Customer Reviews

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

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Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History.

You can't help but read this book non-stop. The details, action and polished descriptions are riveting.

I read Flawless right away, as soon as it arrived from Amazon. I couldn't put it down. It reads like "Devil in the White City"--true crime come to life! No one dies in this book, but it still was an exciting read. And I learned about diamonds. Can't wait for seeing what I read in the theaters - it too will be a blockbuster.

I absolutely could not put this book down! Flawless is, well, flawless. If you love true crime, can't pull yourself away from cop dramas, and are a fan of espionage tales, then this book is for you.

Scott Selby and Greg Campbell's Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History is a nail biting, page turning romp through a real life caper. You may not recognize Selby's name, but Greg Campbell wrote Blood Diamonds, a pretty good read in itself. It is hard not to compare Flawless to Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen although the comparison is unfair. Flawless actually happened. These movies were just made up glitz; interesting, but made up none the less.

The nighttime theft happened Valentines weekend, 2003 when the thieves broke into the Diamond Center in Antwerp. The Diamond Center isn't Fort Know, but it was guarded by every security device one could think of; round the clock gaurds, motion and vibration sensors, and an 18 steel vault door and locks requiring multiple keys and combinations. While the author's tell us a lot about the crime, who committed it, and how it was done, certain aspects are left unreported. How the actual vault door was compromised, for example is missing. I suspect this is to be expected. The authors also examine the diamond industry, literally from top to bottom.

Well researched and told in a "novelistic" manner, Flawless is one book you have to read, especially if you're a true crime fan.

I highly recommend this page turner and time burner. You'll enjoy it.

Peace

What a treat to read about a real-life theft more astounding than any invented for tv or movies. The School of Turin, as the diamond thieves are known, really pulled off the crime of all crimes, and I found I had to keep reading to find out how they did it...and what happened to them afterwards (wow). In the process I gained insight into the fascinating world of the diamond trade, and learned about the gems themselves and the political and humanitarian issues surrounding their mining. The writing is excellent, the story unbelievable! - I truly looked forward to the time I could spend with this book.

Easily the best book I have ever read. I am not an avid reader but I read this book in 3 days and all I wanted was more. I would recommend this book to anyone who, well, wants a book to read. If you do not enjoy it then you were reading a different book. I am actually re-reading this book as wel speak just because I miss how good it was

Readers will devour Flawless, Union Square Press' sparkling new non-fiction title. Within the pages, authors Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell (Blood Diamonds) detail the events surrounding the greatest diamond heist in history.

Half a billion dollars in gems boosted from an impenetrable underground vault within Antwerp's locked down diamond district?

Oh yeah, I'm all over this one.

A rich veneer of history overlays the narrative. With focus and clarity, Flawless examines not only the oft politicized roots of diamond industry but also the origins of the gems themselves. As the world's most liquid commodity, for centuries these jewels have been mined and funneled into the pockets of tycoons and tyrants alike.

Millions of dollars worth of carats are passed from hand to hand...and it all happens in Belgium, baby. Antwerp rose to prominence over a century to become the center of world diamond trade. The book thoroughly explores the dichotomy between Antwerp's moneyed diamond district and the surrounding tourist infested streets before transporting the reader to the backrooms and back alleys of Turin, Italy, a haven for mystics and thieves.

While the locales are in intriguing enough by themselves, the criminal masterminds responsible for the heist hijack the reader's attention. Leonardo Notarbartolo and his gang of thieves are anything but the usual suspects; the "School of Turin" makes Danny Ocean's crew look like small time crooks.

Flawless outshines most of the historical capers I've seen on the shelves. You'll want to snag a copy. The execution of the premise is THAT good. Even though the loot has never been recovered, you'll enjoy slipping into the shadows to follow the footsteps of the suspects.

Told in the nail-biting style of a great caper flick, Flawless takes the reader inside the world of professional jewel thieves and recreates the biggest diamond heist in history. From Turin, Italy to Antwerp, Belgium, we see the design, planning and execution of a complex theft through the eyes of the crooks, the police and the diamond community. Full of relevant history and information about the diamond trade, the story is peopled by Italian crooks, American reporters, Hasidic Jews, honest cops, inept guards and accidental witnesses. I'm not sure a movie could improve on this fascinating account, but I'd line up to see it. This is non-fiction at its most entertaining - a terrific read.

I loved this book - couldn't put it down! The storyline moved along really nicely, and it really drew me in. I found myself wanting to know even more about diamonds and heists - the authors really got me interested in the subject! Better than a news piece on a heist, the authors really went into what the thieves must have been thinking and doing. Not an easy feat, but they pulled it off quite well. I'll be looking for their next book!

A group of thieves pulled off a perfect robbery in 2003. The alarms didn't trip and no one was injured. Making it out with over one hundred million dollars in diamonds and jewels. The police were able to find out who the culprits were but they were baffled by how the heist went so smoothly. The big dog of the group was an Italian man named Leonardo who worked out of a Diamond Center office. Scott, a law graduate and Greg, an author, teamed up to find out what really happened during one of the most notorious robberies ever.

This book is brilliantly written and reads like an awesome action movie. I'm a sucker for true crime and Flawless really is flawless.

This was a compelling and wonderful read. I tend to stick almost completely to murder in my true-crime reading, but wow this was quite a read. Before I read this book, I thought jewel heists were just the stuff of movies. Not so, there are big heists in real-life and this one was the biggest of them all. It is estimated to have yielded from $100 million to $400 million.

I still feel a little frustrated because we don't know the complete story. We know a lot, but the thieves have never told the truth (one of them told a fiction story). I hope someday every detail comes out, but in the meantime you will be thrilled with the ride you get from this book. Definitely recommended.