‘The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession’ by Michael Finkel

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Michael Finkel is a journalist who writes true stories about fascinating people. The first one I read, was about Christopher Knight who disappeared into the woods one day where he stayed alone for 27 years (The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit).

The Art Thief is about Stéphane Breitwieser who was so passionate and obsessed with art, that he stole a vast array of priceless works and yet lived in poverty, because he never sold a single piece. He is the most prolific art thief of all time, pulling off more than 200 heists (estimated at $ 2 billion), often in crowded museums in broad daylight.

Finkel spent decades thoughtfully researching and writing about how and why these men did what they did and recounting their stories. It makes for exceptionally interesting and entertaining reading. Finkel’s light and lively narrative non-fiction style reads like fiction, complete with superb pacing and jaw dropping twists and turns. Both books have short snappy chapters and are so captivating.

What I wonder about is how Finkel managed to get both Knight and Breitweiser to even talk to him, let alone open up to him and tell him their stories. The author must have an exceptional interview style and be very personable and trustworthy, because both men had notoriously and repeatedly refused to even talk with other journalists in the past. Makes me want to meet Michael Finkel for coffee and find out what secrets he might be able to coax out of me! 🙂