A captivating historical thriller that transports the reader to the Prohibition era with a tale of two brilliant women on opposite sides of the law. The evocative prose and rich characters bring this high stakes drama to life, and the blend of historical facts with compelling fiction keeps the pages turning.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In 1926, cryptanalyst/codebreaker Elizebeth and bootlegger Marie engage in a battle of wits during the Prohibition Rum Wars. Which one will outsmart the other?

Based on the true story of two intelligent women on opposite sides of the law, The Last Twelve
Miles detailed the incredible cat and mouse game between Elizebeth and Marie. Both women were ahead of their time, being wives and mothers determined also to secure a paycheck. This was a lively tale with Shakespeare quotes sprinkled throughout and an ending you won't see coming!

Sisters of Night and Fog (5 stars) remains my favorite by this author.

If you want to read more about Prohibition, then I would highly recommend the The Wicked City trilogy (4-5 stars) by Beatriz Williams!

Location: Florida, Washington DC, and the Caribbean, including the Bahamas and Cuba

One woman codebreaker versus one woman rum runner. The premise of the story hit all of the marks. This was definitely an outwit-outplay-outlast duel between Elizebeth and Marie. Robuck did a great job at describing scenes and putting the reader in the heat of the moment, especially during the boat scenes. The character development fell a bit flat for me and did take away from my enjoyment of it.

This one wasn't for me. The description was very interesting - I am a sucker for a 20s biography-esque story, but this didn't draw me in. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and unfortunately was unable to finish this book. Thank you to NetGalley,Sourcebooks, and Erika Robuck for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Immediately not for me--I'm not a fan of historical fiction so this was not for me and a DNF.

Thanks for the opportunity--hope it landed well with the correct audience!

Loved this historical fiction book! I loved the dual POV that this book had following to really interesting characters that kept the book interesting from start to end! Loved all of the new information I learn about this time in history and these two characters stories! Definitely recommend reading this book!

Erika Robuck’s The Last Twelve Miles is an exhilarating blend of historical fiction and suspense that brings Prohibition-era rum wars vividly to life. This richly imagined novel pits two extraordinary women—codebreaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and rumrunner Marie Waite—against each other in a gripping game of cat and mouse, offering a fresh and thrilling perspective on the often-overlooked roles of women in history.

Set in 1926, the story toggles between Elizebeth’s intense, cerebral world of cryptanalysis and Marie’s daring rise through the dangerous smuggling trade. Both women are brilliantly crafted, with their personal ambitions, familial struggles, and mounting obsession with each other driving the narrative’s tension. Robuck’s attention to historical detail enhances the authenticity, while her fast-paced prose ensures readers are hooked from the first page.

Robuck masterfully balances historical accuracy with vivid storytelling. Elizebeth’s work as a pioneering cryptanalyst is fascinating, and Marie’s transformation into a formidable rumrunning force is equally compelling. The dual perspectives provide a dynamic look at two women on opposing sides of the law, making their eventual clash all the more satisfying. The setting—spanning the glamour of Washington, D.C., and the sultry, perilous shores of the Bahamas—immerses readers in the era’s intrigue and danger.

The Last Twelve Miles is an engaging and fresh take on historical fiction, spotlighting two brilliant and ambitious women whose stories deserve to be told. Perfect for readers who love Prohibition-era drama, stories of strong female protagonists, and cat-and-mouse narratives with high stakes. I rated this 4 stars for its riveting plot, well-researched historical backdrop, and memorable characters. Ideal for book clubs and history buffs alike!

The Last Twelve Miles is a fantastic summer read. The setting switches back and forth between Key West, Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba, and Washington D.C. Erika Robuck weaves an absorbing tale of two historical figures, both extraordinary, unforgettable women. The year is 1926. Prohibition is the law of the land and in “the Prohibition Rum Wars, the Coast Guard is losing.” The phrase “the last twelve miles” refers to the Coast Guard’s area of operation: “the Coast Guard enforced laws at 12 nautical miles or an hour’s sail from the coast.”

Elizebeth Smith Friedman is one half of “the husband-and-wife pair who invented cryptanalysis and trained Great War soldiers.” Her new mission is “to crack smuggler codes, intercept traffic, and destroy the trade, one skiff at a time.” She’s the Coast Guard’s secret weapon because her ability to crack codes is other-worldly. Elizebeth is a working wife and mother, quite unusual for the time: she sometimes thinks “I have it all,” but her reality belies that statement.

Elizebeth is too busy to examine the reasons why her stomach constantly rumbles, why her sleep is so fitful, why she often finds herself holding her breath. The perpetual shadow of unease is only quelled when she’s codebreaking. At work, when she immerses herself in letters and numbers, her mind takes an elevator that lifts her above her daily cares.

