QUEENS OF LONDON

"A rollicking ride through the criminal underbelly of post-WWI London. Gritty at times and tender at others, Queens of London unmasks the most lawless - and likeable - gang of women you've never heard of." - Sarah Penner, based on real-life historical figures. Maybe women can have it all, as long as they're willing to steal it. 1925. London. When Alice Diamond, AKA "Diamond Annie," is elected the Queen of the Forty Elephants, she's determined to take the all-girl gang to new heights, independent of the male Elephant and Castle Mob from which they derived both their origin and name. She's ambitious, tough as nails, and a brilliant mastermind, with a plan to create a dynasty the likes of which no one has ever seen yet she cannot help her best friend and associate Ruth, who refuses to leave an abusive lover. Interesting, colourful character storylines include young Anglo-Indian wealthy Hira Wickham and pretty showgirl Dorothy McBride. Alice demands absolute loyalty from her "family" - it's how she's always kept the cops in line. Too bad she's now the target for one of Britain's first female policewomen. Officer Lilian Wyles isn't merely one of the first female detectives at Scotland Yard, she's one of the best detectives on the force. Even so, she'll have to win a big score to prove herself, to break free from the "women's work" she's been assigned. When she hears about the large-scale heist in the works to fund Alice's new dynasty, she realises she has the chance she's been looking for, and the added bonus of putting Diamond Annie out of business permanently. "A tale of dark glamour and sisterhood, it is a look at Britain's first female crime syndicate, the ever-shifting meaning of justice, and the way women claim their power by any means necessary." 368 page paperback.