For all the flickering diamonds and worsted suits, for all the references to Barry as a prince or aristocrat of thieves, it’s the story of a dissolute, empty and shallow life, too much of it spent in prison, that wears thin pretty fast ... The chapters are short, the energy propulsive, the research prodigious ... But if this aspires to be a big book, there’s not much big here.
At times, it can feel that the buildup is too thorough, too slow, but the narrative soon gets a move on. The story of Barry’s escalating crimes... followed by his inevitable downfall, is breezily told.
