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Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist Hardcover – March 10, 2015

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Stephen Kurkjian (Author)
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3.8 out of 5 stars 49 customer reviews
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  • Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist
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  • The Art of the Con: The Most Notorious Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries in the Art World
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  • The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: PublicAffairs (March 10, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1610394232
  • ISBN-13: 978-1610394239
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsMaster Thieves
By KarenRachel on March 15, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Master Thieves is a riveting read about the unsolved 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner art heist. Stephen Kurkjian, a Boston Globe reporter who has been covering this mystery for 20 years, does a step by step investigation of almost all of the major and minor players of this true-crime story. The author lays out the connections between the different factions of the Boston Mob and goes into detail about the role of the FBI and their missteps and territoriality. Over time he is led to conclusions based on his hard-nosed and dogged search for answers and shares his hypothesis in this compelling book. Time will tell if makes an impact.
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5.0 out of 5 starsPierce Brosnan They Weren't
By Susan on March 13, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I have loved the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum since my grandmother first took me there as a child. There is simply no other museum like it: rather than a typical museum experience, it's like being invited into a distant relative's home...a very rich relative. Everything in the Gardner is about beauty and serenity: the courtyard, the Venetian arches, the beautiful paintings so lovingly displayed yet without labels to encourage the visitor to form their own assessment and relationship with the pieces. So it seemed especially shocking when twenty five years ago the Gardner was the victim of one of the greatest art heists in American history. This book gives a detailed look at the FBI investigation and theories about who violated this beautiful place. The contrast between the world of the Gardner and the world of those believed to have been responsible for the theft could not be more stark. Steven Kurkjian, a retired Boston Globe investigative reporter, plumbs the depths of Boston's underworld and profiles the prime suspects. This isn't a group of sophisticated, suave art lovers; these are nasty wise guys with motivations more in line with negotiating reduced sentences. All the major players from that underworld are here: Whitey Bulger; Frank Salemme; Raymond Patriarca and lots of low level mob members. The FBI itself had some ethical problems during the 80s dealing with the Boston underworld which unfortunately hindered their effectiveness at least during the initial stages of the investigation. The Gardner was caught in a perfect storm of gang warfare complicated by its own serious security failures and complacency. Kurkjian advances his own theory but unlike the FBI, he names the individuals he believes are responsible.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsFrustration Reigns Supreme in This Theft With No Winners
By Bill Emblom on March 7, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
This is a mystery in which there appears to be no winners. The individuals responsible for stealing several valuable paintings from the Gardner Art Museum in Boston haven't appeared to benefit from their heist. One of the three suspects is dead, another in prison, and another on the loose. The paintings themselves haven't surfaced in the past 25 years and we don't know whether they are still in hiding or damaged. They apparently haven't been sold to anyone. It may be risky for someone to hang them in their home. Despite a five million dollar reward for their safe return no one has come forth with a legitimate claim. It was known that the Gardner Art Museum had a very lax security system since 1981 and yet it wasn't until 1990 for the museum to take a hit.

Author Stephen Kurkjian has followed this story since its inception and his frustration in not having this crime solved is readily apparent throughout the book. Many different theories are mentioned including the Boston mob. You would think that whoever is responsible for this theft would have achieved their objective by this time. However, frustration continues in this mystery in which even the thieves haven't appeared to have benefited and the museum and the public is denied of the enjoyment of these paintings.
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1.0 out of 5 starsDistractingly Awful
By Craig on October 6, 2015
Format: Hardcover
The theft at the Gardner Museum -- in a city where hoodlums reigned supreme -- should be the making of a stellar book, but it's definitely not this one.

As others have mentioned, the evidence within is so thin that the author repeats the same facts over and over again.

Worse, at the same time he's repeating himself, the author contradicts what he's written within a couple of pages. For example, on page 100, he writes about Robert K. Wittman who helped form the FBI's art theft squad in the 1990s. On page 107, he writes, "The FBI...does not have a single agent focused solely on art." Then a page later, he writes about the formation of the art squad he just suggested doesn't exist.

Finally, it's chock full of bad writing, as evidenced by this gem on page 110: "...but the painting he took a fancy to, an eighteenth-century portrait of a stuffy-looking English nobleman, happened to catch his fancy."

A turd.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA master writer takes on a great mystery
By Reader Rabbit on July 29, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Stephen Kurkjian tells this decades-old true mystery story with masterly suspense and precision. It's the tale of a real crime with real victims and, somewhere, real perpetrators, but Kurkjian couldn't have told it better as fiction. He's a skillful reporter and knows his stuff. No question about that.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThoroughly enjoyed Master Thieves
By pants on May 10, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I read this after reading Songini's Boston Mob (totally by chance), which turned out to be the perfect intro to learn some background on many of the characters involved in the heist. Kurkjian's in-depth knowledge of the case & his personal accounts of meetings he had with many of the key players will transport anyone who is familiar with the case or not back in time to when the heist occurred & gives an insight to the people involved that will make it feel as if even you know them personally. The addition of Kurkjian's own "what ifs" just made this book even more enjoyable. Loved every word.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsCompelling non-fiction

Compelling crime story about the largest art theft and history that takes an unflinching look at why it remains unsolved.

Published 1 month ago by Mark Flanagan
5.0 out of 5 starsBest factual book on this crime

I don't think any reporter has been on this case as much as Kurkjian. He's been covering it for the globe since the mid-1990s. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Kameel Nasr
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent coverage of a complex crime

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsThriller

What a read! Loved it, Please write more!

Published 2 months ago by edward
4.0 out of 5 starsWorth reading, despite flaws

Pretty repetitous at times, this look at the Gardner art heist comes from the Boston Globe writer who has written the most about it, over the years. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Brad Smith
3.0 out of 5 starsGood, But Ulrich Boser's is Better.

I'm a sucker for these stories but I think the other story about the Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser is much better and more thoughtful.

Published 4 months ago by JD
2.0 out of 5 starsTempting, but...

Author has an inside look at an interesting tale, but comes up short with a disjointed, confused, rough sketch of a story.

Published 5 months ago by Dave Hazelton
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Reads like a suspense novel.

Published 5 months ago by CJ
5.0 out of 5 starsBoth loved the book

Bought two of these one for my husband and one for my father-in-law. Both loved the book.

Published 6 months ago by Erica
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book!

Published 6 months ago by Dora & Trip Millikin

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