Gun Girl and the Tall Guy

by Maryka Biaggio

It's 1924 Brooklyn, and Celia and Ed Cooney embark on a crime spree. As the pair's robberies become more audacious and the police bungle their attempts to nab them, the papers have a heyday with the police department's ineptitude. Increasingly humiliated, the police commissioner gives the order to shoot to kill. Will Celia and Ed elude the deadly dragnet of Brooklyn's men in blue?

"Gun Girl and the Tall Guy is a gripping historical novel based on the true story of Celia and Ed Cooney. Through vivid, evocative prose and a cinematic storytelling style, Maryka Biaggio captures the grit and tension of 1920s Brooklyn, immersing readers in a world where love and crime collide."
~ Elizabeth Mahon, author of Scandalous Women and Pretty Evil New York

Genres: Historical Fiction

346 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2025

About the author

Maryka Biaggio, PhD, is a psychology professor turned novelist with a passion for history and the human spirit. After a successful academic career, she turned to writing historical fiction inspired by real people—figures whose lives illuminate the complexities of their time. Her debut novel, Parlor Games (Doubleday, 2013), was praised by New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin as “a wildly entertaining and constantly surprising ride.” She has since published Eden Waits, The Point of Vanishing, The Model Spy, and Gun Girl and the Tall Guy. Her forthcoming novel, Margery and Me, will be published by Regal House in 2026 and has been hailed by distinguished author Valerie Martin as “a wry, lively, and wicked-good novel.”

She loves the challenge of starting with actual historical figures and dramatizing their lives—figuring out what motivated them to behave as they did, studying how cultural and historical context influenced them, and recreating their emotional world through dialogue and action. She prides herself on carefully researching the period, place, and people to provide readers with an immersive experience.

Her fiction has garnered numerous accolades, including the Willamette Writers Award, Oregon Writers Colony Award, Historical Novel Society Review Editors’ Choice, La Belle Lettre Award, a Michigan Upper Peninsula Notable Book Award, and a Regional Arts and Culture Council grant. She served on the Board of the Historical Novel Society North America Conference from 2015 to 2025 and has mentored writers in the Association of Writers and Writing Program’s Writer-to-Writer Mentorship program since 2020.

An avid opera fan, she also enjoys gardening, art films, and, of course, great fiction. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Learn more at my website.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had trouble putting down this story of a prohibition era whirlwind crime spree. The suspense kept me engaged and I was torn between cheering for the thieves and the detective trying to track them down. The author's meticulous research comes through in the historical jargon, well-drawn characters, and detailed settings. I particularly enjoyed all the different makes and models of cars they used to speed away from the scene and keep the investigators scratching their heads. It was an emotional rollercoaster with highs and lows and I absolutely loved it.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book, Thank you.

What a fascinating book and so well researched and written. Maryka Biaggio, took a true story, that had been front and center for months in the 1920's but had been forgotten, and brought it to life.

Celia and Ed Cooney are a young newlywed couple living in Brooklyn. Celia lived on the streets, neglected most of her life, and when she met Ed, freshly returned from a stint in the Navy, she saw kindness, stability and love. They married 4 months after meeting. Both were very happy and soon expecting their first child.

Having had no stable home life growing up, Celia's one priority was not to have her child ever suffer like she had, she wanted to give her child a better and loving life. At Ed's insistence, she quit her job and focused on the health of her baby on the way. They soon realized they didn't have the money to give their baby the life they dreamed of. Ed thought of a way to make some quick money, wouldn't be a permanent thing, just get them on their feet: rob a store, don't hurt anyone, and call it quits. Their first job was a huge success, $600, they were well on their way, just a couple more jobs like that and they could get out. Of course, it doesn't go like that. Their next jobs didn't net much, and they still needed more. Add to that, the papers flashed front page articles on their exploits; a small, petite woman and her sidekick are robbing stores, getting away with it, and baffling the local cops. Celia got a rush reading the news articles, as they continued their spree, but both also wanted to stop soon. Their last job didn't go as planned, and the story then follows that path. Their story is told from at least two points of view: Celia's and Bill Casey, the cop in charge of finding the culprits.

