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King of Diamonds : The Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief by Rena Pederson (2024, Hardcover)
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherPegasus Books
ISBN-101639366059
ISBN-139781639366057
eBay Product ID (ePID)20061243759
Product Key Features
Book TitleKing of Diamonds : the Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief
Number of Pages416 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicHoaxes & Deceptions, United States / State & Local / Southwest (Az, NM, Ok, Tx), Sociology / General
Publication Year2024
IllustratorYes
GenreTrue Crime, Social Science, History
AuthorRena Pederson
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1.6 in
Item Weight21.7 Oz
Item Length9 in
Item Width6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2024-442686
Dewey Edition23/eng/20240401
ReviewsPraise for Rena Pederson "Writing a biography of a living legend is never easy, especially when the living legend is legendarily inaccessible. A fascinating biography.", In classic cop-speak, the bold, agile perp had a practiced M.O., or modus operandi. He was promptly crowned 'The King of Diamonds.' That's also the title of Rena Pederson's saga of the master thief's rampage. Deeply researched and fluidly written. It's quite a yarn., "As Cary Grant remarks in To Catch a Thief , 'I never stole from anybody who would go hungry.' Rena Pederson uses that line as the opening epigraph of her intriguing and highly readable thriller The King of Diamonds . Pederson's writing is at its sharpest when she says of one fellow that "he was the kind of man who looked as if he slept in a tuxedo and, some evenings, did."
TitleLeadingThe
Dewey Decimal364.162873927
SynopsisThe thrilling story of a brazen, uncatchable jewel thief who roamed the homes of Dallas high society--and a window into the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of the Swinging Sixties. As a string of high profile jewel thefts went unsolved during the Swinging Sixties, the press dubbed the elusive thief "the King of Diamonds" because he eluded police and the FBI for more than a decade. Like Cary Grant in "To Catch a Thief," the King was so bold that he tip-toed into the homes of millionaires while they were watching television, or hosting parties. He hid in their closets. And dared to smoke a cigarette while they were sleeping not far away. Rena Pederson, then a young reporter with UPI, started following the elusive thief while she managed the night desk. With gymnastic skill, this thief climbed trees or crawled across rooftops to get into sprawling mansions. He took jewels from heiresses, oil kings, corporate CEOs. These were not just some of the richest people in Texas; they were some of the richest people of their time. Scotland Yard and Interpol were on the look-out. But the thief was never caught and the jewels never recovered. To follow the tracks of the thief, Rena has interviewed more than two hundred people, from veteran cops to strippers. She went to pawn shops, Las Vegas casinos, and a Mafia hangout--and discovered that beneath the glittering façade of Dallas debutante parties was a world of sex trafficking, illegal gambling, and political graft. When one of the leading suspects was found dead in highly unusual circumstances, the story darkened. High society crashed head-first into Mickey Spillane. The odd psychological aspects of the The King of Diamonds give us different kind of crime story. Detectives were stumped: Why did the thief break into houses when his targets were inside, increasing the risk of being captured? Why did he hide in their closets? Many times, he was so close he could hear their breathing as they slept. As one socialite put it, "It was a very peculiar business.", The thrilling story of a brazen, uncatchable jewel thief who roamed the homes of Dallas high society--and a window into the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of the Swinging Sixties.
LC Classification NumberHV6661.T4P4 2024
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Ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 28 Sep, 2024
A great read!
If you like true crime stories, this book fills the bill and then some! The reader is drawn into the environment of the Sixties, and invited to play detective with the author.Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
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