The Napoleon of Crime The Napoleon of Crime

The Napoleon of Crime

The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief

    • 4.1 • 34 Ratings
    • $12.99
    • $12.99

Publisher Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Prisoners in the Castle, a dramatic portrait of the master thief of the nineteenth century: Adam Worth

“Fascinating . . . a brisk, lively, colorful biography of an amazing criminal.”—The New York Times (Best Books of the Year)
 
The Victorian era’s most infamous and iconic thief, the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes’s Professor Moriarty, Adam Worth was known as the Napoleon of crime. Suave, cunning, and fearless, Worth learned early that the best way to succeed was to steal. And steal he did. 
 
Following a strict code of honor, Worth won the respect of Victorian society.  He also aroused its fear by becoming a chilling phantom, mingling undetected with the upper classes, whose valuables he brazenly stole.  His most celebrated heist: Gainsborough’s grand portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire—ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales—a painting Worth adored and often slept with for twenty years.
 
With a brilliant gang that included “Piano” Charley, a jewel thief, train robber, and playboy, and “the Scratch” Becker, master forger, Worth secretly ran operations from New York to London, Paris, and South Africa—until betrayal and a Pinkerton man finally brought him down.
 
The Napoleon of Crime is a grand, dazzling tour into the gaslit underworld of the nineteenth century, and into the doomed genius of a criminal mastermind.

GENRE
Biographies & Memoirs
RELEASED
2011
April 5
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
400
Pages
PUBLISHER
Crown
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
13
MB

Customer Reviews

Fpiano ,

A Little a Slow

Although good, I didn't like this book as well as either of the previous books I had read that were written by Macintyre. Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat were both more engaging.

Macintyre does do an excellent job in picking subjects for his books, often highlighting stories that are very obscure but deserve attention.

Emmet Aloysius ,

Entertaining

Adam Worth is a memorable character, albeit a thief and con man. For fans of history and true crime this book is a good option. Plenty of mischief to keep you entertained throughout...EAF

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