A new a true crime podcast tells the story of the theft of the stunning diamond star jewel of Empress Sisi of Austria by a low-level thief grasping for the big time in the 90s.
Daniel Blanchard isn’t your average petty criminal. His heists are ingenious, his escapes defy belief, and his ability to stay one step ahead of the law leaves investigators baffled. He has a system, and it works.
Then, when one day Daniel sees the last remaining Sisi Star – a perfect cluster of dazzling diamonds – he risked everything to get his hands on it.
His plan to steal it is high stakes – a daring night-time parachute jump. If he can pull this off, he knows it will launch him into the criminal big leagues.
Daniel’s exploits unleash a relentless game of cat-and-mouse, as a determined police team tracks him across continents – even as time and again he vanishes from their grasp. But how long can Sisi’s star stay lucky for Daniel?
What Daniel doesn’t know, is that this jewel has a dark history. It was once the crowning glory of the legendary Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who used it to defy the rules of her age and carve her own legacy of absolute beauty and power. Its pursuit drove her to her very limits. And now his fate is fixed to that same star.
A Most Audacious Heist is a tale of ambition, risk and obsession, as host Seren Jones tracks the thief – and the empress – across two centuries, to find out just how far they’ll go to get what they desire.
From Blanchard House, the first episode of A Most Audacious Heist is available now, with further episodes released eachTuesday until 18 March.