Ace, Marvel, Spy
By Jenni L. Walsh

Alice Marble is not a name one hears in everyday conversation, yet she lived an extraordinary life of determination in the face of daunting challenges. Ace, Marvel, Spy shares a window into her life.

Alice's tennis career was all self-taught and brute strength until, at seventeen years of age, a professional tennis coach offered to take her on. Tennis is now expected to be Alice's whole life. Her coach, known as Teach, wants Alice to live, breathe, eat, and dream tennis all day. Alice's career had ups and downs, many which were the result of health-related issues. When tragedy struck, Alice's life reached a new low, but this tragedy led to her working with Army Intelligence.

This is book sounded intriguing and I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't connect with it. There were moments when I could empathize with Alice, but then something would take place and I just couldn't.

I was under the mistaken impression that this book was published by Thomas Nelson , because of an email I received from Harper Collins Christian. I later found out it was from Harper Muse. I was less than thrilled with certain aspects (relations outside of marriage and astrology) I just did not like.
This book alternates between past events in Alice's life mainly focusing on the 1930s and 1940s so the story is presented in a nonlinear.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning about a real woman who truly changed the world of tennis and overall just had a really unique story. From writing/editing the Wonder Women of History comics, being recruited by the government as a spy, and winning at Wimbledon, Alice Marble truly did it all. This was such a great story told from essentially two different time points, before the war during her tennis career and during the war during her marriage and spy career. This truly is an inspiring story that any lover of tennis, historical fiction, or women's history would love.

For all that I enjoyed the read, I came expecting a spy thriller and got a sports period drama instead.

This was a step out of my most visited genres. To its credit, the narrative was compelling and kept me turning the pages. If I sound lukewarm, it is only because I had hoped for more spying and less sports. That being said, it is the novelization of a real person's life, and the sport-espionage proportions are certainly life-like. I had never heard of Alice before, and I'm certainly glad for the introduction to such a fascinating figure. Highly recommend not skipping the author's historical notes at the end. Don't expect an action romp or a romance (the romantic relationships are important, but not like that). Do try if you want a complex main character, a complicated f&f teacher-student dynamic, a lush period setting, and fun facts about tennis and Hollywood in the 40s.

In the first half of this book, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d even finish or if I’d like it. The first half seemed to blandly go through each part of Alice’s life, jumping quickly from then to now and back and between different events with evoking little emotion from me, the reader. However, the last 20% of the book did hold my attention much more. It read more like a novel (even a thriller maybe).
On the topic of facts and fact-checking… I’m not sure how to feel about this. Walsh, the author, did note that she read the autobiography by Alice and based the story off that without reading a biography or non-fiction accounts for further research… so I guess no shame on her for doing that. I just find war stories far more fascinating when the story is truly rooted in facts . Overall, decent book. Pretty easy read.

In this uniquely fascinating historical fiction novel, readers follow Alice Marble, a young woman about to embark on an incredible journey to tennis stardom. Building off struggles and sacrifices with her determination to play tennis and succeeding, Alice’s career comes to a screeching halt when World War II breaks out and the United States enters the war. After receiving a terrible telegram from Europe, Alice accepts the Army’s invitation to travel to Switzerland as a spy, under the guise of playing exhibition matches, but this position comes with risks and a new challenge she has never faced before. Risking everything for her country, Alice’s story is fascinating, powerful, and incredibly detailed, and the immersive story really draws readers in. Based on true events and Alice Marble’s real and incredible life, this novel is full of action and detail that readers will love. Alice is a complex and often flawed heroine, but this will help readers engage with the narrative and understand her character growth and development. The historical detail and settings, particularly the tennis community and its transformation over Alice’s playing career, really show the depth of research in this novel and create a fantastically detailed setting that works so well with the characters and conflicts.

Whip-smart, insightful, and fast-paced—just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when describing this book. Well-researched and narrated with a vice-like grip, this novel, which blends sports with espionage in a historical setting, by Jenni L. Walsh, is perfect for those who like their historical fiction punctuated with real-life events.
Alice Marble, tennis player extraordinaire, lived a life that can only be lived once—but relayed around the world with awe and respect multiple times. A formidable tennis player whose legacy includes not only her own wins but also the training of future champions; who wrote stories about extraordinary women, just like her, for DC Comics; and who became a spy for her country when called upon during WWII.
So, it is imperative that her story be told—and it was. First by herself, in her own biography, then by others, and now by Walsh.
Walsh, in her acknowledgements, admits to using Marble’s biography as the starting point of her research. Marble’s extraordinary life of valour and glamour, glazed with thrills and near-death run-ins, seems too incredible to be true. There is, of course—as Walsh mentions—perhaps a slight exaggeration of emotions by Marble, but the events did occur.
The story is known, but the manner in which Walsh executes its narration—using telegrams, news stories, soliloquies, and conversations—keeps the reader engaged and, indeed, wanting to know more. I admit, I paused my reading more than once to Google certain things—Marble’s many injuries, her life as a spy, her struggles and friendships, her post-tennis years, and her foray into Hollywood circles—all true or near-adjacent to the truth.
Marble lived a life full of anecdotes, which can be neatly categorised into before and after tennis—a technique that Walsh also applies in telling her story. The result, however, is a mixed bag. This tidy division sometimes leaves gaps or reveals answers before the questions are even asked. But it doesn’t take away from the impact of Marble’s extraordinary lived life. That is, in a way, the saving grace—because the subject is so bold, these tiny flaws don’t really get in the way of enjoying the book.
This novel is ripe for a TV adaptation—especially the last few chapters. Thrilling, exciting, hopeful, Ace, Marvel, Spy captures Marble as a determined young woman who bent life and destiny to her will—and lived to tell the tale.

