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darnellbrandon 's review for:
I really wanted to like this book. The subject matter - an art heist, an infamous bank robbery, a robbery of a diamond convoy in South Africa, a high-society gentleman with a double life as a criminal mastermind - is inherently interesting. This could have been fascinating, riveting history, but it fell so flat.
The author spent way too much time on the intricate back stories of marginal characters (we really had to hear about the life story of a Venezuelan heir whose only link is that he married a woman after she was relevant to the story?).
As for the heists and robberies themselves, there is usually scant information. Of course the author can't relate events from which there is no record, but the telling of them is so dry that it was really disappointing. I also thought the tangent on JP Morgan was pointless and didn't make the connection that he and Worth are alike in any way that would have been missed had it been omitted.
Overall, it sounds like Adam Worth lived an incredible life, but this story doesn't relay the excitement it could have. I'm happy to know the story, but it could have been trimmed by 30 percent and been much more interesting.
The author spent way too much time on the intricate back stories of marginal characters (we really had to hear about the life story of a Venezuelan heir whose only link is that he married a woman after she was relevant to the story?).
As for the heists and robberies themselves, there is usually scant information. Of course the author can't relate events from which there is no record, but the telling of them is so dry that it was really disappointing. I also thought the tangent on JP Morgan was pointless and didn't make the connection that he and Worth are alike in any way that would have been missed had it been omitted.
Overall, it sounds like Adam Worth lived an incredible life, but this story doesn't relay the excitement it could have. I'm happy to know the story, but it could have been trimmed by 30 percent and been much more interesting.