Really enjoyed this start to finish. Was sucked in immediately by the story and the characters, especially Virginia. Amazing that she was a real figure in history! Plan to use this as a book club book in 2026!

I loved this book, and will give as gift to everyone. This story about a women's rapid rise through the mafia. the mafia has always been a subject that interests me. The cover and title of the book grabbed my attention.

Mob Queen Is Fierce, Gritty, and Gloriously Unapologetic

I absolutely loved Virginia Hill. Fierce, determined, and headstrong, she bursts off the page in Erin Bledsoe’s Mob Queen—a gutsy, gripping dive into the glitzy but treacherous world of 1930s organized crime. From the moment Virginia flees a violent marriage in Georgia and tumbles into Chicago’s mob scene, the stakes are life and death—and she rises to meet them with swagger and smarts.

Bledsoe doesn’t sugarcoat the brutality. Mob violence is graphic and unsettling, and Virginia grows increasingly at ease carrying out the family’s dirty work. It’s a humanizing portrait of a woman who finds agency in a world that rarely offers it. Her relationship with Bugsy Siegel is steamy and volatile—fueled by lust, ambition, and a hunger for power. The sex scenes are explicit, but they fit the raw, no-holds-barred tone of the story.

The plot can be cringeworthy—there’s some truly dark stuff here—but that’s part of its power. You feel the danger. You don’t always know who to trust.

Fans of gritty historical fiction with complicated female leads will devour this. My only complaint? I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more: Virginia’s testimony before Congress, her downfall, exile, and fiery final act. Here's hoping Bledsoe writes a sequel.

** Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for copies of the eBook and audiobook. Opinions are my own.

I appreciated the author’s clear passion for Virginia Hill’s life and legacy. It’s always refreshing to see overlooked historical figures brought into the spotlight. That said, I found the writing style a bit dry, and the pacing made it difficult for me to stay fully engaged. I think readers with a strong interest in organized crime history or biographies may have a different experience, and I’m glad this story is being told.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

I sat down to read this book and didn't stop until I was finished! I had no idea that Virginia Hill was a real person, and now I am so fascinated that I want to learn more about her!

Mob Queen by Erin Bledsoe is a story about friendship, loyalty growth and taking chances. The main character is Virginia Hill. She grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional home. Unfortunately she finds herself being abused by her husband. She leaves her husband and in order to survive she gets a job at a restaurant as a waitress that is frequented by the members of the Chicago Mob.

Virginia makes friends with Madeline. They form a close friendship and Madeline introduces her to all the important men in the Mob. She called him Ben. History will remember him as Bugsy Siegel. Virginia ends up having a very long and storied relationship with Bugsy. When her friend Madeline ends up disappearing Virginia will do everything in her power to find her.
Virginia’s courageousness and determination is what helps her on her quest to find Madeline. This gets her further tangled up in the Mob.

Virginia’s quest turns this historical fiction book into a compelling read. The story of Bugsy and Virginia’s relationship just adds fuel to the fire. As the story proceeds Virginia begins to climb the ranks of the Chicago Mob. The dialogue and action are riveting. The characters are memorable and powerful. Virginia makes it through every situation she finds herself in.

The writing was very good and at times the book is un-put-downable. This is my first book by this author but it won’t be my last. I was very impressed with this story and look forward to seeing what Ms.Bledsoe has in store for us next.

I would like to thank Ms. Bledsoe, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mob Queen by Erin Bledsoe is a mix between La Bella Mafia and The Goodfellas.

Its starts in 1930’s spanning Chicago, New York, Los Angeles Mexico…….living life around the Mafia, Gangsters and the Mob.

All that Virginia wants in life is to be happy and have a good life. She grew up with an abusive father in Georgia, marries her husband and moves to Chicago working with her friend Madeline as waitresses in a restaurant that many gangsters ate and discussed the mafia affairs and their next hit jobs. Unbeknownst that one day Virginia will be one of them.

