanded my historical knowledge beyond the always mentioned leaders to marginalized figures reshaping power.
The audiobook was narrated by the incomparable Janina Edwards, whose voice is just wonderful to listen to.
I’m so glad that for the past 15 years or so, there have been many books written about the unsung American women and minorities. Many times though, there is hardly a paper trail to follow. That’s the case with Madame Queen.
This book is what I call a docudrama. The author provides an intimate look at a time of United States history and centered on Stephanie St. Clair, an immigrant from the West Indies. She became a powerful and influential Black woman in Harlem, holding down a respectable job all while running an underground gambling operation.
The problem is that there are whole chapters of speculation, made up scenarios and conversations. Combining the known facts with the above makes a crummy biography. Because of this, the author should have probably written an historical fiction novel, which is what half of this book is.
When sticking with the facts, Madame Queen focuses on Black history and systemic corruption with a fresh cultural depth. I really didn’t care to read so much about the mechanics of organized crime, though. I did appreciate that an underrepresented story expanded my historical knowledge beyond the always mentioned leaders to marginalized figures reshaping power.
The audiobook was narrated by the incomparable Janina Edwards, whose voice is just wonderful to listen to.
June 13, 2025
I was really optimistic for this book, both for Janina Edwards's narration and the subject matter. I really enjoy a history of a lesser known figure, particularly overlooked stories of women and people of color. I was also intrigued by the true crime/1920s underground element. Unfortunately, this book does run into a major/common challenge of these types of histories: limited historical sources indicating significant gaps in the archives. The author responds by pulling in more secondary/contextual research to help round out the narrative, which is fine, if not what I was hoping for. I have more of an issue with the pivot into creative nonfiction to fill in gaps of the portrait of Stephanie St. Clair. The imagined situations of what she felt or how conversations might've gone are not the sort of storytelling I want in my history or biography nonfiction reads.
I received an ALC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ALC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 15, 2025
Grateful that people write books about those historic figures lost in the mix. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of Madame Queen and to think she acted, well was, a mob boss of sorts who was a woman and a black woman at that! To achieve financial success and independent as such and how is jaw dropping.
I was truly impressed with the author and how she filled in necessary blanks, making the reader aware but sticking to a probable and thoughtful circumstance.
Hearing Madame’s story from her early days to present really gave her so much more depth and a will for readers to want to know more about this one of a kind, intelligent, independent woman WAY ahead of her time.
I was truly impressed with the author and how she filled in necessary blanks, making the reader aware but sticking to a probable and thoughtful circumstance.
Hearing Madame’s story from her early days to present really gave her so much more depth and a will for readers to want to know more about this one of a kind, intelligent, independent woman WAY ahead of her time.
June 26, 2025
As I prefaced in my Instagram initial post (pre-reading), this might seem like an odd book for my review purposes, however I love to learn about history and historical figures (famous or otherwise)!
What appealed to me when I first seen this book cover (I got the audiobook via NetGalley) I was immediately drawn to it. What I found most fascinating is that the crime scene in Madame Queen’s era was dominated vastly by white men, and is today as well. For a woman of French-Caribbean descent who immigrated to the USA to become what’s quite possibly known as the first female crime boss in the USA is beyond remarkable.
I cannot imagine the mental and physical taxation Madame Queen’s roommate suffered through like many other people her age: being born into slavery, emancipated from slavery as a minor, and then forced into sharecropping. She was just a mere 3 years younger than I am now.
The fact that Queenie was able to immigrate, courtesy of her mother, shows how wealthy her family was. Being able to immigrate to the USA was extremely costly, and very few were able to do so. She was put into indentured servitude via the Caribbean Domestic Scheme which targeted people like Stephanie St. Clair. She was placed into indentured servitude for 1-2 years while being paid $5 month! Although wages and the economy were/are vastly different this sounds more like the pay prison institutions offer their inmates in the present time. Essentially shifting from slave labor to corrupt employment practices excuses away by the fine people in power!
St. Clair, while this novel doesn’t specifically state it, was a savant. She excelled with math and numbers, but also could immediately pick up on new skills after the initial training.
Other items not necessarily important, but fascinating and informative for myself was that of Chapter 5 was the detailed description of the game of dice. Madame Queen’s supreme skill with numbers and probabilities made her a master of this famous gambling game. Additionally, was the explanation of Black Tuesday. I was educated on the Stock Market crash of the Depression but never heard it called Black Tuesday before.
I would like to acknowledge that the narrator was very eloquent in telling the history of Queenie.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the e-ARC audiobook.