Rumrunners Charlie and Marie Waite work side by side. It’s a second marriage for both, and Marie is having second thoughts. Charlie doesn’t have a tenth of her ambition and foresight. In her opinion, “Charlie is at best a fool, at worst a liar.” Her husband is enamored of pigeons to facilitate illicit shore-to-shore communications. He also has a soft spot for flirtations with shady ladies, drinking with his pals, and betting at the track. Marie is determined to take a more active role in their operation. She decides to visit Cleo Lythgoe, “’The Bahama Queen,’ at her post at the bar of the Lucerne Hotel, in Nassau.”

The Lucerne is just blocks from where Marie and Charlie Waite’s shabby, unnamed boat—crusty with the salt of the Atlantic and filthy with pigeon feathers—bobs among grander rummy vessels. In this dolled-up and illustrious company Marie feels as if she and Charlie are an extension of the boat.



Not for long, Marie thinks.



It’s Cleo’s retirement party, and all night there’s been a revolving door of some of the most notorious smugglers of the lower Atlantic.

The evening ends with a passing of the torch—Cleo gives Marie a name that will become legendary, Spanish Marie, and lastly, “Cleo slides the revolver from out of her garter and passes it to Marie.” Cleo has paved the way for Marie to re-create herself as an audacious rumrunner, someone who will pit herself against the formidable U.S. Coast Guard. But make no mistake: Marie is wickedly ambitious, ruthless when necessary and with or without Cleo’s blessing, Marie was a force to be reckoned with.

The Last Twelve Miles pits Elizebeth against Marie—once Elizebeth realizes that a woman is the genius behind an illegal smuggling armada, she becomes obsessed with breaking Marie’s codes. Throughout the story, Robuck clearly juxtaposes what the women have in common. Intelligence. Ambition. Motherhood. Elizebeth is mother to a toddler, she’s expecting a second. Marie is the mother of two small children. Their children’s future is of paramount importance to both.

The story is infused with rumrunning humor, like when Elizebeth and her colleague Jack arrive in Key West—they enter a darkened room full of “an army of Mama dolls” to a chorus of frightening sounds from their colleagues. FYI: a Mama doll in smuggling parlance is one that is hollowed out so it “perfectly holds one bottle of Spanish wine.”

“Ha,” she says, inspecting the doll. “Rummies are creative. You have to give them that. Just think how the world would improve if criminals put their powers to good use.”



“Criminals and coastguardsmen,” he says. “There’s often overlap.”



“You sound paranoid, like Hoover,” she says.

The perfidy on the high seas escalates. Consider the example of Cockeye Billy, who “used to be a fairly harmless small timer,” but when he moved on to transport “dope out of Cuba,” his arm ended up in the belly of a shark. That was one encounter that made pregnant Elizebeth most uncomfortable.

Elizebeth and Marie are female rivals for the ages, one on the side of the law and the other a lawbreaker. Does history hold any clues? Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots were two of the “most legendary rivals in recorded history,” although unlike Elizebeth and Marie, they were never in the same room together. To say more would be to give away a breathtaking plot. Erica Robuck has done a bang-up job of breathing life into American history of the last century. Let’s toast The Last Twelve Miles with a popular Prohibition rum cocktail, the “Mary Pickford.” Born in Cuba, “it mixes light rum, pineapple juice, and grenadine to create a beautiful pink drink.”

1920s cat and mouse between two women, an FBI agent and an increasingly notorious rumrunner, during the height of prohibition. The island setting was lovely, the chases and run-ins were fun to read, some of the codebreaking pieces were interesting — a nice breezy read with a light twist or two along the way. It lacked emotional pull and character depth for me, but the plot girlies out there might not mind that as much!

Thanks to the publisher for this eARC. I wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it was a DNF for me, I found there were too many characters and plot lines to make this an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this one. The author weaves a riveting story around two real women of the 1920s.
The time and setting were a bit different from what I usually read--Prohibition era amid the rum-runners in Florida, and the Coast Guard's efforts to thwart them.
I did not know much of anything about Elizebeth Friedman, the brilliant codebreaker/cryptanalyst working for the Coast Guard coming into this. I knew nothing about 'Spanish Marie,' mastermind behind a rum running business. Our story is a vivid cat and mouse tale, featuring two strong-minded women, each determined to succeed. The writing and development of the women is wonderful. The pace of the story was a little slow at times as we are learning about family dynamics mixed in with the hunt. But overall, I think this is well worth the time to read.

