The unreliable life of Harry the Valet: the great Victorian jewel thief

17 October 1898.

An impossibly daring jewellery heist aboard a train at Paris's Gare du Nord station captures the attention of the world.

Who would have dared to pull off such a feat?

Award-winning writer Duncan Hamilton reveals the true story of Harry the Valet, the notorious crook who was the scourge of Victorian London.

Harry conned and stole his way into high society, living a life of excess in London's best hotels and hang-outs. Dressed in bespoke suits and handmade shoes, Harry outwitted Scotland Yard with his trademark guile and panache.

With dozens of pseudonyms, no fixed address and a knowledge of his city that allowed him to hide in its shadows, Harry seemed almost invisible. Until, blinded by love, he carried out the robbery that would prove his downfall.