The birth of the modern FBI

J. Edgar Hoover was the face of the FBI. But the agents in the field, relentlessly chasing the most notorious gangsters of the 1930s, with their own lives on the line, truly transformed the Bureau.

In 1932, the FBI lacked jurisdiction over murder cases, bank robberies, and kidnappings. Relegated to the sidelines, agents spent their days at their desks. But all of that changed during the War on Crime. Hunting down infamous public enemies in tense, frequently blood-soaked shootouts, the Bureau was thrust onto the front pages for the first time.

Young agents, fresh out of law school and anticipating a quiet, white-collar job, faced off with murderous felons who were heavily armed, clad in bulletproof vests, and owned the fastest cars.

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“Oller’s legendary cast of good guys and bad guys make for a rip-roaring read. Vivid, commanding, and thoroughly researched.”—Martin Dugard, author of Killing the Mob

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