this was such an intriguing historical fiction! I find the prohibition era to be pretty interesting. I love that this book focuses on two women at opposite sides of the issue.
Elizabeth is such a strong and powerful woman. She works tirelessly and is so smart deciphering codes and finding what makes each smuggler tick. Her husband is the ultimate supporter, encouraging his wife to hire help so that can focus on the career she loves. Marie is a fighter, climbing her way up from poverty but always wanting more. She was so cutthroat, but I loved reading about her finding more of her humanity and bonding more with her children as the story went on. The book has great character development, a fast and engaging plot line and is well worth the read!

I concluded my week of 1920s - prohibition era- reading with Erica Robuck's new book The Last Twelve Miles about two women Elizebeth Smith Friedman a codebreaker who worked for the coast guard and was an early working woman the first and so far only woman in charge of a codebreaking unit in America - on the other side there is Spanish Marie/ Marie Waite, a woman building her rum running empire.
The two of them are locked in a battle of wits as Marie is trying to outsmart the coast guard and smuggle switching the route from the Florida/Bahamas to Florida/Cuba - can Marie outsmart the Coast Guard and make them work for her to eliminate the competition or will they manage to outsmart her and dismantle her run running business? This book sheds a light on the time of prohibition and the efforts that went into maintaining it and breaking the rules. Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a fascinating person, I am ever glad to have learned more about her reading this book !

This was a very interesting story not only from the standpoint of the rum smuggling by a woman but also from the standpoint of the highly intelligent agent Elizebeth Friedman who was able to crack the complex code the smugglers used and go on to become the first woman to head an intelligence group for the Coast Guard. The story is fast paced with great characters and vivid descriptions of the area at the time. The author has provided notes on the two main characters detailing what is fiction and what is fact. There is some interesting additional information on Google about Elizebeth as well as about Marie Waite for additional research.

I’ve been a fan of Erika Robuck since I read Hemingway’s Girl years ago. In fact, that book got me hooked on historical fiction set during Hemingway’s time and the Prohibition Era. Her new novel is inspired by real life women on opposite sides of the law during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. On one side, the famous female cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Friedman, and her husband working in D.C. intelligence, and the other side is Marie Waite, a real-life bootlegger, and her husband. During this time in history, organized crime and rum-running was prevalent all along the South Florida coast. It was a violent time to be working in the Coast Guard, attempting to keep smugglers from bringing liquor to the United States from the Bahamas and Cuba. In this story, the players are both females trying to prove themselves to their male counterparts in a very violent game. I love how Robuck writes strong, intelligent women and this one is one of her best! It is action-packed and had me rooting for both of them at different times! I will happily recommend this to my reader friends who like learning about little-known strong females throughout history who made a difference.

This novel puts two strong women against each other. Marie is married to a rum-runner in Florida during prohibition @nd she is slowly taking over and expanding the business and their fortune. Elizebeth is a special agent code breaker working with the coast guard to catch these run-runners during prohibition. It’s an interesting look at an era I don’t know much about.

Grab this one of you love strong female characters. Elizebeth & Marie are both balancing motherhood, marriage, and high ranking positions in male dominated fields.

One just is just an illegal rum runner and the other is code breaker trying to catch her!

This cat & mouse story during the prohibition era is based on real people with some filler events/characters. You must read the author’s note at the end for the what happened after!

This one had an up and down pace for me, but was a great read filled with love, loss, greed, and the need to win. 😉

Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review. 🫶🏽

👉🏻Read if you like:
•History •Strong Female Characters •Prohibition Era •Cat/Mouse Chase •Dual POV

——————————————————
Review posted to Goodreads & Instagram on 6/22/24

I loved this book! I am a picky reader with historical fiction but this one was so different and fantastic. I love the prohibition era setting and a female cryptologist. Very intriguing premise that kept me captivated.

The Last Twelve Miles is set in the 1930s prohibition era featuring two strong females on opposite sides of the war on alcohol. While the book is historical fiction, the women are very much real historical people. Elizebeth Friedman was a cryptanalyst / code breaker working with the US government and Coast Guard tracking illegal rumrunners and human traffickers. Marie Waite is a rumrunner and criminal, who came from ‘miserable poverty’ that gave her an ‘edge’ and advantage. Both women were ambitious and desired respect in a time where men were dominant.

This book is great for readers who enjoy:
✔️ Historical fiction based on real people
✔️ Strong female characters who challenge societal norms during their time
✔️ Exploration of what it means for a woman to have it all
✔️ A fun read that would make a great period piece for Netflix (the fashion, the locales!)

Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this novel!

There is nothing better than historical fiction and this story fits the bill!

Real historical facts of the time of prohibition, sets two women on opposite sides of the law. One a brilliant code cracker working with the Coast Guard to stop the incoming alcohol.

The other woman, Queen of the Rum Runners ready to step down. But another is waiting in the background wanting to take over.

Based on a true story, you will not be able to put it down!

The Last Twelve Miles is my third book by Robuck and while it didn’t hit the same way as the other two I’ve read I appreciated the research that went into it and expressive writing. This story is inspired by real people, another thing I love about her books, and that aspect always makes a story easier to connect with.

