Dean Jobb, A Gentleman and a ThiefRead about another title on the list.
Arthur Barry rose to fame during the American Jazz Age as the so-called “aristocrat of crime” – a real-life gentleman burglar who moved in rarefied circles and swindled just about anyone who was worth swindling. And doing it, by all accounts, with a dash of class. Jobb tells the wildly entertaining story of Barry’s exploits with admirable style, adding a nice heft of scholarship to the mix. Running through Barry’s scams and thefts becomes a kind of who’s who of the era, and the public’s fascination with the gentleman burglar seems to represent a shifting national consciousness. Jobb is one of the best crime historians at work today, and his latest has all the elements of an epic tale, with a surprisingly moving love story coursing just under the rap sheets and police reports.
A Gentleman and a Thief is among Jeff Somers's eleven top nonfiction books for Erik Larson fans.
The Page 99 Test: A Gentleman and a Thief.
--Marshal Zeringue
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