Notorious Sophie Lang

A classic Golden Age episodic mystery featuring a Lupin-like female thief—the basis for three 1930s movies starring Gertrude Michael.  ‘Nothing will protect you from a direct hit,’ he said. ‘Sophie is like lightning. I can’t even protect myself against her,’ he added half humorously.   So says Deputy Parr of his nemesis, Sophie Lang. She is a legend among the New York City police; her name attributed to every unsolvable crime. She never leaves a fingerprint, and even Parr’s army of undercover operatives can’t keep her in their sights. She is a grieving widow suspected of committing insurance fraud. She is a master thief, stealing gems from under the nose of a famous jeweler. She is a murderess, leaving bodies in her wake. And in the seven cases that make up The Notorious Sophie Lang, she leads Deputy Parr on a merry chase through the streets of Manhattan, in which he is always one step behind . . .  “Frederick Irving Anderson’s jewel thief Sophie Lang was so popular that she was incarnated in three 1930s movies before the Hays Office declared that no criminals would profit from their crimes on wholesome American screens.” —The Washington Post