This was a very gripping and fun nonfiction read! Following the life of infamous jewel thief Arthur Barry, this title takes the reader on a wild ride through Arthur's formative years and his infiltration of New York high society. I found his heists fascinating to learn about and wondered if he would ever get caught! This book is very well researched and written - perfect for fans of jazz age history or a good heist story. I would recommend this book to other readers who find the topic interesting.

Arthur Barry distracted me for a few days. . . .a determined kid who grew into a clever teen, and from there found a way around humans he figured needed a reduction in their self-estimated valuation - in both goods and pride.

A true crime book, and while a non-fiction offering, it still has romance (a real one), tips and tricks, a valiant soldier - a purple heart awarded, successful escapes, juries persuaded, and finally. finally. freedom to be an elderly server in a diner, an Uncle whose loved ones carefully guarded his truths so well his young hero-worshipers didn't know of his checkered past until they came of age, and though surprised joined the guardianship. His final confessed biggest lesson learned was that he hoped all could see all he had lost, that it was Arthur who had robbed Arthur.

I appreciated the regret and repentant post-prison life changes, but one supposes those on the other side of the transaction would have measured their loss against his differently - we'll never know. Still there was an appeal about Arthur Barry. Not quite a Robin Hood aspect, but certainly something wrapped around class differentiations and economic barriers. Something smelling of grassroots, poverty and discovering the ease of crossing a line. Remembering how easy trusting fools are, his resistance to remaining anywhere but accountable to them was ever present. A great big F*you with a charming smile and a tip of the hat. And, if he happened to have your million dollar diamond. . .oh, well.

The book is shorter than the page numbers reflect because at 57% begins the list of Mr. Barry's Major Heists and chapter notes. Altogether interesting to read on their own.

*A sincere thank you to Dean Jobb, Algonquin Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #AGentlemanandaThief #NetGalley

Catch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby meets the hit Netflix series Lupin in this captivating true-crime caper. A skilled con artist and perhaps one of the most charming, audacious burglars in history, Arthur Barry slipped in and out of the bedrooms of New York’s wealthiest residents, even as his victims slept only inches away. He befriended luminaries such as the Prince of Wales and Harry Houdini and became a folk hero, touted in the press as “the greatest jewel thief who ever lived” and an “Aristocrat of Crime.” In a span of seven years, Barry stole diamonds, pearls, and other gems worth almost $60 million today. Among his victims were a Rockefeller, an heiress to the Woolworth department store fortune, an oil magnate, Wall Street bigwigs, a top executive of automotive giant General Motors, and a famous polo player. Dean Jobb—hailed by Esquire magazine as “a master of narrative nonfiction”—once again delivers a stylishly told high-speed ride.

A Gentleman and a Thief is also a love story. Barry confessed to dozens of burglaries to protect his wife, Anna Blake (and was the prime suspect in scores of others). Sentenced to a twenty-five year term, he staged a dramatic prison break when Anna became seriously ill so they could be together for a few more years as fugitives. With dozens of historic images, A Gentleman and a Thief is page-turning, escapist, and sparkling with insight into our fascination with jewel heists and the suave, clever criminals who pull them off.

Very similar to Erik Larson and David Grann. Thoroughly researched and richly described, the reader is immersed in history that feels like a movie plot.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Dean Jobb is always such a delight to read, and he really excels at finding true crime subjects that are fascinating without being sensationalist and icky.

This is a terrific piece of narrative nonfiction, well-paced and gorgeously researched. Jobb takes us through Barry’s eventful life and bolsters his personal story with loads of atmospheric content that helps to anchor the story in a strong sense of place.

Gentleman thieves are fascinating creatures, and Jobb has found a worthy subject in Barry, who is both audaciously amoral and strangely sympathetic.

I love a nonfiction book that gives me a raucously good time while also letting me learn something, and Jobb delivers exactly that again in his best book yet.

