AustLit

'Criminal, murderer, raconteur, author . . . mythmaker?

'Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read is undoubtedly Australia's best-known criminal. Author of many bestselling books about the underworld he inhabited, and subject of a smash-hit film, his story has become part of the country's culture. And Read certainly knew how to spin a yarn.

'Adam Shand – bestselling author of Big Shots: Carl Williams and the Gangland Murders – disentangles the persona of 'Chopper' from Mark Read, the man. Chopper took over Read's life, made him famous but then refused to let him go.

'From Read's religious upbringing and youthful escapades to his 23 years in jail and later careers in the spotlight, Shand delves into Read's life to reveal the truth for the first time. With unparalleled access to lovers, friends and enemies, Shand learns that 'Uncle Chop Chop', Australia's favourite stand-over man, was much more than the 'earless monster' he created.' (Publication summary)

'From the mid 1960s, a brazen band of Australian thieves ran riot in London for more than a decade, pulling off the most daring heists Scotland Yard had ever seen. They were tagged by the Press as the Kangaroo Gang.

'The gang, led by the charismatic 'King' Arthur Delaney, targeted the plush emporia of Knightsbridge and the fine jewellers of Mayfair. But the King didn' t stop there, criss-crossing Europe to lay siege to the luxury retailers of Paris, Brussels, Rome and beyond.

'The Kangaroo Gang operated at a time before closed-circuit television cameras. They elevated shoplifting to an art form practised without guns or violence. The King always found a way to simply 'disappear' with the loot.

'This is also a love story between the King and his 'Queen' Alexis, who tried to tame the greatest of travelling thieves. The King's 30-year criminal odyssey culminated in the biggest job of his career - six million pounds worth of precious gems from Asprey of London, jeweller to the Queen - in broad daylight.' (From the publisher's website.)