The 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.