This is just a personal preference, but I would have rated this book higher if it stuck just to the non-fiction aspect, and skipped all of the individual people’s dialogue (both invented and factual) featured in this book.
What appealed to me when I first seen this book cover (I got the audiobook via NetGalley) I was immediately drawn to it. What I found most fascinating is that the crime scene in Madame Queen’s era was dominated vastly by white men, and is today as well. For a woman of French-Caribbean descent who immigrated to the USA to become what’s quite possibly known as the first female crime boss in the USA is beyond remarkable.
I cannot imagine the mental and physical taxation Madame Queen’s roommate suffered through like many other people her age: being born into slavery, emancipated from slavery as a minor, and then forced into sharecropping. She was just a mere 3 years younger than I am now.
The fact that Queenie was able to immigrate, courtesy of her mother, shows how wealthy her family was. Being able to immigrate to the USA was extremely costly, and very few were able to do so. She was put into indentured servitude via the Caribbean Domestic Scheme which targeted people like Stephanie St. Clair. She was placed into indentured servitude for 1-2 years while being paid $5 month! Although wages and the economy were/are vastly different this sounds more like the pay prison institutions offer their inmates in the present time. Essentially shifting from slave labor to corrupt employment practices excuses away by the fine people in power!
St. Clair, while this novel doesn’t specifically state it, was a savant. She excelled with math and numbers, but also could immediately pick up on new skills after the initial training.
Other items not necessarily important, but fascinating and informative for myself was that of Chapter 5 was the detailed description of the game of dice. Madame Queen’s supreme skill with numbers and probabilities made her a master of this famous gambling game. Additionally, was the explanation of Black Tuesday. I was educated on the Stock Market crash of the Depression but never heard it called Black Tuesday before.
I would like to acknowledge that the narrator was very eloquent in telling the history of Queenie.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the e-ARC audiobook.
This is just a personal preference, but I would have rated this book higher if it stuck just to the non-fiction aspect, and skipped all of the individual people’s dialogue (both invented and factual) featured in this book.
June 19, 2025
I read this book after reading Gary Phillips' Matthew Henson & the Ice Temple of Harlem, a New Pulp actioner set during the Harlem Renaissance. Phillips used the real-life Stephanie St. Claire as one of the background characters, and she was such a fascinating woman that I needed to learn more.
A Caribbean immigrant who rose to control much of the numbers racket in 1920s and 1930s Harlem, Stephanie St. Clair took on mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano as well as corrupt police. She would take out advertisements in the papers listing the names and badge numbers of the cops who tried to shake her down, as well as to educate her fellow Harlemites on their rights when the cops resorted to illegal searches and seizures. And though she was a criminal, she was also a dedicated investor in her community, a civil rights activist, and a philanthropist. Her telegram to Dutch Schultz on his deathbed is legendary, but her own downfall was just as humiliating.
McBrayer, early on, admits that she's engaged in "creative non-fiction," making up whole swatches of dialogue and detail. She was, no doubt, caught in a bind. There was too little documentary evidence for a full, scholarly biography, yet she didn't feel up to the task of writing the novel that this character deserved. McBrayer has her moments, though. Her description of the insanity of the 1935 Harlem riots, which began over a kid shoplifting a pocket knife, is reminiscent of something out of a Chester Himes Harlem Detective novel. I kept expecting Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson to make an appearance. McBrayer's description of St. Clair's relationship with Sufi Abdul Hamid, the "Black Hitler," was also luridly enthralling. Thus, we get a work that is half-and-half.
There are some additional problems with McBrayer's work. First, I'm not sure she understands mathematics: some of her explanations of craps and the numbers racket make little sense. Also, she occasionally includes material that requires further explanation, such as what Mechanics' Night on Thursdays meant in terms of an exception to the segregation of the Cotton Club, or that St. Clair's butler, Bridget, was male. It was also a bit disturbing to find important details on St. Clair's Wikipedia page that are not in McBrayer's book. There are two other biographies of St. Clair out there that may clarify these lacunae.
A Caribbean immigrant who rose to control much of the numbers racket in 1920s and 1930s Harlem, Stephanie St. Clair took on mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano as well as corrupt police. She would take out advertisements in the papers listing the names and badge numbers of the cops who tried to shake her down, as well as to educate her fellow Harlemites on their rights when the cops resorted to illegal searches and seizures. And though she was a criminal, she was also a dedicated investor in her community, a civil rights activist, and a philanthropist. Her telegram to Dutch Schultz on his deathbed is legendary, but her own downfall was just as humiliating.
