The Policewomen's Bureau
A Novel
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
A page-turning novel about the inner workings of the NYPD, based on the true story of a young officer's decades-long fight for respect in the male-dominated world.
The Bronx, 1958.
The Policewomen's Bureau isn’t respected within the Department, even when it handles cases the men can’t solve. Marie Carrara is a young police matron who wants to move beyond the grim routine of guarding female prisoners to become one of the few female detectives in the NYPD. Though she is a shy and naive, from a sheltered, immigrant background, Marie dives into the strange and terrifying world of big-city undercover work without hesitation, using her genuine innocence to deceive degenerates and drug dealers into thinking that she’s an easy target. As she begins to create tougher undercover characters, she discovers that they might be able to inspire her in her off-duty life as well. Despite the violence of her job, the sexism she faces daily, and a rocky-at-best marriage waiting for her at home, Marie is determined to make a name for herself within the NYPD and be the role model her young daughter deserves.
With the support of Marie Cirile, the real-life inspiration for Marie Carrara, Edward Conlon adapts the true events of her memoir into a thrilling drama, a book only a best-selling author and decorated Bronx detective could have written.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Written with the cooperation of Marie Cirile, a pioneering New York City policewoman, this memorable fictionalized biography of her from bestseller Conlon (Blue Blood) begins in 1958, when Marie Carrara is a newly minted member of the Policewomen's Bureau, primarily assigned to matron duties. At home, she must contend with her physically abusive patrolman husband. Marie gets an opportunity to display her undercover skills when her boss assigns her to investigate a man who puts phony help wanted ads in the newspapers to lure women to his office for immoral purposes. She arrests him after being attacked, only to learn that her injuries are deemed legally insufficient to prove that she resisted his attempted rape. Marie persists in looking for ways to distinguish herself in undercover stints with the narcotics division. Eventually, the Policewomen's Bureau gets its own investigative portfolio, allowing Marie to have primary responsibility for looking into serious crimes. Marie's impressive career, told "with as little imagination as possible," according to an author's note, is a testament to her alter ego's resilience in the face of sexism and physical abuse.
