An Ear to the Ground

'Master of the art of deception' New Statesman

The Esmaldi necklace was worth about $350,000: one hundred matched diamonds the size of garden peas, set in platinum. The sort of necklace people would murder for ...

And Al Barney, beachcomber and layabout, knew its history - a tale of hate, jealousy and violence; of beautiful, wanton women and the most cunningly devised jewel robbery ever.