Mob Queen - by Erin Bledsoe (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Set in the 1930s, Mob Queen follows one woman's rapid rise through the Mafia as she searches for the truth about what happened to her friend and navigates a perilous relationship with the infamous Bugsy Siegel.

All Virginia Hill wanted was a better life.

She escaped her abusive father and dreary, small-town Georgia existence by marrying a man who took her to Chicago. But the realities of the Depression--and her husband's volatile temper--soon destroyed Virginia's fragile idea of happiness. With the help of a new friend, Madeline, she finds the courage to stand up to her husband--only to end up divorced and destitute.

Down but not out, Virginia joins Madeline working as a waitress in one of the Mob's favorite hangouts, a restaurant smack-dab in the middle of the World's Fair. But when Madeline disappears after getting involved with the wrong Mafia man, Virginia vows to find her friend no matter what. But to do that, she'll have to follow Madeline into the heart of the Chicago Mob ...

As Virginia climbs the ranks and unravels the mystery of what happened to her friend, working for the Mafia proves both seductive and deadly. What started as a desperate attempt to find Madeline brings power she never imagined a poor girl from Georgia would ever have. It turns out a woman can be a mobster, but she'll have to give up her heart to do it.

Review Quotes

"A journey into power, danger, and self-definition...Bledsoe's Virginia is sharp, ambitious, and layered, embodying a kind of agency that's both hard-earned and precarious. For modern readers, her story sparks questions about ambition, morality, and the blurred lines between empowerment and exploitation."

-- "BookTrib"

"Bledsoe returns a deserving voice to the so-called Mob Queen...I was caught up in this credible, compelling story. Bledsoe admits she writes about women who behave badly (indeed!) but here she paints a gracious picture of Hill's vulnerability-to-pluck personality by exploring motivation and action despite their inevitable dark consequences. A thrilling and fascinating true crime tale."

-- "Historical Novels Review"

"Brilliant...[Bledsoe's] portrayal of the legendary and scrutinized Hill brings depth and complexity to this tragic figure. This is a must-read for 2025 and an author to look out for."

-- "San Francisco Book Review"

"In this gripping and gritty novel, Bledsoe vibrantly reveals Hill's complicated criminal history, the story of a fearless woman rising against all odds in a man's world."

-- "Toronto Star"

"The stuff of legend...Mob Queen is filled with period detail about the fast-talking Hill, who used her wit, fearlessness, and body to climb the ranks of America's mobdom."

-- "The Denver Post"

"This is a GREAT historical fiction novel. I had never heard of Virginia Hill and her story is intense and incredible...This is one of the best books of the year."

-- "Red Carpet Crash"

"[A gripping] depiction of women in organized crime, the friendships they build, and the dangerous missions they are assigned...Delving into the resilience and ambition of women in a dangerous world run by men, this novel is a must for crime fans and historical fans alike."

-- "Booklist"

"Bledsoe serves up a dynamic portrait of historical crime figure Virginia Hill...Bledsoe doesn't sugarcoat the barbarity of mob violence in her complex and admirable characterization of Virginia, who grows increasingly comfortable with carrying out the mob's work and finds satisfaction in her sense of agency. It's a humanizing portrait of a notorious woman."

-- "Publishers Weekly"

"[Mob Queen] will appeal most to readers looking for gritty historical fiction about a resilient woman unsure who she can trust in a glitzy but treacherous world with life-and-death stakes."

-- "Library Journal"

"Vivid, gripping, and impossible to put down, Mob Queen delivers a thrilling ride through the glittering, dangerous world of 1930s organized crime. Erin Bledsoe brings the era to life with stunning detail, a fast-paced plot, and characters you can't help but root for--even when they're breaking all the rules. This is historical fiction at its most electrifying!"

-- "Amanda Skenandore, bestselling author of The Nurse's Secret and The Medicine Woman of Galveston"

"A gripping peek behind the heavily guarded curtain of the 1930s Mafia, Mob Queen takes its readers on a wild ride. As readers trail alongside the very real Virginia Hill--one-time companion of Bugsy Siegel, among notorious others--author Erin Bledsoe shares Virginia's unexpected rise from rural Georgia to the highest echelons of the Mafia, where she becomes more than a gangster's moll, she becomes a gangster herself."

-- "Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room and The Queens of Crime"