The story is thoroughly likeable and engaging, the characters you can't help but root for. I loved reading about this forgotten event from history.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Once I started it, I had to find out what happened to these characters. I read the whole thing in a day. -- even though I had intended to do other things!
The author, Maryka Biaggio, was so good at setting the time period and the place with all the little details and the vernacular. I was transported to the 1920s. I felt like I got to know these very human characters. I cared about them and wanted to know what happened to them. That is why I couldn't stop reading until I got the very end.
She imbues these characters with so much humanity by letting you see inside their minds, their imaginations, their justifications, and their motivations. I enjoyed getting to know each of the protagonists and the detectives who were chasing them. Even the secondary characters, like the relatives, or the detective's wife seemed very real.
The author did meticulous research on the very real people and events this story is based on, and it shows. It is such an interesting true story and the way it unfolds in the telling of it makes for a very satisfying and compelling read. I highly recommend this book.

[Micah Thorp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maryka Biaggio’s Gun Girl and the Tall Guy recounts one of the most interesting, and somewhat odd crime sprees in Brooklyn during the 1920s. During the era of Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, two of the most notorious criminals in New York City weren’t mobsters or racketeers, but rather an unassuming husband and wife. In 1923 Ed and Celia Cooney committed numerous hold-ups, stymied police and captured the imagination of the public. The presence of a woman as part of a criminal enterprise made the duo particularly notable and was picked up by newspapers who dubbed her the “bob-haired bandit”. Further fomented by the inability of police to capture the pair, the press reveled in the “poise” of a female crook in seemingly breathless accounts of her heists.

While the story is fascinating, Maryka Biaggio has infused her narrative with newspaper accounts from the era that lend a sense of just how enraptured New Yorker’s were by the story and provide a wonderful touch of period context. Cleverly told from more than one perspective, the plot builds to what seems like an inevitable conclusion.

Gun Girl and the Tall Guy is an easy read with pacing that keeps the reader engaged, wondering what will happen next. It’s a hard book to put down. It’s a great piece of historical fiction and well worth the read.

[Dottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of true crime, historical drama, or unconventional love stories, "Gun Girl and the Tall Guy" is highly recommended.

This true story, set in the gritty, vibrant streets of 1920s Brooklyn, follows Celia and Ed Cooney, newlyweds with a baby on the way and barely any money. They make a fateful choice that will shock their neighbors and captivate the press: they start robbing local businesses.

But this isn’t just a crime spree—it’s a media sensation. A pistol-packing young woman leading stickups in broad daylight? New York’s newspapers can’t get enough. Celia becomes the “Gun Girl,” and the public devours every headline. Meanwhile, the bumbling Brooklyn police are being made fools of, unable to catch a couple hiding in plain sight. As the heists grow bolder and the press frenzy intensifies, the pressure on law enforcement explodes—culminating in a deadly “Shoot to Kill” order from the top.

The story reads like noir fiction but is entirely true. With pace and punch, Biaggio's "Gun Girl and the Tall Guy" captures a moment in time when crime, celebrity, and scandal blurred into a spectacle. It's a tale that’s both thrilling and heartbreaking.

[Sharon Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gun girl and the Tall Guy is a fast paced rollicking ride through early 19th century NYC braiding the tale of young couple on a crime spree and the bungling detectives trying to capture them. As the stakes elevate on each side the tension builds making this a hard read to put down. Based on an unusual true story, Celia and Ed Clooney aren’t hardened criminals, just a couple in love trying to make a stake for themselves, but the road they choose takes them much further then they ever planned to go. The police department, harangued by a sensationalist press and thinned to save face after a series of bungled mistakes, turns up the heat in this cat and mouse drama. Actual newspaper stories and detailed research lead spice and detail bringing this piece of Americana history alive.

