Molly’s “love interest” Captain Daniel Sullivan is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, set up as an example for other “crooked” policemen involved with the Irish gangs. She must investigate and prove his innocence, while also finding the lost friend of his fiance.

Bowen set up the plot well, including real people from the period, an example the first woman police officer. And this is a realistic portrayal of the Irish gangs’ power, and the new regime coming in and wresting it away from them.