Catch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby in this Jazz Age tale of crime, detection and a master jewel thief who charmed celebrities and hobnobbed with New York’s millionaires while planning audacious heists to relieve them of their treasures.
Smart, smooth and a skilled con artist, Arthur Barry was one of the most successful burglars in history—“the greatest jewel thief who ever lived,” according to Life magazine. He was adept at slipping in and out of bedrooms undetected, even when his victims slept only inches away. He became a folk hero, a gentleman bandit touted in the press as the “Prince of Thieves” and an “Aristocrat of Crime.”
In the span of seven years, Barry stole pearls, diamonds and other precious gems that would be worth almost $60 million today. Among his many victims were a Rockefeller, an heiress to the Woolworth’s department store fortune, an oil magnate, Wall Street bigwigs, a top executive at General Motors and members of the Royal Family who were touring America. He befriended the Prince of Wales, Harry Houdini and other luminaries.
A Gentleman and a Thief is also a love story. To protect his wife, Anna Blake, Barry confessed to dozens of burglaries. Sentenced to a twenty-five-year term, he staged a dramatic prison break—triggering a bloody inmates’ riot—when Anna became seriously ill, so they could be together for a few more years as fugitives.
The rollicking, caper-filled rise and dramatic downfall of this master thief is a high-speed ride told in stylish prose by author Dean Jobb. Page-turning escapism sparkling with insight into the allure of gemstones and our fascination with well-planned heists and the suave, clever criminals who pull them off, A Gentleman and a Thief is perfect reading for true-crime fans who relish the exploits of con artists and high-class crooks.
