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Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History
 
 
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Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "On the afternoon of August 17, 2003, Phil Christopher was seated in a common area of the Cuyahoga County Jail in his hometown of Cleveland,..." (more)
Key Phrases: Terre Haute, Mary Ann, Paul Lyons (more...)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History + Where the Money Is: True Tales from the Bank Robbery Capital of the World + Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief
Price For All Three: $38.46

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  • This item: Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History by Rick Porrello

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  • Where the Money Is: True Tales from the Bank Robbery Capital of the World by Gordon Dillow

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  • Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A well-written, fast-paced and insightful look at an historic crime rarely attempted." -- Joseph "Donnie Basco" Pistone, Retired FBI agent and author of The Way of the Wiseguy

...Phil Christopher's story fascinates like a train wreck: You see it coming but you just can't turn away... -- Lee Gruenfeld, co-author of True Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief

...a fascinating tale of an unapologetic criminal, clearly addicted to the ‘rush’ he received from committing a crime... -- National Police Defense Foundation

...an exquisitely vivid anatomy of the largest bank burglary in U.S. history. Rich with heart-pounding immediacy throughout... -- Dan E. Moldea, author of The Hoffa Wars

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW says: Superthief... is the remarkable narrative story of the great United California Bank burglary in 1972... For its candor and engaging biographical stories of life as a career criminal, Superthief is to be given high praise and very strong recommendation... --Midwest

Must read for anyone wanting to get inside the life of a wiseguy. A real-life 'Goodfellas' of the burglary world -- James Dubro, Former president of the Crime Writers of Canada, author of five books on organized crime and winner of the Arthur Ellis Award

Superthief is the best insider’s view of the criminal life since Pileggi’s Wiseguy. -- T.J. English, author of The Westies and Paddy Whacked

…For its candor and engaging story of life as a career criminal, Superthief gets high praise and very strong recommendation… -- Midwest Book Review


Product Description

Superthief is a captivating first-hand look at the life of Phil Christopher, a career criminal, Mafia associate, and one of the most successful bank burglars in the United States. In a raw and candid accounting, Author Rick Porrello takes readers inside Phil's brutal street world and prison life and exposes the details behind the planning and execution of the daring and record-setting 1972 United California Bank burglary in Orange County, California. The UCB burglary is the biggest in United States history and has been featured in documentaries on Court TV and the Discovery Channel.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Next Hat Press (October 31, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0966250850
  • ISBN-13: 978-0966250855
  • Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #272,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Rick Porrello
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Inside This Book (learn more)


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Where the Money Is: True Tales from the Bank Robbery Capital of the World 4.9 out of 5 stars (10)
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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars True Crime at its best, June 18, 2006
Superthief strips away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's portrayal of crime. A great narrative that gives the reader an inside look at the real underworld and the harsh realities of doing scores, getting pinched, pulling time and doing time
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superbook!, June 15, 2006
From robbing the milkman at age nine through petty thievery to union strongarming, safecracking, and the biggest bank heist in American history, with Mafia associations, drug dealing, and murder along the way, Phil Christopher's story is fast-paced, exciting, and ultimately tragic. As Phil himself admits from behind prison walls, "crime...does pay, but just not for long." Filled with double-dealing, deceit, broken lives, successful crimes, plus his own colossal failures which put Christopher behind bars for over half his life, this is one of best inside accounts of a career criminal I've ever seen. And no one is better qualified to bring Phil's story out than author-cop Rick Porrello, who knows so well the Cleveland underworld that spawned the Superthief.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Rick Porello scores again, June 14, 2006

Rick Porrello scores again with Superthief, detailing how master burglar, Phil Christopher, pulled off the largest bank heist in U.S. history. Porrello's dead-on, no-frills style exposes the underbelly of Phil Christopher, a guy who says about crime--"It's a rotten investment that will eventually suck the life out of you." One question: What could an intelligent, resourceful guy like Phil Christopher have achieved if he'd gone legit instead of taking the path of least resistence--greed? You'll want to keep a towel handy when you sweat out Christopher's 30+ crime-packed years as Superthief.

Cherie Rohn, Co-author of
THIEF! The Gutsy, True Story of an Ex-Con Artist
www.ThiefTrueStory.com
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Superthief
I met the author of this book a short time ago and after that meeting decided to purchase his books. Superthief holds the attention from the moment you begin to read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Linda Crawford

2.0 out of 5 stars Resounding "Meh"
Superthief reads more like a self written biography than it does a crime/suspense story. Porello explains that Phil's 1200 page manuscript was the basis for this story and In my... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Ryan Herron

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
Originally drawn to the Las Vegas-style book cover, I discovered that the story itself lived up to the bling of the high rolling art work of the cover design. Read more
Published on April 19, 2007 by Ellen Poulsen

3.0 out of 5 stars Falls short of its potential
This is the highly engaging and very readable life story of master burglar/drug trafficker Phillip Christopher. Read more
Published on January 30, 2007 by Thomas Hunt

4.0 out of 5 stars Supertheif
Christopher is an older guy from my neighborhood.....I grew up in Collinwood near the end of its salad days........we used to go on vacation without locking our doors. Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by Michael A. Hamila

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put this book down...
I could not put this book down. I loved reading what goes thru a thiefs mind, and then reading some background and filling in some of the questions that would come to my mind... Read more
Published on August 1, 2006 by Janiece A. Chisholm

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Read
Very well written, definitely keeps you reading til the end following the unbelievable plots, schemes,twists & turns. I cannot wait to see the movie.
Published on July 21, 2006 by PamSum

5.0 out of 5 stars "Wiseguy" companion.
Another Porello masterpiece. Rick chronicled the life and crimes of Phil Christopher, Cleveland's technically astute but hard-lucked king of burglars. Read more
Published on July 20, 2006 by Vinegar Jim

5.0 out of 5 stars $uperthief is Highly recommended!
"Only renowned author Rick Porrello could pull off this spectacular, captivating and intriguing true story about the largest bank robbery in American history. Read more
Published on June 5, 2006 by Tony Stewart

5.0 out of 5 stars Superthief "A Great Read!"
"While reading Superthief one becomes almost livid with Phil Christopher for being such a screw-up and at the same time pulling for him even though he's a criminal. Read more
Published on June 4, 2006 by Rudi Eagan

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