A gentleman And A Thief, a daring jewl heist of a jazz age rogue by Dean Job it’s a book about Arthur Barry the Jazz age jewel thief who like with any endeavor started small by the end of his thieving career he was stealing Jewls from the richest people in the country. He would even dress up and attend their parties and there were years he made the equivalent of millions of dollars but in the end his career ended like most criminals and the cost would be Time lost with the love of his life Ann Blake and the one thing everyone forfeits in their heyday his youth he was so popular in his day that even the judge was stunned by the criminals verdict and although he would live to regret it again like most thieves it is always after the fact. This book reads like it should’ve been a movie, I think the author did an awesome job writing this book he referenced mini mini newspaper articles court records and definitely did his due diligence this is a great book and a very entertaining read. It is long but so worth getting into. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.#AlgonquinBooks, #NetGalley, #DeanJob, #AGentlemanAndAThief,

I'm not saying I want to be a criminal. All I am saying is that there are a few brief fleeting moments in Dean Jobb's A Gentleman and a Thief where I entertained the idea of becoming a jewel thief. Of course I wouldn't hurt anyone. Well, maybe their pocketbooks, but like our boy Arthur Barry, I'd only steal from the rich and then go on epic gambling runs.

Jobb tells the full story of Barry as he grows up, fights honorably in World War I, and then decides to go from juvenile delinquent to criminal mastermind. Like any great historical true crime, Jobb makes sure to educate the reader of the times in which Barry lived. I have always appreciated Jobb's ability to make time periods come alive as much as the characters he is writing about. It's one thing to be a thief. It's another thing to be a thief during the time of The Great Gatsby. Maybe you might daydream a little bit like me. That is, until you inevitably get to the point where Barry himself realizes crime doesn't pay.

Sometimes, it looks like a lot of fun though.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Algonquin Books.)

Book: A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue
Author: Dean Jobb
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to than the publisher, Algonquin Books, for sending me an ARC. This is a case where it’s the book’s fault. I just wasn’t into it. I thought I would be, but it just ended up not being the book for me.

In this one, we follow real life jewel thief, Athur Berry, as he lays siege to some of the wealthiest people of the Jazz Age. He is daring and ends up stealing millions of dollars in jewels. He can slip in and out before anyone can caught him. He does so even with the people he is stealing from watching him. He ends up getting caught and sent to prison. He ends up confessing to his crimes in order to protect his wife, who is very ill.

This age is not one that I have studied in detail. I love learning about new time periods and new characters. I have not heard of Arthur Berry before. I learn about him was very interesting. He is a thief, but the more you learn about his character, the more you come to realize that he is complex. You see the brilliance of his mind while seeing the human side. I think this is something that so many people forget whenever you are reading nonfiction. These people and events are real. Dean does a great job at giving him a human side. We see him at the height of his thief, but we also see him regretting all that he had done. We don’t see this side very often when it comes to someone like him. Again, I liked that Dean brought this side of him in. It, once again, brings out the human side of people.

I found the book to be easy to be very easy to get into. I found the narrative to be compelling and the amount of research put into this is amazing. However, I just found myself unable to really get into the story. I was just so disconnected from it that it stopped me from actually becoming fully invested in what was going on. I could see that this was a good book with solid research, but it just wasn’t for me.

Overall, I am glad that I read this book, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

This book comes out on June 25, 2024.

A Gentleman and a Thief was incredible!!!! I loved how it was a true story using true facts and quotes. The elegant devil/jewel thief was a mastermind and how he was able to weave his way into his victims lives was truly remarkable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

Got this to flip through in preparation for a "books I'm excited about" feature and while I'm not a true crime fan in general, it does sound really fun!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Algonquin Books for an advance copy of this biography about a criminal in the Jazz Age who both titilated and caused fear among the moneyed class across the tri-state, and the price that he had to pay for his crimes.

America loves the bad guy. For all the talk about backing the blue, and being all for law and order, put a charismatic thief in front of people, and there will be swoons, calls for marriage, and cheers at that person eludes the hopefully Keystone-like cops. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde. People root for them, follow their events through the news, even today entire podcasts are devoted to their actions. Arthur Barry might be one of the few to deserve his sobriquet of the Gentlemen Thief. During a long stretch while the booze was banned, and the music was jazz hot, Barry stole, as he said from people who never had to worry about where there next lunch was coming from, all over Long Island, Yonkers, and Northern New Jersey. Barry's crimes were as contactless as shopping in a grocery store today, could be. Barry came in at night, when found would run, usually with a wide array of jewelry, watches and more. A gentlemen in name only, except for the love of his life, one treasure he prized over all others. A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb is a biography about Barry, and a look at a time of Prohibition when a one-man crime wave could cause so much chaos, and fascinate so many people.