McBrayer, early on, admits that she's engaged in "creative non-fiction," making up whole swatches of dialogue and detail. She was, no doubt, caught in a bind. There was too little documentary evidence for a full, scholarly biography, yet she didn't feel up to the task of writing the novel that this character deserved. McBrayer has her moments, though. Her description of the insanity of the 1935 Harlem riots, which began over a kid shoplifting a pocket knife, is reminiscent of something out of a Chester Himes Harlem Detective novel. I kept expecting Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson to make an appearance. McBrayer's description of St. Clair's relationship with Sufi Abdul Hamid, the "Black Hitler," was also luridly enthralling. Thus, we get a work that is half-and-half.
There are some additional problems with McBrayer's work. First, I'm not sure she understands mathematics: some of her explanations of craps and the numbers racket make little sense. Also, she occasionally includes material that requires further explanation, such as what Mechanics' Night on Thursdays meant in terms of an exception to the segregation of the Cotton Club, or that St. Clair's butler, Bridget, was male. It was also a bit disturbing to find important details on St. Clair's Wikipedia page that are not in McBrayer's book. There are two other biographies of St. Clair out there that may clarify these lacunae.
May 10, 2025
Spoiler alert: This book opens with the author visiting a Gangster Museum. While there, she saw a photo of Madame Stephanie and wanted to know more. She tipped the museum guide in hopes to get more info, only to find that what she was given was all there was. In a way, I feel that this what happened to reader of this book. But first, the positives: It is well written and flows, but this is a work of critical fabulation- a combination of using archival information and fictional narrative. I am not unfamiliar with this methodology and would rather have known that going in to manage my expectations, rather than be surprised by it. From the lens of critical fabulation, this book is quite successful. However, with the long imaginative vignettes, I do think this book might have been better received as a re-worked historical fiction of her life. I am aware that there is a relatively successful podcast that did this, so perhaps that is why McBrayer stayed closer to what is actually known-staying firmly in the non-fiction narrative. I do think the printed advertisements that Mme Queen printed in the Amsterdam is something that Black Studies scholars, New York historians, philanthropy scholars, journalists, and people who are interested in civil rights would be interested in: what she wrote and the impact of it. As a consequence, this book leads the reader down several rabbit holes that inspire further research-for me it was her role in philanthropy. All told, once expectations are set, this book is a good read and I do recommend it for people interested in America's historical landscape.
My thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
My thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
𝑴𝑨𝑫𝑨𝑴𝑬 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑬𝑵 𝒃𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒚 𝑴𝒄𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓
𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 was a @netgalley pick from @htpbooks_audio that called out to me and is coming out June 3rd!
I loved the idea of learning more about the racketeering Harlem Crime Boss, Stephanie St. Clair. I had not, like most of you probably, heard of this woman, and found the idea of a Stong Black Brilliant Woman lost to history not surprising and in need of remedy.
Unfortunately, the structure of this book left me struggling to engage. I was fascinated by the biographical sections, but then it went into an imagined dialog and filling in of blank scenarios with the author saying it was imagined every time. I think it was meant to be conversational, but it felt like an odd mix of storytelling. I wish it had been a straight narrative nonfiction or even a historical fiction. In fact, I do think this would be a great resource for anyone wanting to write a historical fiction of this woman! I think that would be more up my alley.
If you enjoy biographies and a bit of conversational side imaginings, this will be a fantastic story! This woman deserves to be known and I appreciate the research the author did in sharing her life. The narration was also smooth and easy to follow, so any format would be good.
𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 was a @netgalley pick from @htpbooks_audio that called out to me and is coming out June 3rd!
I loved the idea of learning more about the racketeering Harlem Crime Boss, Stephanie St. Clair. I had not, like most of you probably, heard of this woman, and found the idea of a Stong Black Brilliant Woman lost to history not surprising and in need of remedy.
Unfortunately, the structure of this book left me struggling to engage. I was fascinated by the biographical sections, but then it went into an imagined dialog and filling in of blank scenarios with the author saying it was imagined every time. I think it was meant to be conversational, but it felt like an odd mix of storytelling. I wish it had been a straight narrative nonfiction or even a historical fiction. In fact, I do think this would be a great resource for anyone wanting to write a historical fiction of this woman! I think that would be more up my alley.
If you enjoy biographies and a bit of conversational side imaginings, this will be a fantastic story! This woman deserves to be known and I appreciate the research the author did in sharing her life. The narration was also smooth and easy to follow, so any format would be good.