[Nightengale05 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! I found this retelling of Celia and Ed Clooney's story to be well written, well researched and an enjoyable read. It brought humanity to a unique story that focused on several characters. Although the events of the story may not seem interesting the story had my attention throughout and I could not put it down! I found the focus on Celia especially interesting as we got to learn more about her story and see things through her perspective. I enjoyed reading about how the police handled this case back in 1924 Brooklyn and how their perspective of the case contrasted with what the Clooney's were actually trying to accomplish. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others!

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maryka Biaggio does an amazing job in writing this historical fiction novel, it was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the use of based on a true story. The overall storyline worked well in this setting and enjoyed getting to know Celia and Ed and the rest of the characters. It was everything that was promised and enjoyed getting into the crime element and had that tension that I was looking for and enjoyed the atmosphere.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Donna Matzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad but true

Tragic tale of a poor girl and her somewhat weak husband. Brought up in an extremely poor family destroyed by father's alcoholism and mother's complicity, Celia had a totally deprived upbringing. In spite of this, it was uplifting to learn she did eventually make a successful life and raised two children. Very obviously a well researched story.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. Apparently, this author takes little know stories from American history and fictionalizes them to bring them to a modern audience and this is not her first installment.

This novel in particular retells the story of the Bob-Haired Bandit and her accomplice, Celia and Ed Cooney. It takes place in 1920's Brooklyn, mostly and, while not the most exciting crime spree, the author does a pretty good job keeping the reader interested in an otherwise mundane story. You can tell that she put a good bit of research into these two and she includes parts of some actual articles from the newspapers of the time regarding these two. Readers get both sides of the story, to an extent, as the author also includes the perspective of Bill, one of the main detectives involved in the case.

Overall, a very cute story, though sad at times, and definitely not one that gets a lot of coverage, either historically, or fictionally.

[Jessica Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - Maryka Biaggio created another gem,
Jessica Clarke

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This couple were small time robbers. They robbed small local stores, no banks. I feel like I have to clarify and justify their actions. I was invested in Celia and Ed , and I rooted for them all the way. They were so smart with all their stikes, that you had to admire their cunning and wiley plans. One fatal mistake led to their capture. It's always the darn woman!!! I cried a few times while I read, but at the end I felt beat down and defeated with that ending. They BOTH deserved a better ending!!! It took the wind right out of my sails. I felt wrecked. Why was I expecting some happiness for a couple that saw very little in their lives? I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest review.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very captivating! I read the book in a few days. You find yourself rooting for villains in the book. She is a victim of circumstance but could have made another choice. It really does make you think. I felt many feelings while reading this book. I do want to know more about this woman and her life.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical fiction novel is a good example that truth is stranger than fiction! The author immerses the Reader in the hubbub of action during the 1920s in Brooklyn, NY, during the age of the Flapper Girls when women were feeling a bit of freedom. This is the story of a couple who gained national attention as they pulled off robberies of drug stores and chain grocery stores, making such perfect getaways that they flummoxed local police departments for much of 1924. Celia (with fashionable bobbed hairstyle) and her tall husband Ed Cooney were perhaps the first of the popularized crime couples before Bonnie and Clyde made history in the 1930s.

At least Celia and Ed didn't murder anyone, and theirs is a love story as well. The motive for their almost spontaneous crime spree was to acquire more money than Ed's garage job paid, in order to make a better life for their expected baby. Throughout the story, the author gives us glimpses of the care and love the couple had for each other, even in the worst of times.

The author has done a first-rate job of putting readers in the time frame, using the language of the 1920s in the narrative POVs of Celia and the police captain who was designated to round up the suspects. Varied descriptions by eye witnesses were but one complication of the case. Such words as "swell," "stick ups", "coppers," are laced throughout the fast-moving story.

The story is told in alternating chapters from viewpoints of Celia and police detective William Casey. The action slows and suspense builds during the chapters with police POV. It's one missed opportunity, another slip-up, another perfect getaway after another to confound the police. And the local newspapers are having a heyday writing stories about police incompetence and the "Bob Hair Bandit."

