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. 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 withUPI, 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.”
General
| Imprint: |
Pegasusbooks
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
July 2024 |
| Authors: |
Rena Pederson
|
| Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
| Pages: |
386 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-1-63936-605-7 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
1-63936-605-9 |
| Barcode: |
9781639366057 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
