Customer Reviews

Thief : The bizarre Story of Fugitive Financier Martin Frankel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed J.A. Johnson's aptly titled book. Too many in the media seemed to have glorified Martin Frankel as a sort of folk hero, but "Thief" clearly demonstrates that Frankel was nothing but a thief who victimized many people and didn't earn a single of the perks he enjoyed for so long, those privileges which are normally reserved for people who work hard and create things of value to society. Mr. Frankel only took and took and took, and hopefully he will eventually get the punishment he deserves.

The Frankel story is truly incredible, but not Mr. Johnson's effort. This book was obviously a rushed effort to be "first to publish". A few interviews with some of Frankel's "girls" and former employees and cronies that chose to work and take money from this disgusting thief doesn't make a best seller. The remainder of the book is filled with inaccuracies that could have been easily corrected/verified with a little effort and reviewing public records (shame on his editor). I hope the next Frankel book is better than this example of supermarket tabloid reporting.

Joe A. Johnson, Jr., a talented author and journalist, has couched his book, " Thief : The bizarre Story of Fugitive Financier Martin Frankel " very much in the way of the good, short detective novels I used to read as a younger girl, where justice come swift and sure.

"Thief" is a short but particularly effect read that intercuts between J.Johnson's journalistic fact appraoch and serious literary intent.

With J.Johnson's magnetizing pearls of phrase, "Thief" is tightly knitted together by the author's extreme, intense atmosphere of personal preception and his extensive, intimate knowledge of the actual facts of the story to be quickly unwound by the reader in a chilling, unbelieveable true crime thriller involving sex, death and high white collar crime by a sociopathical, international "Thief."

Get it. It's good.

This is a book well worth reading for anyone who loves rare crimes, especially of the white collar variety. For someone who took a real interest in this story as it unfolded in the media, the book recaps much of what has already been published in newspapers from New York to Frankel's hometown newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. But the book goes beyond what has been published before by helping to put in perspective the entire sordid chain of events. My only peeve is that the book lacks a solid bibliography to be a real authoritative work. The author does not cite his sources, but rather, gives a weak acknowledgment to the newspapers that be borrowed so heavily from. There's no shame in what he did, as long as he cites his references. Because I wrote a long and extensive term paper on this, I know where he drew his information from. But still, it's a compelling book and deserves to be read!

While I found the book unenjoyable and rather dull, I'm giving it two stars because it did have some fresh information. But I am more intrigued by what is going on with these reviews. I have never seen a case where the reviews bounce back and forth -- 1 star, 5 stars, 1 star, 5 stars -- with all of the 5 stars coming from the same region, and written with the hyped tone of a publicist. Often, similar language is being used (SEX! When's the movie coming out?) Is somebody stuffing the ballot box here?

I have followed the Frankel story on the news with great interest. This book, though, is somewhat unenjoyable and dull at times - it has not added anything new to the information already published in newspapers. This book is a rehash. Two stars.

I live less than half a mile from Mr. Frankel's former estates in Greenwich, and I was shocked by what I learned about my neighbor when I began reading J.A. Johnson's stories in the Greenwich Time in the spring of 1999. Johnson is to be commended for his outstanding reporting both in the newspaper and in "Thief." Whenever I wanted to get details that the NY TImes, Wall Street Journal, and no one else had on Marty Frankel I turned to the Greenwich Time. I continued to get those details from Johnson's book.

Yes, I am a hack writer. But I am published!
When I was building cars on a General Motors assembly line, pumping gas at an Amoco station, unloading freight at a warehouse, washing dishes in Tony's Restaurant, etc., etc., that I would one day become a published author was something I never dreamed of.
When the auto plant laid me off, I decided I needed a career, and not just go from one dead-end, back-breaking job to another. So I went to college, earned a degree, and at age 29 became a reporter. I'd finally found my niche.
After I broke the Frankel story, a friend, Tim Dumas, who wrote a book about the Martha Moxley murder case in Greenwich, suggested I write a book and referred me to his agent. And yes, it was a rush-to-print job. THe agent told me the only way a first-time author like myself had a shot at being published was to get the book out while the story was fresh.
I agree with reviewers who say the story drags at times. After all, I'm just a hack cop beat reporter. Still am, probably always will be, and loving every day of it. I'm now at a mid-size paper in Georgia and still cranking out two to three crimes stories a day.
For those who said I just cobbled together clippings from other newspapers, that's just not true.
I'm the one who broke the Frankel story, and I reported the hell out of it, churning out front-page stories for the Greenwich Time on a nearly daily basis that kept readers enthralled with each new bizarre revelation.
The fact is, much of my own reporting showed up in those very same newspapers under other bylines! Greenwich Time is just a small town newspaper, and many of my Frankel stories went over the AP wire. The WSJ, NYT and other major papers followed my lead, first picking up the AP reports then putting their own reporters on the story. But they were always playing catch-up and basically just re-hashing what I'd already reported. So, how could I take what was mine to begin with?
I apologize for nothing and have no regrets. I had my shot and took it. The book deal supplemented my meager salary and put a little extra food on my family's table.
Anyway, thanks for buying the book, even if you think it sucks.
J.A. (Joe) Johnson Jr.

This is truly an amazing story. I say this as a Stock Broker with a degree in Criminal Justice. Thus the insight into the mind and the day to day activities of a largely successful white-collar criminal is fascinating. I feel that from the stand point that Frankel was able to manipulate the system and the people around him makes this book worth all five stars. J.A. Johnson, Jr. puts Frankel's story to life right in from of your eyes. Yes, at times it drags a little, but that is a reality and only adds to the life that Martin Frankel led. It doesn't just stop with the book as Frankel will probably be extradited to the states in 2001 and it will be an enthralling case to watch.

Joe A. Johnson, Jr., a talented author and journalist, has couched his book, " Thief : The bizarre Story of Fugitive Financier Martin Frankel " very much in the way of the good, short detective novels I used to read as a younger girl, where justice come swift and sure.

"Thief" is a short but particularly effect read that intercuts between J.Johnson's journalistic fact approach and serious literary intent.

With J.Johnson's magnetizing pearls of phrase, "Thief" is tightly knitted together by the author's extreme, intense atmosphere of personal preception and his extensive, intimate knowledge of the actual facts of the story to be quickly unwound by the reader in a chilling, unbelieveable true crime thriller involving sex, death and high white collar crime by a sociopathical, international "Thief."

Get it. It's good.