Suspenseful, fun book about an important woman from history. Any fan of historical or women's fiction will devour this book!

This book was out of my zone of comfort and it was amazing
is a page-turner that blends history, sports, and espionage in a gripping and thought-provoking way. Walsh’s writing is accessible yet rich in detail, making this novel a must-read for fans of historical fiction, particularly those interested in untold stories of women in history. The book not only honors Alice Marble's legacy but also showcases the power of resilience, skill, and determination in the face of adversity.

This was entertaining and inspiring. I thought it was entertaining and kept my attention throughout the book. I think any sports fan would enjoy this book since you see the spirit of a true competitor.

An interesting and enjoyable book for sports fans and historical fiction lovers both. I liked plucky, determined Alice. I was surprised the spy story was so little of the novel, but enjoyed nevertheless. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you’re looking for a fantastic book with a strong woman lead, I have just the one. Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh was one of those books that had me on page one and is still in my thoughts a few days later.

Based on the memoir of Alice Marble, tennis champion turned spy, Ace, Marvel, Spy is a fictional account that takes readers to Alice’s early tennis start in the 1930s and through the end of World War II. While it jumps between both time periods, it was easy to follow, and told Alice’s story beautifully.

One of my favorite things about reading is learning about real people and events. I’m happy to say that this book did just that. I started reading knowing nothing about Alice. I hadn’t even heard of her until this book was announced. After reading, I can say I know who Alice was and why she is someone worth knowing about. Her perseverance is truly inspiring.

Ace, Marvel, Spy releases Tuesday, January 14th.

Content Warning: Swear words throughout, a few fade-to-black scenes. I did skip over a couple scenes.

Marbel's true story is so extraordinary, it falls under the "truth is stranger than fiction" category -- but in Jenni L. Walsh's expert hands, it's the best of both. ACE, MARVEL, SPY introduces contemporary readers to an extraordinary woman who overcame nearly insurmountable odds to find pioneering success not only in the tennis record books, but in America's role in WWII history. I'm dismayed that history could have ever forgotten the likes of Alice Marble, and deeply grateful to Walsh for bringing her back to life in triumphant full color. Walsh was already an auto-buy author for me, but her latest is an unforgettable page-turner: my favorite kind of empowering historical read.

Alice Marble is young tennis prodigy when she is offered a free ride by a tennis coach. She wants to enlist for the military after Pearl Harbor, but she’s a woman so no organization will accept her. The government approaches her to do a little gossip gathering as she travels to tournaments. Love comes and love is taken away, but it be rekindled? Only time will give us the answer.
Goodreads

Tennis girls we need to step up our game apparently 😭. First, thank you so much to Harper Muse for the complimentary copy, this was so exciting to receive! This book had such an interesting hook, setting, and main character, so I was very eager to read it. Ace, Marvel, Spy, follows Alice Marble as she navigates becoming a professional tennis player, a comic book writer, a wife, and eventually, a spy during World War 2. We first meet her at around 17, with big dreams but no real guidance. Enter Teach, a tennis coach determined to make her the best player in the world, no matter what it takes. As Alice’s career progresses, war encroaches upon America and threatens the tennis world. And Alice wants to help stop that.
The narrative is told in a non-linear fashion, and is partially told through newspaper articles which fits the 40s setting. However, this non-linear fashion was a little confusing at first, and made it somewhat difficult to put the timeline together. The setting was an interesting backdrop, especially the old tennis world. I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about pro tennis in the 40s, so I’m not sure how much of the book was historically accurate, but I did recognize a few names here and there which was cool. I felt that Walsh captured the feeling of being on the court well, but there are a LOT of mid-match scenes, and I feel they might be boring or difficult to understand for non-tennis players.
Speaking of scenes and what Alice is doing in them, I feel that the marketing and title of the book are a tad misleading. Yes, Alice is a spy, but we only see her in action for maybe 2 pages in the beginning/early middle of the book, then for the last 20% ish. The marketing relies heavily on this idea of her being a spy, and that last 20% or so is the most interesting part, but the rest of the book is focused on tennis, and even as a tennis player, I was ready for something else to happen.
Another thing was that the entire book felt very…detached? It read almost more like a school textbook or Wikipedia page, because we were being told why Alice felt or did things, but not really made to feel those things ourselves or even fully understand why she feels those things, if that makes sense. This really didn’t help me feel any less bored. Her romances were interesting, but brief, and her relationship with Teach honestly had me making a confused face the entire time because Teach seemed very one-note. None of the side characters felt flushed out, which again, didn’t help with the bore.
This was one of those books that I feel like source material and hook was much better than the execution. Unfortunately, I was just kind of bored while reading, except for that last 20% or so. She has released at least 2 memoirs, which I do think I’ll read because it’ll be interesting to hear her POV.
My review on Instagram was posted on January 29th, and my Goodreads review will be posted today.