Suddenly there is a down turn in business and the depression affects everyone. Virginia’s husband becomes aggressive towards her and they divorce each other. Madeline then goes missing in New York and Virginia is upset about it all, her mission is to try to find her friend and realises that she will have to join the Mafia before she can solve the mystery of Madeline’s disappearance.

Along comes Ben aka Bugsy Siegel at the racetrack, where Virginia has been told which race and horses to bet money on. She doesn’t know who she can trust…..but does the Mob trust Virginia?

Velma Capone is the next person that Virginia meets she learns from Velma how to play the mob at their own game. Here Virginia becomes involved in money laundering and discovering more than she can imagine.

Will Virginia find her friend Madeline before it’s too late?

Will the happy life Virginia has been seeking come to an end along with the game she has been playing with the Mob?

Will Virginia be a victim or a survivor of the Mob?

A different and interesting perspective on life as a gangsters of the time. Strong women can be one of them if they can prove themselves. Some women were forced to be part of the gangster world, some married into it and others made their choice to be part of it. Either way once you an involved with the Mafia there is no way out.

A 4 stars out of 5 for me as the book was a slow burn at first…..then hooked you in deeper as the story went on. So glad I was given the opportunity to read this book and thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this advanced copy for my review.

Virigina Hill is a pretty well-known name in the mob world, but this is the fictionalized version of the story of her life. She was known for being Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend (see the great movie Bugsy), but she was powerful in her own right, and one of the few women with respect and privilege in the Mob in the 1930-40's.

In this fast-paced fiction book, Virigina joins the mob to find out what happened to her best friend. She stands up for herself and uses her cunning, looks, and ambition to rise in the ranks. Along the way, she is rewarded but also faces many personal setbacks.
I really liked this book, and it made me want to go back and watch all the mob movies I loved as a young adult. I really liked this from a woman's- the book is pretty gritty with murder and some sex scenes, so I would not necessarily give it to a teen with a cation. I found it really interesting and kept me engaged and I felt like it gave me a good idea of what it was like to be a woman in the mob at that time.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Highly recommend this one. Mob life and toxic relationships, the 1930's glamours life. It had the feel of a dark romance. I liked Virginia and Ben’s doomed and toxic relationship. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check this out.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing, Inc. for the arc.

I knew a little about Virginia Hill, but it was mostly in terms of her relationship to Bugsy Siegel. While I wouldn’t consider Virginia Hill to be a role model, I do think her ability to find what she wants and go for it, as well as just surviving while being associated with the mob was pretty impressive. So often women are just side notes in men’s stories and to have this book focusing on Virginia Hill was unique. I really enjoyed reading Mob Queen.

Thank you to the author, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was a quick and entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed. 
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages. 
A great read!

The writing style, pacing and characters weren't for me, I but can appreciate the author's efforts.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I have found it difficult to rate and review this book, as the premise of it really drew me in. However, I found the book to be slow paced.

I really like Virginia Hill's character and her growth throughout the book. It was good to see her use her past trauma to become the Mob Queen.

For me personally I would have liked more in-depth details about things that were occurring in the book and the relationships between characters. Events seemed to just be briefly mentioned and moved on to the next.

It was interesting to read a 1930s mob story with a female main character.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Part 1 blew me away. I loved it so much. Part 2 was short and just not as captivating to me. However, this book was still fantastic! I learned so much about the real Virginia Hill after this book sparked my curiosities in her. I loved the story telling. This was a win for me!

This book is about Virginia Hill. who was the girlfriend of mobster Bugsy Siegel. She got involved in the mob initially trying to find out what happened to her best friend who disappeared, then she met and fell in love wth Ben "Bugsy" Siegel. She enjoyed the power and money that came with rising in the ranks. I had never heard of Virginia before reading this book, and found her story fascinating. I had heard of many of the male counterparts in the story, but as it often goes, the women do not get the same attention. If you are a history buff, you will definitely want to check this one out.

