In the same vein as best sellers such as Liza Mundy's Code Girls and Margot Lee -Shetterly's Hidden Figures, this new work from Carter (The Emperor of Ocean Park) presents the untold story of his grandmother Eunice Hunton Carter, the black female lawyer who prosecuted notorious mobster Lucky Luciano. The author begins with Eunice's childhood in Atlanta and later Brooklyn. Her mother served in World War I and was active with the YWCA and NAACP, and her father was secretary of the YMCA. After graduating from Smith College and marrying Lisle Carter, Eunice made her way toward a legal career, working under prosecutor Thomas Dewey and then-New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Despite existing social and gender norms, Eunice's hard work turned into an opportunity to join Dewey's team dedicated to taking down Mafia figures. VERDICT With artful storytelling and a narrative-like delivery, Carter tells Eunice's story in the best way possible, offering a compelling, unputdownable read with as much value in social history as legal appeal. Not to be missed. [See Prepub Alert, 4/23/18.]-Mattie Cook, Flat River Community Lib., MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bestseller Carter (Back Channel) narrates the life story of his exceptional grandmother, Eunice Carter, an African-American attorney who masterminded the sting operation that resulted in the imprisonment of mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Eunice Carter graduated from Smith College cum laude with a bachelor's and master's in just four years, and went on to attend Fordham Law before being employed by the future governor of New York and Republican presidential nominee Thomas Dewey. Working under Dewey, Eunice spearheaded the investigation that proved the mob was running New York City's brothels and helped flip the witnesses that specified Luciano's involvement. For years after, however, Dewey repeatedly passed her over when making appointments. The author provides fascinating analysis on this time in history in which most African-Americans moved from voting Republican to Democrat, leaving conservatives like his grandmother and Dewey out in the cold. Carter also provides background on Eunice's parents, both renowned African-American rights activists; explores her tense relationship with her brother, whose Communist ties very likely hindered her success; and discusses her less-than-ideal marriage. And he evokes her Harlem, where "women wore fancy hats. Men wore colorful suits.... In the clubs, jazz combos played... [and] the rising black bourgeoisie flourished." Carter's enthusiasm for his grandmother's incredible fortitude despite numerous setbacks is contagious; Eunice Carter's story is another hidden gem of African-American history. Photos. (Oct.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The mid-twentieth century was a fascinating period in African American history, when intellectual giants and social pioneers like Mary McLeod Bethune, W. E. B. DuBois, and Paul Robeson interacted with presidents and power brokers and the great Negro Club movement held sway over African American society. Eunice Carter, best-selling crime-writer Stephen L. Carter's grandmother, was a leading figure in this milieu: one of a tiny handful of female African American lawyers, she was connected professionally and socially with the most influential people of the day. As a member of the National Council of Negro Women and the NAACP, and an early observer at the United Nations, she, along with her family, were closely involved in key issues and political events. As a protégé of New York district attorney Thomas E. Dewey, she conceived of the strategy for indicting Lucky Luciano. Oddly enough, though she is the central figure, Eunice is not the book's most interesting character. Carter connects her failure to achieve lasting fame to her brother, Alphaeus, who was jailed during the Red Scare and whose unpardonable crimes included organizing black voter-registration drives and attacking the Republican Party. There is an intriguing story to be told about African American political divisions, the burgeoning civil rights movement, and Alphaeus' role in the fight against racism, colonialism, and McCarthyism. One hopes Carter will explore those subjects in his next book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Carter's millions of readers will be curious about his return to nonfiction to share a slice of his family's history within the larger national picture.--Lesley Williams Copyright 2018 Booklist