September 15, 2025
The fascinating history of Stephanie St. Clair is told in "Madame Queen" by Mary Kay McBrayer. Who is Stephanie St. Clair? An immigrant from Martinique, St. Clair was a genius with numbers and using her skills with math and logic elevated herself from a young immigrant woman living and working in a women's house in Harlem to opening her own bank, and eventual involvement in racketeering and running multiple enterprises in Harlem. She was also a community leader and activist for immigrants and Black Americans, part of her success in business because of her community involvement. Born in 1897, she rose to prominence in the early 1900s and her name should be mentioned among others known of that age such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and other Prohibition era known crime bosses.
Narrator Janina Edwards did a wonderful job bringing McBrayer's nonfiction biography alive. It was easy to pay attention and absorb the facts. While McBrayer took liberties creating fictional dialogue to move St. Clair's story along, the facts remain - St. Clair was in a league of her own and history should know her name as much as it knows who Capone is.
Narrator Janina Edwards did a wonderful job bringing McBrayer's nonfiction biography alive. It was easy to pay attention and absorb the facts. While McBrayer took liberties creating fictional dialogue to move St. Clair's story along, the facts remain - St. Clair was in a league of her own and history should know her name as much as it knows who Capone is.
December 12, 2025
In listening to this book, I realized I really don't like "creative nonfiction." I can appreciate the vast research in both the people and the time period to make it believable but this book in particular took so many liberties and, even amongst that, was so very distracting with the author so often inputting, "I think it would have gone like..." "there's no EVIDENCE of her meeting Ella Fitzgerald, but I'd like to think she did...and here's how that conversation would have gone..." et cetera. I was so glad to learn about this "swept under the rug" part of NYC history, in both the gangster side and also the social reform side, but I really could have done without so many made up conversations and original characters to fluff up the story.
The best part, however, was the narrator - Janina Edwards was so easily able to slip into a variety of speaking styles and accents and made everything pretty entertaining despite my issues with how the book was written itself. She personally is what has this book at a three star.
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review.
The best part, however, was the narrator - Janina Edwards was so easily able to slip into a variety of speaking styles and accents and made everything pretty entertaining despite my issues with how the book was written itself. She personally is what has this book at a three star.
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review.
April 18, 2025
*Madame Queen* is a captivating, overdue homage to one of Harlem’s most formidable and fascinating figures: Stephanie St. Clair. With elegant prose and meticulous research, the book finally brings this trailblazing woman out of the shadows of men like Bumpy Johnson and Lucky Luciano, giving her the spotlight she always deserved. St. Clair’s journey—from a West Indian immigrant to Harlem’s reigning numbers queen—is portrayed with the complexity, nuance, and reverence it commands.
Where the book truly shines is in its exploration of St. Clair’s layered identity: not just as an entrepreneur operating outside the law, but as a woman of dignity, strategy, and surprising compassion. She operated in a world that demanded ruthlessness, but never lost sight of decency. Her commitment to her community, her resistance to systemic injustice, and her ability to thrive in a male-dominated world make her story not only compelling, but deeply inspiring.
That said, the book’s reliance on fabricated conversations was a noticeable misstep. These imagined dialogues, while clearly intended to dramatize events, often detracted from the rich historical narrative and emotional truth of St. Clair’s life. Her real words and documented actions carry more weight than any fictional exchange ever could—and her story is strong enough to stand on its own without such embellishment.
Despite that flaw, *Madame Queen* is a powerful testament to resilience, intelligence, and integrity. It’s a reminder that greatness is not always loud or recognized in its time—and that being decent, in a ruthless world, is a form of rebellion all its own.
July 1, 2025
An interesting story with what may be a lot of information on a truly intriguing person, but I just can't really feel like this is an actual biography. It seems more like a novel based on a true story. While the author does give a disclaimer at the beginning that there is so much that isn't known and she has taken some liberty with dialogue and things, there's just too much of that to really know what is true and what is the author's speculation.
The entire book is filled with phrases like "I think ", "I imagine", "as I picture it", I think it's more likely", and "I recreated its occurrence in a way I think", among so many others. In one instance there are three of these phrases in the same paragraph.
All in all it's is a good read, just don't plan on it really being a fully true story. I would absolutely love to find a less recreated, more facts biography on Stephanie St. Clair.
The entire book is filled with phrases like "I think ", "I imagine", "as I picture it", I think it's more likely", and "I recreated its occurrence in a way I think", among so many others. In one instance there are three of these phrases in the same paragraph.
All in all it's is a good read, just don't plan on it really being a fully true story. I would absolutely love to find a less recreated, more facts biography on Stephanie St. Clair.
