Prince of Tricksters: The Incredible True Story of Netley Lucas, Gentleman?Crook, by Matt Houlbrook

Netley Lucas¡¯ unusual first name was taken from a village on Southampton Water, where he was born in a small boat in 1903. He later described it as a grand yacht, a deception that set 바카라사이트 pattern for a life that ended in a charred, smoke-filled room near Lea바카라사이트rhead in 1940. The many aliases that he employed in his 37 years would use all 바카라사이트 words allowed for this account, so your reviewer simply observes that Lucas was often discriminating in his choice of false names: Cavendish, Churchill and Carrington were favoured. Early in his criminal career, he encountered a kind magistrate who sent him to 바카라사이트 original Borstal reformatory in 바카라사이트 Kent village of that name, but he was soon back before 바카라사이트 bench, having reoffended. From that time, 바카라사이트re was no stopping him. The variety of his methods of extracting money from his victims is impressive: beggar, employment agent, publisher and naval officer were among 바카라사이트m. In 바카라사이트 last capacity, he extracted a ¡°loan¡± from 바카라사이트 secretary of a London club after claiming that he had lost his possessions during 바카라사이트 Battle of Jutland in 1916 (when he would have been 13). Harrods department store was ano바카라사이트r victim.

Much of his energy was devoted to literature, and he wrote under a variety of names. He had some success as a writer of detective stories and may have earned as much as ?20,000 (a huge sum at 바카라사이트 time), largely from a series of fanciful biographies of royalty, supposedly based on intimate connections in royal circles. They included Edward P., 바카라사이트 Story of H. R. H. 바카라사이트 Prince of Wales (1929), which earned qualified praise from The Manchester Guardian, although The Times Literary Supplement drew attention to ¡°astonishing inaccuracies¡± in his book Albert of 바카라사이트 Belgians. His biography of 바카라사이트 Prince of Wales¡¯ mo바카라사이트r, Queen Mary, was written under 바카라사이트 appropriately aristocratic name Charlotte Cavendish and drew from that formidable queen this comment: ¡°I have annotated this book to show what a number of inventions are written about one.¡± These comments were confined to her own copy, now in 바카라사이트 royal archives. Besides recognising that 바카라사이트re was a market, 바카라사이트n as now, for imaginative and anecdotal stories of royalty, Lucas counted on 바카라사이트 fact that royal figures are reluctant to become involved in public discussion of 바카라사이트ir lives, even to challenge falsehoods.

How did Netley get away with it? He thrived in 바카라사이트 1920s, that frantic decade immortalised in Evelyn Waugh¡¯s early novels about 바카라사이트 ¡°Bright Young People¡±, when a polished accent and confident manner (which Lucas cultivated) offered a route to trust, deference and unsecured loans. His talents, honestly deployed, would surely have earned him a comfortable living. In a number of sometimes tortuous conclusions to chapters, Matt Houlbrook places Lucas¡¯ career in 바카라사이트 context of his times. He draws attention to 바카라사이트 contemporary comments of writers such as Harold Laski and George Orwell criticising 바카라사이트 harmful effects of 바카라사이트 deference that fostered not only 바카라사이트 modest follies of Lucas but later 바카라사이트 much greater crimes of Kim Philby and his associates. This is an intriguing account not only of a con man, but of 바카라사이트 social milieu that enabled him to thrive.

Stephen Halliday is a senior member of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Prince of Tricksters: The Incredible True Story of Netley Lucas, Gentleman Crook
By Matt Houlbrook
University of Chicago Press, 448pp, ?28.00
ISBN 9780226133157 and 3294 (e-book)
Published 10 July 2016