Atlanta author shines light on the fascinating story of 'Madame Queen'

It sounds like the plot of a movie: a woman from the West Indies comes to America with nothing, only to transform herself into a notorious Harlem crime boss. 

Well, it’s not a movie … at least, not yet. But it is the true story of Stephanie St. Clair, a woman brought vividly back to life in Atlanta author Mary Kay McBrayer’s latest book.

"Madame Queen: The Life and Crimes of Harlem’s Underground Racketeer, Stephanie St. Clair" was released earlier in June by Park Row Books, shining a light on the Black businesswomen (and, according to the book jacket, "queen of the Harlem numbers game") who’s remained something of a "hidden figure" in crime stories until now. 

McBrayer — author of the previous book "America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster" and host of the podcast "The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told" — says she happened to see a picture of St. Clair during a visit to New York’s Museum of the American Gangster, and immediately knew she was a woman worth researching.

"I love gangster stories and I have never seen myself reflected in them, and that just seemed like a big oversight because, of course Women of Color were in the game," says McBrayer. "And she was the best, right? We know the stories of gangsters who failed because they failed! Because they had to tell everyone. And really, no-one knows how her story actually ends."

For the author, Stephanie St. Clair occupies a unique place in the true crime genre: a historical figure whose crimes are defined by the era in which they happened.

"Nowadays, that business would be totally legal," she says. "Now it is the New York state lottery. That was her business, until she had to give it up." 

For more information on "Madame Queen," click here. And for an extended interview with Mary Kay McBrayer, head over to the FOX LOCAL app and stream episode 67 of "Behind the Scenes with Paul Milliken."