ÒPulpy noir meets contemporary hip hop vernacular in this detective thriller. Ted Dwinnels is a Bronx private detective who moonlights as a professional boxer. A 37-year-old bachelor with a "situational addiction to alcohol" and few scruples, Dwinnels is an unlikely hero, but, then again, in the urban milieu Dwinnels inhabits, there are few traditional stand-up guys. When Barry Budacassista, proprietor of a South Bronx fish market, hires Dwinnels to investigate suspicious late-night activity at the market, the PI finds himself immersed in a web of corruption that reaches into city government and the state senate. Despite being beaten, shot and arrested, Dwinnels is drawn ever-deeper into a toxic mix of money, drugs and power. The author pulls no punches in portraying a city in full decay.Ó - Publishers Weekly

A history of our time.

With today's finest cultured pearls rivaling diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire in terms of popularity, rarity and price, more and more people are searching for a reliable source of information to guide them in the fascinating and complex world of pearls-natural, cultured and imitation. This revised and updated 3rd edition is a comprehensive, authoritative guide that tells readers everything they need to know about pearls to fully understand and appreciate them, and avoid any unexpected-and costly-disappointments, now and in future generations.

London, 1913. An exquisite strand of pale pink pearls, worth more than the Hope Diamond, has been bought by a Hatton Garden broker, capturing the attention of both jewelers and thieves. In transit to London from Paris, the necklace vanishes without a trace. Joseph Grizzard, “the King of Fences,” is the leader of a vast gang of thieves in London’s East End. Having risen from the deadly streets to become a wealthy family man, Grizzard still cannot resist the sport of crime, and the pearl necklace proves an irresistible challenge. Inspector Alfred Ward has joined the brand-new division of the Metropolitan Police known as “detectives.” Having caught some of the great murderers of Victorian London, Ward is now charged with finding the missing pearls and the thief who stole them. In the spirit of The Great Train Robbery, this is the true story of a psychological cat-and-mouse game. Thoroughly researched and compellingly colorful, The Great Pearl Heist is a gripping narrative account of this little-known, yet extraordinary crime.