The King of Diamonds The search for the elusive Texas jewel thief

This riveting investigation from Pulitzer finalist Pederson (The Burma Spring) probes a series of unsolved Texas jewel thefts from the 1950s and '60s. High-profile targets of the so-called "King of Diamonds," who broke into Dallas homes during parties or quiet weeknights, included oil tycoon Clint Murchison and Herman Lay of Lay's potato chips. Despite the pressure these and other wealthy victims exerted on law enforcement, authorities never caught the culprit. Pederson first stumbled on the case in 1970, as a reporter at United Press International's Dallas office, and it never left her mind: "There was something beguiling, almost addictive about a jewel thief who couldn't be caught," she writes. "It nagged at everyone who knew the story." In the late 2010s, she decided to try cracking the case herself, conducting more than 200 interviews with police, victims' families, and reporters who'd covered the crimes. With a novelist's gift for description and a detective's keen eye for evidence, Pederson considers suspects ranging from gigolos to interior designers and jewelers. It's a pleasure to watch her cross them off her list one by one until she resurrects a convincing theory that the case's original investigators were unable to pursue. This is a must-read for any true crime buff. Agent: Jim Donovan, Jim Donovan Literary. (Apr.)

The 1960s in Dallas, TX, was a time of glitz and glamour. Rich business owners called the shots, and the social sphere was filled with debutante balls. Behind it all was a seedy underground that ran the city, and a thief known as the King of Diamonds robbed heirs and CEOS of their possessions late at night, sometimes even as they slept in their beds. Victims of the King of Diamonds reported witnessing sensational behavior, like hiding in their closets with them nearby or breaking into their homes while they hosted parties; these details kept the thief in the news but elusive to the police. Their identity is still unknown, and the riches they stole were never recovered. Award-winning journalist Pederson (The Burma Spring) sets out to find the identity of the King of Diamonds, uncovering well-kept Dallas secrets and answering some of the most puzzling questions. Her investigation is easy to follow as she takes readers down her research rabbit hole of this real-life whodunit and her conclusions. VERDICT Perfect for true-crime lovers who want a story about sinister thefts that aims to uncover the psychological motivations behind some sensational crimes.--Leah Fitzgerald