Cynthia Beebe (MSJ83)

“Boots in the Ashes” is a riveting memoir from one of the country’s first female ATF special agents. Cynthia Beebe writes of her fascinating journey as she grows up from a polite suburban girl into an expert criminal investigator. She became the first woman to earn the coveted “Top Gun” award at the ATF Academy, and learns to thrive in the ultramasculine world of guns, bombs and violent crime.

Beebe provides firsthand knowledge of life inside ATF and shows us how she made her most important cases, including murders, bombings and investigations into outlaw motorcycle gangs. She includes gripping trial testimony from victims, witnesses, judges and outlaws. Her cases were chronicled in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Ladies Home Journal, and were covered by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and 48 Hours.