Dorothy Uhnak was born in the Bronx, New York on April 24, 1930. She attended City College and then joined the New York City Transit Authority Police. She won two awards for bravery during her 14 years with the force, 12 of them as a detective. She resigned due to sexual discrimination and in order to complete her college education at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Her first book, Policewoman: A Young Woman's Initiation Into the Realities of Justice, was published in 1964. Her debut novel, The Bait, won the Edgar Award as the best first mystery novel of 1968. Her other novels include The Witness, The Ledger, Law and Order, and The Ryer Avenue Story. The Investigation was the basis for the 1987 television movie Kojak: The Price of Justice. She died from a deliberate drug overdose on July 8, 2006 at the age of 76.
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