Girls Who Fought Crime

Before women had the right to vote, one woman carried a badge-and changed American law enforcement forever. Mary "Mae" Foley wasn't just the first female investigator in the NYPD. She was a revolution in uniform. In early 20th-century New York, crime ran rampant and women were expected to stand back. Mae took her place on the front lines instead-tracking down serial predators, exposing wartime traitors, and taking on bootleggers and gangsters when most policewomen were confined to desks. She turned one uniform into a movement, founding the Masher Squad and equipping over 2,000 women to take crime head-on. The Girls Who Fought Crime is the untold true story of a fearless woman who transformed policing from the inside-defying sexism, rewriting rules, and proving that justice has no gender. From Maj. Gen. Mari K. Eder, bestselling author of The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line, comes a bold blend of feminist biography, hidden history, and true crime storytelling that reclaims a forgotten American icon. For readers of Margot Lee Shetterly, Sonia Purnell, and Liza Mundy-this is your next must-read.