Description: While on honeymoon in Vienna in June, 1998--at the height of the tourist season--Gerald Daniel Blanchard, an accomplished thief, happened upon the greatest challenge of his life when he spotted the last remaining "Sisi Star" on display in Schonbrunn Palace. Named after its former owner, the Empress Elisabeth, the ten-pointed diamond and pearl star was originally one of 27 that the enigmatic Sisi wore in her extravagantly long hair. Despite the multi-layered security system protecting the priceless jewelry, Blanchard decided then and there to steal it.
Brief description: Jennifer Bowers Bahney is an award-winning journalist with a master's degree from Northwestern University and a BA from Smith College. Her book Stealing Sisi's Star, was a finalist for the 2016 Ohioana Book Award in Nonfiction.
Review Quotes: "It would be criminal for lovers of historical nonfiction to miss this story of theft, sadness, and obsession...provides a fascinating peek at 19th-century thinking"-Kirkus Reviews; "the true story of a ten-pointed diamond and pearl star that entwines theft, obsession, suicide, and assassination"-Ohioana Library Association.