July 9, 2025
When I saw this biography of Stephanie St Clair, I was happy someone had finally taken the time to share with the world this badass woman. Then I read the Author's Note: This is a work of "creative non-fiction." I never even knew this genre existed. I thought that's what so-called historical fiction was. Nevertheless, I decided to read the book. And while this book is interesting, it left me wanting more. This is not the fault of the author. This is because women are often overlooked or erased from the narrative. And let's be honest, there aren't many gangsters--male or female--who keep diaries, no matter how badly we'd like them to. I also wish that the author had used italics when she dramatized her story so readers knew what was fact & what was "creative." All in all, this was a good read, but if I wanted fiction, I would've read some.
June 28, 2025
INCREDIBLE. i loved every second of this. i forgot it was nonfiction so many times because this woman is THAT spectacular. madame queen should have scholars dedicated to her history - i need to know more!! i want every detail.
this is a great exercise of narrative nonfiction - the author is very clear when she is extrapolating in a situation, so it’s easy to keep the facts & the speculations separate in your head. it also adds so much more emotion to the story. i think - ESPECIALLY towards the end - if i didn’t have those theorized conversations to submerse myself into, i might now have connected so viscerally to the horror and heartache and anger and every emotion in between.
such a fun, quick, and educational read. we should all know about madame queen!
this is a great exercise of narrative nonfiction - the author is very clear when she is extrapolating in a situation, so it’s easy to keep the facts & the speculations separate in your head. it also adds so much more emotion to the story. i think - ESPECIALLY towards the end - if i didn’t have those theorized conversations to submerse myself into, i might now have connected so viscerally to the horror and heartache and anger and every emotion in between.
such a fun, quick, and educational read. we should all know about madame queen!
June 12, 2025
I loved learning about Madame Queen and about 1930’s Harlem. Since Stephanie St. Clair was good at keeping her business to herself, this book is a mixture of fact and fiction and the author makes it clear which is fact and which is speculation.
As to the author’s question in the last chapter - I think the reason there’s not as much info as there are for similar men in history is because ladies don’t spend their time boasting about all their achievements like men do which is just a shame that we don’t get as much history written down.
This would be such a fun film adaptation! I want to go there.
As to the author’s question in the last chapter - I think the reason there’s not as much info as there are for similar men in history is because ladies don’t spend their time boasting about all their achievements like men do which is just a shame that we don’t get as much history written down.
This would be such a fun film adaptation! I want to go there.
June 10, 2025
Is there a word for made-up non-fiction/biography??? As eager as I was to read this book; I was seriously disappointed with its execution. The story of St Clair's life is certainly one that needs to be told BUT I found the continual "I'm making this conversation/experience up" just became too much.
June 24, 2025
I love an author who can creatively fill the gaps in the historical record to shed a light on overlooked figures. Stephanie St. Clair has a wild story (at least what little we know of it), and Mary Kay McBrayer adds period-appropriate details and recreated dialogue that brings 1930s Harlem to life. A must-read for true crime fans!
August 23, 2025
I did the audiobook and I did like it. This story was good but I have a hard time rating it because it’s supposed to be a biography but the author took liberties writing this story. Granted it was a good story but I don’t think the author when writing a biography shouldn’t have included anything in the story that isn’t true.
September 16, 2025
The author calls this ‘creative nonfiction.’ But in trying to straddle genres, she didn’t succeed at either. I wish she just wrote a novel so she could focus more on crafting a story a reader could enjoy without all the extraneous commentary. This book was so tedious, I got halfway through and decided it just wasn’t worth continuing.
August 30, 2025
DNF due to writing style. This could have been an essay if the editor removed every time the author said something like “I don’t know if this happened but here is what I imagine.” There are better ways to fill in gaps in the historical record.
October 15, 2025
Didn't get very far. Every page she said I have no evidence of this but I imagine she did this, wore that, said this other thing. Annoying. Historical fiction would have made more sense for this writer's style.
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June 1, 2025Criminals & Outlaws Biographies & Autobiographies, 20th Century United States History, Biographies & Autobiographies of Women
dnf
August 13, 2025A little too much creative license for my tastes. It should have been a historical fiction novel. Talented writer though
August 18, 2025
The topic was fascinating but the author had too much trouble deciding on the genre of the book. She should have made it historical fiction. Too much back and forth from the author guessing etc.
August 29, 2025
I really liked this! Madame Queen was a badass. Naturally, she fell in love with the wrong guy and it was the start of her downfall. Def read! Read it today!
November 2, 2025
Title says it all
November 3, 2025
title says that it all. author reminds reader often that she is making the details up .
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