I commend author Biaggio for being able to follow all the details of the robberies and grow a portrait of the Cooneys, who were otherwise an ordinary couple with friends and family who wanted only to build a decent life. Of course, there was no shortage of newspaper stories to aid the research. There are twists and turns, also some humorous asides, plus the ongoing adventure to keep pages turning. The story ends unexpectedly, at least from my perspective, after reading the prologue. From the perspective of the police, I wanted the couple to be caught. From the perspective of Celia's narrative, I wanted them to forever elude discovery.

[Megan Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a crazy story. I wasn't sure what to expect and this historical fiction based on true events was thrilling and sad!

Celia was trying to overcome a life of begging for Mom, everything given to get by Aunt was taken and sold by Mom and more. She got married and they tried to get ahead in life with just a couple robberies. Which ended up in them heading to Florida to try to get a new start. The story is incredibly sad and riveting all at the same time. The author did a great job with this.

I had no idea about this true story before reading this book!

I received an advance review copy for free and am voluntarily leaving this review.

4.5 stars

[Pamela Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Gun Girl and the Tall Guy, Maryka Biaggio brings to life the true story of a Brooklyn couple who refused to wait for their ship to come in. It’s 1924 and lovebirds Ed and Celia Cooney have a baby on the way. They need furniture. They need the financial pressures to ease. And a little adventure wouldn’t hurt, either. With a slight nudge, Ed convinces Celia that knocking off a store or two could be easy money.

After their first job—waving a gun in a local shop and walking out with $600—Celia starts to see Ed’s point. The early windfall feels like a beacon to keep going. If they can pull off a few more scores, maybe they can finally kick back, cuddle their new baby, breathe…

But as their spree ramps up, reality bites: most stores don’t keep much cash in the till. Cops are starting to be on the lookout, and the top brass seethe at being outsmarted by the petite “bob-haired bandit.” Add to that, Ed and Celia’s missteps begin to pile up.

While the couple plot and plan to stay one step ahead of the police, alternating chapters show the law closing in. Layered throughout the narrative are real newspaper articles from the time, adding texture and immediacy.

Biaggio also threads in the classic American theme of the “haves and have-nots.” Celia’s backstory, growing up in stultifying poverty, with a mother who once made her strip off new clothes (gifted by an aunt) to sell them for profit, casts her choices in stark relief.

In reviving this long-lost story, Biaggio delivers more than a crime caper. Gun Girl and the Tall Guy is a lively, sharply observed tale of love, bad decisions, and the wild hope that maybe, just maybe, the next score will change everything.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

In early 1924, there was a spree of robberies in Brooklyn. Almost weekly, a couple would burst into a local store, a “bob-haired” woman brandishing a gun while her male accomplice emptied the cash register. The newspaper headlines heralded each hit, and mocked the flummoxed police while the petite bobbed girl and her tall handsome companion became notorious and (in the girl’s case) a symbol of women’s liberation.

Gun Girl and the Tall Guy (isn’t that a great title?) tells the story of those real-life robbers, Celia and Ed Cooney, --- their history, why they staged that first robbery, how they continued, and their eventual arrest. For me, the story started slowly and gradually increased in intensity. The story absolutely follows the record, and I really appreciated the inclusion of many excerpts from the contemporary news coverage. The afterword was surprising and revealing. I suggest reading the novel entirely before checking the historical record.

A fascinating look into a historical era and into a very intriguing woman!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read Gun Girl and the Tall Guy by Maryka Biaggo, I felt transported back to 1942 Brooklyn. Biaggio's research and writing brought the location, time period, and characters alive. Celia and Ed Cooney became criminals when they began robbing mostly small stores with no intention of hurting anyone until one day they did. I was most impressed with how Biaggio created sympathy for Celia and Ed. I didn't find these two characters like Bonnie and Clyde, who had no redeeming qualities. Ed and Celia are not killers. They just want a better life. They crave what others have. Gun Girl and the Tall Guy was an interesting and entertaining read.

