Queen of the Burglars, Shayne Davidson
Queen of the Burglars, Shayne Davidson
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Queen of the Burglars
The Scandalous Life of Sophie Lyons

Author: Shayne Davidson

Narrator: Allyson Johnson

Unabridged: 6 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/06/2022

Synopsis

Born in the mid-nineteenth century, Sophie Lyons was a master thief, con artist, blackmailer, and smuggler. Much of her success as a criminal was due to the fact that she was fearless, reckless, sharp, and cunning—everything a woman of her time was not supposed to be. As a young child, Sophie’s parents forced her to steal when she showed a talent for pickpocketing. Strong-willed and smart, she blossomed into a beautiful teenager who caught the eye of many men in the underworld of New York City. By the time Sophie reached her late teens she was married to her second husband—a notorious bank burglar named Ned Lyons—and was a professional criminal in her own right. Despite her prominent place in crime history, Sophie Lyons has never been the subject of a full-length biography. This audiobook chronicles Sophie’s fascinating and tragic life, from her beginnings as a criminal prodigy, through her ingenious escape from Sing Sing prison and her lifelong struggle with mental illness.

About Shayne Davidson

A genealogist, illustrator, and writer, Shayne Davidson was fascinated by how people lived, particularly in nineteenth century America. She collects vintage photos, primarily mugshots and rogues’s gallery photos. Many of her current writing projects are focused on vintage crime.

About Allyson Johnson

Allyson Johnson is an actress and singer who began performing at age twelve as coanchor of Bubble Gum Digest, for which she won an Emmy. After earning a degree in psychology from Brown University, she moved to New York where she became a social worker before shifting to a career in television and radio. Johnson has recorded countless commercials, promos, audiobooks, narrations, and animation series.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Stefanie on May 01, 2024

Sophie Lyons was born in Germany in 1848. As a child, her mother taught Sophie to pickpocket and steal. Sophie upped her game, becoming a career criminal, known for pickpocketing, shoplifting, and being a confidence woman. A confidence woman was a term I had never heard before this book, so if you a......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on June 27, 2021

This will probably sound silly, but my immediate reaction to Shayne Davidson’s biography of 19th-century pickpocket extraordinaire Sophie Lyons was excitement over the citations. Every fact had a superscripted number with a corresponding endnote!! In all seriousness, though, those citations represen......more

Goodreads review by Jim on December 11, 2020

Exceptional Book about an Intriguing Woman Time Magazine recently listed the 100 best books of 2020. However, they made a glaring error. Queen of the Burglars: The Scandalous Life of Sophie Lyons, by Shayne Davidson, belongs at the top of any worthy publication list. It’s an outstanding book, only po......more

Goodreads review by Sean on October 31, 2020

Someone should option this for a Netflix series......more

Goodreads review by Wayne on November 14, 2022

Fascinating characters but it felt like a decline and fall from the very start. While she died rich, the mental illnesses and tragic relationships grow very weary on the reader (this one anyway) and I just felt tired and sorry for Sophie by the end. Ground down to a numb, agitated and deluded end, l......more

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