Arthur Barry was even as a child a cool character, though to his family he was more than a handful. At the age of thirteen, for a princely sum of $5, Barry began to ferry nitroglycerin from an older thief, to a young safe crackers all over the New England area. Nitro on a train. The calamity that could have been. Barry slowly moved up, breaking into buildings at night, and taking what he needed. A wrongful arrest led to jail time, and upon getting out, Barry joined the army in Wold War I, becoming a medic who served with distinction in Europe. Returning home, Barry found the same problem that many found, lots of men, little in the way of jobs. So Barry created an occupation, traveling to Yonkers and becoming a second story man, robbing rich people of their jewelry, fencing his goods and gambling the proceeds away. Barry's new life, along with his research into finding out more about the wealthy gentry introduced him to some of the most popular people of the ear, Harry Houdini, the future King of England. And the love o his life, Anna Blake. However a thief is only lucky for so long, and betrayal was only a phone call away.

I had never heard of Arthur Barry, but have to hand it to him. What a man and what a life. Carrying Nitro as a kid, second story thief, a war hero. And a man who regretted all that he did as he got older. There are very few criminals who honestly seem regretful, Barry I think really did. This is a story that has everything, music, gambling, royalty, crime, redemption, and love. Honest love, which again seems so rare. Which as one reads adds to the sadness of Barry. Jobb has done a fantastic job of researching, capturing the era, the sounds smells, and even what it is like to sneak into a house, or to awaken from a deep sleep to find someone unexpected next to one. I was not sure what I expected, but I did not expect such an expertly written story filled with the famous, the infamous, even a tie in to the Lindbergh baby.

I really can't recommend this book enough. Arthur Barry was like a character from a Horatio Alger story. Barry started with nothing, climbed the ladder to success, seized the prize and made his way. One can't ask for more in America. For lovers of true crime, the jazz age, history, or for people who love stories about complicated people, and books about people who have a real redemption arc. I'm going to have to read a lot more by Dean Jobb.

My thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an advance reader copy of this book.

What a rollicking tale! This is two books in one.

In book one, Arthur Barry was a real-life counterpart to the jewel thief in It Takes a Thief, except that he was the real thing. Slipping in and out of bedrooms while his victims slept only a few feet and sometimes only inches away, Barry stole precious gems from an array of 1920s personalities, including a Rockefeller and Wall Street titans.

Then comes book two. After he was finally arrested and convicted, It Takes a Thief becomes a 1930s prison movie, with Barry leading a dramatic prison break.

A fabulous book, well-written and engrossing.

Fans of Sherlock and James Bond won't want to miss this thrill of a ride. Arthur Barry, celebrity by day, thief by night, is one of the greatest crown jewel thiefs ever, but will his streak last?

I found the story of Arthur Barry fascinating and Jobb does an excellent job of keeping the reader interested. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher.

Thank you NetGallery,author,Dean Jobb and publisher Algonquin Books for the opportunity to read the ebook,A Gentleman and a Thief.It was wonderfully written,all backed up from ethical sources and was like a fictional novel,not “cut and dry” like so many biographies tend to be with only facts.I had never heard of Arthur Barry nor his amazing second story jewel heists,using a ladder to steal millions,in today’s money,of jewelry in the Jazz Age,from the ultra-rich and famous in NY and NJ.During hard times and the stock market crash,Barry wanted the good life which for him was gambling and drinking during the days of probition.It describes the terrible conditions of a few prisons in New York State at that time.This book deserves to make it on the Times top 10 books. If you like Eric Larson’s books,you will like this one,too.

Truth is definitely stranger than fiction. Who could make this story up and whoever heard of Arthur Barry? This is such an intriguing and amazing story. The author says in the beginning that all the facts are true. A very exciting journey to read.

Well-researched and intriguing, this book captures the atmosphere of the 1920s about master thief Arthur Barry. The author note at the beginning set the tone that as crazy as the story sounded, nothing was embellished. True crime fans who like to read about hubris will find plenty to enjoy. Those who liked Diamond Doris, will also be enthralled with how the crimes were perpetuated.

This book made me so excited! My heart pounded through every chapter which made me fly through this book. The plot was exciting and fast paced and the characters were interesting but relatable. I highly recommend this book and will be telling all of my family and friends to read it!