I went into this with an eye-roll, another now-and-then World War II romance. But wait! It’s based on the real-life Alice Marble, who I had never heard of before, and a glance at her Wikipedia page is enough to convince anyone her story deserves to be told. At times, it leans a little too hard into pro-America war propaganda to feel entirely believable. It’s sobering to remember that, while this isn’t her account, Alice Marble did exist and made many of these choices. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t draw me in or demand my attention. Instead of being in awe of the novel, I’m more inclined to seek a biography of Alice Marble. This should have been irresistible with so much action and incredible life events. I can’t help but wish it was tackled from a fresh angle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for access to this book.

Having never heard of Alice Marble or much of an interest in tennis, Ace, Marvel, Spy was a delightful twist of the real Alice’s life, tennis career and brief gig in espionage as Jenni L. Walsh’s newest historical fiction novel.

Be prepared to feel like your falling into Wonderland, as readers are effortlessly transported into the world of tennis; whether it be the heat off the court, the swish of the racket or the roar of the crowd as you watch the rise and fall of Alice achieving her dreams.

Alice Marble was a nobody. Raised in a family with no means, it’s the risk of one woman, Teach, that takes Alice at the young age of 15, to stardom within 10 years! Alice Marble is a legend, challenging the status quo, major setbacks, all while fighting for equal treatment and introducing new techniques.

This book is a must read, but I wish the last quarter of the book read better. While true that Alice aids her country as a spy during WWII, this portion of the Walsh’s interpretation reads too much from the understanding of present day and the realized gravity of what Hitler and the Nazis’ did. During the 1940’s while there were some rumours of the atrocities, there was no evidence yet, and I think if written authentically, Alice would have had different motivators for turning against Hans that would have felt more historical accurate and fitting to her presented personality.

This couldn’t have been any more of a timely read. I had the Australian Open in the background while I absorbed this one.

We all know the story of Billie Jean King and her fights in the tennis world, but I’d never heard of Alice Marble and didn’t know she wasn’t fictional until I read the author’s note.

It’s a lot about Alice’s struggle to become a tennis player and a grand slam winner. I had. I idea anyone had one three titles at the same tournament. It’s also a little bit about Alice’s love life and her time as a spy. I would have loved more on that last one and am glad the author explains why she wasn’t able to include more of that part of her life.

It almost seems like tennis was a different sport back then and it was so interesting to read of all Alice overcame to become a world class athlete.

Gail Shalan narrates Alice and does a great job bringing her and the time period alive.

Historical fiction meets biography in a novel about tennis star Alice Marble. The story is Inspired by Alice’s memoir “Courting Danger.” It’s fast-paced, exciting and all around fun for anyone who loves WWII novels.

The story goes back and forth between the 1930s and 1940s. Allowing the timelines and events to connect with suspense.

The characters are not only lovable, but have consistent character development as they (mainly Alice) grow and mature throughout her tennis career.

By Jenni L. Walsh
Arc - NetGalley
Read by Gail Shalan
Publisher by Harper Collins Focus, Harper Muse
Publication January 13, 2025
Genre: Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)

I love tennis! I love spies! Did I know that Billie Jean King's coach was both a tennis star and a spy? Not until I read this book!

The author is clear that Ace, Marvel, Spy is historical fiction based on one primary source: Alice Marble's own memoir. (Walsh is also clear that the memoir itself is probably not 100% factual.) That said, it was full of real tennis history and tons of fun. I spent a great time reading and learning about a real life interwar tennis star.

The book has dual timelines, one in present tense set during WWII, and one in past tense that describes Alice's rise to tennis stardom. While I am on the record as being very skeptical about the dual timeline narrative technique, it worked really well here.

If you like historical fiction, WWII narratives, sports history, or are at all interested in tennis, I definitely recommend this book.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

As a historical fiction reader, I love that we are getting these stories of women who had such a profound impact on our history.

This one is a must-read. What a remarkable women. I will be sure to pick up any future Jenni Walsh books!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions expressed are my own.