Remarkable rogues : The careers of some notable criminals of Europe and America

The book opens with a reminder that humanity’s curiosity about crime never wanes. It moves from the era of crowd‑pleasing public hangings to today’s newspaper spectacles, showing how each sensational trial became a social event watched by politicians, artists, and ordinary citizens alike. Drawing on courtroom transcripts, contemporary pamphlets, and the notes of detectives, the author stitches together vivid portraits of notorious figures from both sides of the Atlantic.

In its pages you meet a range of characters whose lives read like drama: the charismatic countess Marie Tarnowska whose beauty entangled three noble suitors, the chilling murderer James Greenacre whose trial drew paying crowds, the audacious jewel thief Adam Worth, and the enigmatic Madame Rachel, a beauty‑entrepreneur tried three times for fraud. Their stories illuminate the thin line between fame and infamy, and the way the press turned crime into a public obsession. Listeners will travel from Venetian courthouses to London’s Old Bailey, hearing the voices of a bygone age that still echo in today’s fascination with rogue legends.