I loved seeing the story of the first female cryptologist, Elizabeth Friedman, and learning of her journey to becoming a sought after code breaker. In this book we get a glimpse of how her mind works as she breaks codes to help the Miami coastguard catch “pirates”, coming from the Bahamas and Cuba, who tried to bring alcohol into the states during the prohibition era. The other perspective is from a female “rum runner” known as Spanish Marie. She was cunning and charismatic and her story was equally compelling.

I enjoyed this unique historical fiction and will definitely continue reading whatever Robuck writes!

Captivating and thrilling, Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Marie Waite face off during the rumrunning days of prohibition in South Florida and Key West as Marie takes charge of her husbands rumrunning business and Elizebeth a talented crypto analyst with the government tries to stop her.
The book is based on the true story of Spanish Marie , as Marie Waites was nicknamed and Elizebeth Smith Friedman. Both women were very fiercely determined to succeed, while at the same time, they were protective of their families.
The time of prohibition was presented in a vividly descriptive prose.

I am a sucker for a good historical fiction & The Last Twelve Miles was an incredible one! Ericka Robuck combined all things necessary to make a historical fiction 4 star worthy. If you like historical fiction - get your hands on this one!

Thank you NetGalley & SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Set during the Prohibition era this novel is the tale of two women: cryptographer Elizebeth Friedman and rumrunner Marie Waite. Although both women are mothers and wives, life has led them in different directions, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, whose extensive work puts her in a consulting position to help the Coast Guard to intercept and crack codes of "rumrunners," There were 12 miles of US waters off the Florida Keys where most activity and these events took place. For those who enjoy historical fiction, this book is highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who knew rum running was a girl power game? During Prohibition many women took over liquor making and transport operations. The Last Twelve Miles tells the story of two women destined to do battle. Both are intelligent. Both are mothers. And both women believe strongly that what they do for a living is important enough to face ridicule for being women in a man's world.


Elizebeth Friedman is a code breaker employed by the coast guard. Rum Runners - people who sold and transported liquor from island nations near the U.S. - use coded messages to communicate. Elizebeth Friedman breaks complex codes like someone playing wordle. Marie Waite is a poor woman who wants to give her two children a home in an education. Taught by Cleo Lythgoe, Queen of the rum runners, Marie forms her own operation and will do whatever it takes to rule rum running. The Last Twelve Miles is a story of two women both at the top of their games but on opposite sides of the law. But which lady will win the battle and at what cost?

Talk about atmosphere—Erika Robuck’s latest novel will have you on a beach in Miami sipping an illegal drink during Prohibition.

Two women are caught in a game of cat and mouse on different sides of the law. In Washington D.C. Elizebeth Friedman is using her cryptanalysis skills to decode messages for the Coast Guard, while also trying to keep her personal life afloat. She has her sites set on taking down the newest Rumrunner Queen Spanish Marie Waite. Both women command respect albeit in very different ways, and both have a compulsive need for more. Elizebeth doesn’t try to ignore her personal life, but she gets lost in the game she knows she can win. Marie always bets on herself. When others let her down, she knows she can get the job done, no matter the cost.

The last twelves miles are where it counts, where all bets are off, and rumrunners are either caught or make their payday. These two brilliant women work to outwit each other in a dangerous game, and it is a wild ride following their back and forth successes and losses. Erika Robuck makes these two real life women leap off the page!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and of course the author Erika Robuck for the advanced copy of the book. The Last Twelve Miles is out now! All opinions are my own.

The Last Twelve Miles is a historical novel about RumRunners during the prohibition. It features two strong women; one on the good side of the law and the other a notorious runner. These complex women provide alternating points of view as one hunts the other.

Fascinating read as I knew nothing about he 12 miles off the coast of Florida and rum imports.

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark

A fun and fascinating glimpse into a little-known pocket of history. I enjoyed learning more about the era through the lens of these two formidable female figures who kept this lesson a lot more intriguing than the textbooks!

An interesting historical book which I immediately immersed myself in and just couldn't put it down. I learnt so much from this book. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Fantastic story of two brilliant women on opposite sides of the law during Prohibition, 1926, in Florida. Elizebeth, a real-life codebreaker, battles Marie, a real-life rumrunner. She tries to bring Marie down but shady sheriffs, miscommunication, and decoy boats make it almost impossible. Elizebeth and her husband, William, were cryptoanalysts during WW1 and the they were brought in to help bring down the rumrunners in the Keys. Elizebeth works with another female agent, Leila, to break Marie's "unbreakable" codes as she makes rum runs between Florida, Bahamas and Cuba. Marie wants to be rich and famous by creating an empire to bring illegal alcohol to Florida, but her adversaries make it a challenge but possible. Marie uses her family connections to create network to evade the government agents.
I found both main characters intriguing, especially since they are based on real women of the era. Bringing their stories to life is why I love historical fiction. They both had to juggle motherhood in an underworld dominated by men. Each woman found a way to get what she wanted and when their paths crossed, sparks flew. The story was told from both women's views of the world in alternating chapters.
The author shares details about the main characters as well as the supporting characters, provides a great bibliography to learn more, and a fun interview at the end.
If you are looking for a fast-paced historical fiction story about this era, I highly recommend The Last Twelve Miles!
#TheLastTwelveMiles #NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

**Initial Reaction**: 9

**Characters:** 8

**Setting:** 9

**Plot:** 10

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 9

**Ending:** 8

**Enjoyment:** 10

71 / 16 = 4.4375

Rounded Rating = 4.5