Robin Quinn
AUTHOR

Robin Quinn

Biographies & Memoirs
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'BRILLIANT - A TERRIFIC READ,' says Michael Aspel, OBE. 'Robin Quinn's eye for a story and readiness to dig deep have paid off with a gasp-inducing account of the career of an outrageous chancer, who went from being Europe's most envied man to most-wanted criminal. Rien ne va plus!' 'THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ ALL YEAR,' says the editor of Devonshire Magazine in his review of 'The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'. 'The level of research that's gone into this book by Robin Quinn is staggering. A thoroughly entertaining, interesting read that's highly recommended.' 'EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY': Helen Brown, Financial Times, 23 January 2023. 'The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo' is the incredible-but-true story of Charles De Ville Wells, Gambler and Fraudster Extraordinaire, and is the latest title by this British author. The book is aimed at a general audience, but will have a special appeal for lovers of Victorian and Edwardian true crime stories. 'The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo' takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through Britain, France and Monaco in the company of one of the greatest swindlers of the era, as Charles De Ville Wells pulls off one breath-taking coup after another. His amazing win at the roulette tables of Monte Carlo is just one of many highlights in this true story, which reaches a climax when he is pursued across Europe in one of the biggest man-hunts of all time. The idea for the book came quite unexpectedly, as Robin Quinn explains: 'A few years ago I was researching some entirely unrelated topic when I happened to notice an old newspaper article which said something like, "Man Who Broke Bank at Monte Carlo Dies in Poverty". I was captivated immediately. To begin with, it was the first time I'd realised that there really was a man who had broken the bank. Previously - if I'd given it any thought at all - I'd assumed he was just a made-up character, the subject of a music-hall song. But evidently he was a real person. And then I began to wonder how it could be that someone who'd won so much money could die in poverty. Whatever could have happened in between? It took me the best part of two years to find out. But that's another story in itself!' The hardback edition of the book appeared in 2016. A revised and expanded paperback edition was released in August 2023, and contains numerous facts discovered since the publication of the first edition. 'The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo - Charles De Ville Wells, gambler and fraudster extraordinaire' is published by The History Press Ltd. Robin's previous book, first published in January 2015, is entitled 'Hitler's Last Army'. It documents the story of the 400,000 German prisoners of war who were detained in Britain during and after World War II. The last of these detainees to be officially repatriated left in 1948, while 25,000 remained in the country, and in many cases became British citizens. Note: Robin Quinn is a British author, not to be confused with the American editor of the same name. Before becoming an author he was a radio presenter and subsequently an independent producer who made programmes for the BBC's national radio services - in particular Radio 2. His programmes include: 'The Prohibition Years' (two series investigating the music, customs and history of the period from 1920-1933 when the USA banned alcohol); 'The Summer of 1940', which focused on the Dunkirk Evacuation, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz; and 'Coffee Bar Kids', a look at life as a teenager in 50s and early 60s Britain. His music series cover a wide range of subjects including: Queen (the rock group!); the Beatles; Glen Campbell; Dean Martin; Ella Fitzgerald; Cliff Richard; and Badly Drawn Boy. His articles on a variety of subjects have been published in magazines and newspapers including The Independent; The Argus (Brighton); Music Week; Family History Monthly.
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