Gangster Hunters

J. Edgar Hoover was the face of the FBI. But the federal agents in the field, relentlessly chasing the most notorious gangsters of the 1930s with their own lives on the line, truly transformed the Bureau. Gangster Hunters details the fascinating story of the birth of the modern FBI.

In 1932, the FBI lacked jurisdiction over murder cases. It also could not pursue bank robberies or kidnappings, and it had no power of arrest. Relegated to the sidelines, the Bureau mostly investigated corporate wrongdoing, such as bank fraud and antitrust violations. Agents spent their days at their desks. But all of that changed during the War on Crime, which began in 1933 and lasted until 1936. 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 cars that outraced the best vehicles the Bureau had. But the federal men were fiercely devoted—to the Bureau, to each other, and to bringing America’s most wanted criminals to justice.

The G-men crisscrossed the United States in pursuit of the likes of John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker’s criminal family, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd. But they were always one step behind and a moment too late, the criminals slipping between their fingers and leaving bodies in their wake. Facing mounting criticism, the agents had to learn to adapt. After all, more than their reputations were at stake. John Oller transports readers right to the most harrowing and consequential raids of the 1930s, with fast-paced action that shows the lengths both sides would go to win.