Now in paperback A rollicking account of all kinds of crime committed by women from the 17th century to the present day. Author has unique access to unusual sources, such as the archives at Holloway prison and the only existing copy of Moll Cutpurse's diary Research includes interviews with family and contemporaries of more recent female gangsters The first book to bring these women together and examine their lives, incorporating social history to explore what drove them to pursue such lifestyles Appeals to true crime readers and the substantial market for books about forgotten women of history 20 b/w illustrations Opens in 1960 with Zoe Progl, a professional crook who once stole £250,000-worth of furs in a single heist. Eventually sent away for 20 years, she subsequently pulled off the most successful jailbreak in 75 years when she scaled the 25ft wall to freedom. The author's interest in this case led her to talk to Progl's daughter, and realizing there was barely any public knowledge about this notorious, successful and imaginative criminal, thought that Progl was one of many women who deserved her attention. One of the women covered, Chris Tchaikovsky, head of the Happy Gang in the 1960s/70s, specializing in stolen international traveler's checks and handling high-value stolen goods, began an advocacy group called Women in Prison when she was sent away. Sparked by the burning death of a fellow inmate in her cell whose alarm had been disconnected by the guards, Women in Prison is still active and important today. https://www.caitlindavies.

co.uk/queens-of-the-underworld/.