Madame Queen - by Mary Kay McBrayer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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 all: 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.

Review Quotes

"A historic true crime tale with a twist. Madame Queen was one of the only female crime bosses in the early 1920s. She wasn't ruthless, but she was cunning. She wasn't cruel, but she was efficient. St. Clair navigated corrupt cops, murderous mafia dons, and greedy politicians to become an activist, whose story lives on in this fabulous book." -Author Kate Winkler Dawson, The Sinners All Bow and American Sherlock

"Fair warning: once you step into these pages, you won't want to step back out. Stephanie St. Clair is a forgotten heroine with brains, grit, and courage in spades. Mary Kay McBrayer's thorough research and captivating writing bring both Madame Queen and 20th century Harlem to life. A must read for any historical true crime fan!" -Annie Reed, author of The Impostor Heiress: Cassie Chadwick, the Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age

"Mary Kay McBrayer plucks another fascinating character out of relative obscurity and brings her back into the light. The bold and brassy Stephanie St. Clair, aka Madame Queen, comes alive, though not without her faults, through the words of McBrayer, who not only captures St. Clair's bravado and magnetism, but also the atmosphere of each time period. At the end, the reader is left wondering: how did time ever even forget such a vibrant individual?" -David Nelson, author of Boys Enter the House: The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind

"While history remembers the bad boys of Prohibition-such as beer baron Dutch Schultz-Stephanie St. Clair, Queen of the Harlem numbers racket, became a forgotten footnote. Mary Kay McBrayer uncovers the fascinating life of the gangster/activist. Despite her gender and race, Stephanie took on the greatest mob bosses of the era-and managed to survive." -Marlene Wagman-Geller, author of Unabashed Women, The Fascinating Biographies of Bad Girls, Seductresses, Rebels, and One-of-a-kind Women