As the decades unfolded, corrupt cops and clever criminals at times blurred together, giving way to waves of police reform at the hands of men like Theodore Roosevelt. Robberies became bolder and more elaborate, murders grew more ruthless and macabre, and the street gangs of old transformed into hierarchal criminal enterprises, giving birth to organized crime, including the Mafia. Yet as policing became ever more specialized and efficient, crime itself began to change. Byrnes worked cases methodically, interviewing witnesses, analyzing crime scenes, and developing theories that helped close the books on previously unsolvable crimes. Mug shots and daily lineups helped witnesses point out culprits the famed rogues' gallery allowed police to track repeat offenders and the third-degree interrogation method induced recalcitrant crooks to confess.

But in the early 1870s, an Irish cop by the name of Thomas Byrnes developed new ways to catch criminals. A thief or murderer not caught in the act nearly always got away. For centuries, New York had been a haven of crime.

Rogues' Gallery is a sweeping, epic tale of two revolutions, one feeding off the other, that played out on the streets of New York City during an era known as the Gilded Age. From the beginnings of big-city police work to the rise of the Mafia, Rogues' Gallery is a colorful and captivating history of crime and punishment in the bustling streets of Old New York.

Rogues' Gallery by John Oller