Virginia Hill was famed for being the girlfriend of Ben "Bugsy" Siegel, a ruthless mobster in the 1930's. She was known to be a courier for the Outfit in Chicago, but Bledsoe wonders what truths may be lurking behind this vague description of her role. She zooms in, pulling facts and a concrete timeline along with her, and fleshes out who Virginia Hill may have been and how large a role she actually played in the Outfit. Demonstrably strong willed, undeniably beautiful, and cursed to move from one violent man to another, Virginia Hill was a fascinating woman. Bledsoe's tale is dark and sad in its portrayal of the impossible decisions that Hill may have made to find herself in such unprecedented circumstances, but the overall story was captivating and atmospheric.

The cast is wholly unlikable, but several of them had glimmers of goodness that shone through before circumstances (or a hunger for power and money) drowned it out. I very much enjoyed this novel, and spent many hours after finishing it looking up the very real people, crimes, and mob wars portrayed here. Overall, this was a gritty and fascinating look at the underbelly of Chicago and Los Angeles in the 1930's and 1940's.

(I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily)

Going into this book, I had absolutely no idea that it was based on a real person but i think that it made the impact that much higher.

While I was not familiar with Virginia Hill before, reading her story was incredibly intriguing from small town country girl who worked as a waitress in one of the city’s most notable mob establishments to being invited into the room where it happened (Sorry, Hamilton has been everywhere lately) to find answers on her missing friend.

The story overall was heartfelt and you could feel her getting lost in that world and sometimes losing sight of why she was there in the first place. Very well written, giving it 4.5 stars just because it did drag on a bit in a few sections.

Mob Queen by Erin Bledsoe is a fierce, emotionally charged dive into the dark glamour of 1930s organized crime—with a woman at the center who refuses to play nice. Based on the real Virginia Hill, this novel blends noir grit with raw vulnerability as it charts her rise through a world ruled by men. While the pacing starts slow, the story builds into something cinematic, bold, and unforgettable. Bledsoe’s writing captures the heartbreak, ambition, and danger of a woman carving out power on her own terms. Gritty, glitzy, and gut-punching. I want this one to keep on my bookshelf

This lovely historical fiction novel tells the story of one woman who manages to go from a small town country girl to one of the most powerful women of the chicago mob. Although for some it may not be the most ideal way of living however it was interesting how our main character managed to make it through everything that was thrown at her. I was overall very impressed with this novel.
Our focus is on a young lady named Virginia who grew up in a dysfunctional and abusive household in the south. She repeats the pattern of abuse by marrying an abusive man named George and moving to Chicago. After a while she gets fed up with the abuse and divorces him. She then gets a job at a diner which is a notorious hang out for all of the great mobsters of Chicago.
She eventually ends up coming friends with Madeline who is also involved with the mob. From there they form a close friendship and Madeline introduces her to all the important people. One of those Bugsy Siegel whom she ends up having a very rocky relationship with. When Madeline ends up disappearing Virginia will do everything in her power to find her. Along the way she will learn what it is to be the most important woman in the Chicago mob.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

A gripping and thrilling read, Mob Queen plunges readers into the heart of the 1930s underworld. Virginia Hill escapes a violent upbringing in Georgia, only to find herself repeating her mother’s tragic path in a troubled marriage. Defying the social expectations of her time, she leaves her husband and sets out in search of her lost friend Madeline—only to be drawn into the perilous world of the Mob. Rising from the bottom, Virginia becomes one of the most powerful women in organized crime, constantly tested by life-or-death decisions and shifting loyalties.

A masterful blend of fiction and historical fact, Mob Queen is both absorbing and richly atmospheric. It pulled me in from the first page and left me eager to learn more about the real history behind the story. Elegantly written and compelling throughout, this is a standout in the realm of historical fiction—one that’s sure to resonate with many readers.