It’s 1926 and Prohibition is in full force and the Rum Wars are raging. Washington DC can’t keep track of all the bootlegging that is going on. Two women, who are smart as can be, on two different sides of the coin..One is part of a power couple, who can help the Coast Guard break codes the bootleggers are using to run rum illegally. The other is a wife to a bootlegger and she is suspicious of her husband and the discrepancies of his business. A business that should be significantly more profitable. Mrs Elizebeth Friedman is a 5’2 powerhouse, that is a wife, mother and a phenomenal code breaker. The Coast Guard can finally, get ahead of some of these bootleggers. While Elizebeth is helping her country, Marie Waite, just wants to see profits of her husband’s business. She wants to see where the money is and where the rum isn’t. She needs to be the eyes and ears of the business and what she finds out is incredible. When they move from Miami to Nassau, she finds herself in deep with all kinds of infamous rum runners. Especially Cleo Lythgoe is at the top of the list, as someone who knows how to create a rum running dynasty. Marie wants to know everything g she knows, so that she can surpass her.
There isn’t anything either woman wouldn’t do to win the game of cat and mouse. They are tough, intelligent women and each is winning their version of the game. As the two get better and better, they come closer and closer to identifying the other. Who will actually get here first. This was a 4 star read for me. I really enjoyed the story and the writing. I couldn’t put the book down because I had to see who won. I love historical fiction and this book was a perfect fit for me. This time in history isn’t always written about and it was a nice change of pace. I want to thank Netgalley, Erika Robuck & Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy of The Last Twelve Miles for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this story.

Two real, brilliant women on opposite sides of the law, in a deadly game of cat and mouse…

1926. Washington, D.C.

The Coast Guard is losing the Prohibition Rum War, but they have a new, secret weapon to crack smuggler codes, intercept traffic, and destroy the rum trade one skiff at a time. That secret weapon is a 5'2" mastermind in heels, who also happens to be a wife and mother: Mrs. Elizebeth Smith Friedman, one half of the husband-and-wife pair who invented cryptanalysis.

Bahamas

Cleo Lythogoe, The Bahama Queen, announces her retirement while regaling the thugs at the bar with tales of murder and mayhem on the high seas. Marie Waite, listening in, knows an opportunity when she hears it, and she wants the crown for herself so badly she can taste it. So begins Marie's plan to rise as rumrunner royalty long enough to get her family in the black. But the more sophisticated her operation grows, the more she appears on the radar of the feds.

Meanwhile, Elizebeth is the only codebreaker battling scores of smugglers. Despite the strain of solving thousands of intercepted messages, traveling the country, and testifying in court, Elizabeth’s work becomes personal—especially when she discovers the identity of her premier adversary is the notorious Marie Waite.

From the glamorous world of D.C. Intelligence to the sultry shores of the Straits of Florida, The Last Twelve Miles is based on the true story of two women masterminds trying to outwit each other in a dangerous and fascinating high stakes game.

I honestly loved this. Robuck painted a vivid picture with her words. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

absolutely phenomenal work with a lot of awesome ideas in it! i loved the plotting and the characters. would recommend. tysm for the arc

A historical fiction novel that tells the story of Prohibition Era Rum Wars. I enjoyed the story but did not love the main characters.

I have loved Erika’s books in the past but this one fell flat for me. I know women are her go to but it felt like she was really stretching for the femme-fatal ideaology.

A different, but very good, type of history book. If you like pirates, but with a modern twist, you'll adore this story!

I loved this book, and it definitely has my wheels spinning like most historical fiction I read. I knew about Prohibition, and illegal smugglers, but I had no idea about the last 12 miles and the coast guard involvement as it was. I had heard of the Friedmans, mostly William, but I had no idea the way that him and his wife were so instrumental with codebreaking, teaching it and doing it, and especially didn't realize the involvement with the wars, etc. I had no idea that smugglers went through such great lengths to be successful in that time either. It's all pretty fascinating, in my opinion.
This book follows the Friedmans, mostly Elizebeth, and their work through the coast guard and the government in general, to apprehend and put a stop to, the smuggling that was going on during Prohibition. One of the most well-known smugglers is "Spanish Marie," and she becomes a thorn in Elizebeth's side. They are both wives and mothers with great ambition and drive, but they are on two very different sides of the law. Who's more successful, who can judge that?!
This book was paced well and the character development I enjoyed. A great read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Really enjoyed this one. I appreciate a fast paced historical fiction. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars. What a fascinating story based on two extraordinary women- one famous, one infamous. The Last Twelve Miles is set in the Prohibition Era in Miami and Key West. Spanish Marie Waite is a small time rumrunner, looking for a way out of poverty and failed relationships. Elizabeth Friedman is a celebrated cryptologist for the US government. Sad to say, I had never heard of her (or Marie) until this book. I am so glad I learned about her through reading this book. Both two fascinating women for different reasons- as soon as I finished the book, I went to the internet to look up what the real ladies looked like!