Gentleman Gerald: The Crimes and Times of Gerald Chapman America's First "Public Enemy No. 1" Book

In Gentleman Gerald, veteran mystery novelist and true-crime writer H. Paul Jeffers brilliantly evokes the colorful background of the Jazz Age in his account of the most notorious and sought-after criminal of the 1920s. Gerald Chapman's story is one of the biggest mail truck stickup of all time, brazen daylight robberies, breathtaking escapes and prison breaks, a sensational trial that thrilled the nation, a beautiful woman shrouded in mystery, and Gerald Chapman himself - a chilling and fascinating character abounding in charm and romance who lived high in the midst of polite society off the proceeds of his criminal schemes. Chapman, who was the first criminal ever declared "Public Enemy No. 1," seemingly a latter-day Jimmy Valentine, enthralled the nation and led the finest law enforcement officials of his day on one of the largest scale manhunts until he finally met his end in the executioner's chamber.