Mary M. Stolberg brings to life the dramatic interplay between crime and politics in New York City during the 1930s, from the emergence of organized crime as a political issue in Fiorella La Guardia's 1929 mayoral campaign to the appointment of Thomas E. Dewey as special prosecutor and his use of that position to further his presidential ambitions.
"A thoughtful and colorful account of the 'law and order' issue in Franklin Roosevelt's own New York State, showing how a young Republican, Thomas Dewey, captured the nation's attention and almost succeeded FDR in the White House by waging war on big time crime and Empire State politics." —Calvin Woodard, University of Virginia