[Trish MacEnulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll never look at an old lady with dementia quite the same after reading this book. Could it be she was a famous criminal back in her day? Gun Girl and the Tall is the true story of Ed and Celia -- two crazy kids from Brooklyn who didn't have what it takes to change their circumstances honestly so they took the dishonest route. In the meantime, there's a cop who just can't let go. It's a long, harrowing journey before the law catches up with our two characters. Biaggio does a great job finding stories from the past and bringing them to life.

[David Carriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gun Girl and the Tall Guy is a sharp, atmospheric slice of historical crime that brings 1920s Brooklyn roaring back to life. The story tracks Celia and Ed Cooney through a spree that’s equal parts reckless, romantic, and doomed, and the tension never lets up as the city tightens its grip. What makes the book shine is how real the characters feel their grit, their longing, their fear of the law closing in. It’s vivid, fast moving, and cinematic, a crime novel that balances danger with heartbreak in all the right ways.

[Margieb · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1920’s a robbery team captured the imagination of NYC and the country. The bob-haired bandit and her tall sidekick were Brooklyn-based notoriety just looking for money to pay the bills. Biaggio invites us to plunk ourselves down in the back seat of a borrowed, ‘black as night Ford,’ and ride along as Ed and Celia stick up up grocers and pharmacies in the ‘hood in a seemingly endless quest for easy money.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a thoroughly researched little-known story of a young married couple that robbed stores in Brooklyn and Queens in the 1920s. She was known as the Bobbed-Haired Bandit. Written as a novel, with actual historical news articles of the daring duo mixed in, makes for an intriguing story. I enjoyed it as it made me feel what life was like during that time. Since their crime sprees lasted about six months it was especially interesting to find out what happened afterwards.

[Catherine Tripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lays bare in sparse and elegant language the story of Celia and Ed and life they led. Ms. Biaggio intersperses news articles showing the incredulity of the very idea of a Gun Girl to great effect. The main characters are painted in compassionate prose that eschews verbosity and relies on the clear and carefully chosen words that carry the story line flawlessly to the finish. Highly recommend.

[Mike Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an engaging and enjoyable historical crime book. I thought it was fiction, however in the author's postscript I discovered it was actually a true crime story based on real events and a real gun toting stick up married couple from the 1920's - what a surprise. I heartily recommend this book to crime story lovers.

[Elizabeth Mahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In Gun Girl and the Tall Guy, Maryka Biaggio delivers a gripping tale based on the true story of Celia and Ed Cooney, a Brooklyn couple who turned to crime in 1924. With vivid prose and rich historical detail, Biaggio captures a world where love, survival, and crime collide.”

[K.T. Blakemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! This book has everything - it's sassy and intense, wild, and furiously fun to read. I couldn't get enough of it. Terrific characters and ready-made for a movie!

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Urban Bonnie and Clyde.

[Teri M Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gun Girl and the Tall Guy is a historical fiction by Maryka Biaggio. It is based on a true story of a crime duo, Celia and Ed Cooney, in 1920s Brooklyn. And quite frankly, I loved everything about this book! The characters are vivid. I could see the Brooklyn from 100 years ago. And the story is amazing.

Celia grew up in a tough environment. She escapes her family and marries Ed, a young man just home from the war. He is kind, gentle, and loves her completely. But, like most young couples, they are broke. When she learns she is pregnant, she doesn't want to raise her child with nothing. So, they hatch a plan to rob a store - just to get enough to start them on their way. But the thrill and the fame, as well as an ever-increasing need for more things, keeps them in the game long after it makes sense.

Although it makes no sense, I was routing for Celia and Ed to evade the police! Maryka did a great job getting me to pull for the bad guy rather than the Brooklyn police, which is what started happening as the pair became more infamous. I won't spoil it for you - it's a must read.