UPDATE (July 20, 2016): I ended up putting down this book about 1/3 of the way through in exasperation because it just became this muddled mess. You practically need a flowchart to make all the connections which the author hops forward and backwards to and I reverted to making note cards to remember all the key players involved. The subject matter is fascinating but despite wanting to learn more about art theft during WWII, I found myself conducting so much marginalia that I myself was practically writing a compendium. There are so many ways the author could have assisted the reader but essentially reading this book becomes a research project. I'd like to think that I'm smarter than the average bear but I think this book is aimed at a demographic of people who have advanced knowledge. I often wondered if this was a PhD thesis converted into a book marketed for the general population. There is a companion film of the same name which is very good and is why I wanted to read this book. But despite the usual saying that the book is always better than the movie, this is the exception and it pains me to say that.
Original Review: I am still in the beginnings of this paperback book. The subject matter is really intriguing and not until I saw the film (a few years back) based on the book did I give this subject much thought. After watching the movie I wanted to read the book, but unless you have a base knowledge of the art that the writer discusses or a good memory of the film which showed the art in question, then you are left to looking it up to have a fuller understanding. Also, separate knowledge of not only the major but also minor Nazis will make this book a fuller read. I don't normally need " pretty pictures" in my reading, but given the subject matter and the myriad of players involved, photos of at least the main surviving works mentioned and a short bio of the people involved you could flip back to. Unless detailed notes are provided by the author, I guess this is where reading on a Kindle or other book reader makes it easier because you can quickly and more easily flip back to your notes and highlights - which is what I normally do whenever a new person or character is introduced as a helpful guide for me because since I've become disabled I am a slower reader without the greatest of retention (not only in pace I read but also the amount of time I can spend reading at one sitting has greatly diminished). After reading a couple Kindle books, I usually find myself wanting the "feel" and "smell" of a good book in my hands so I will switch to a printed book. I wish I had chosen the Kindle version over print for this particular book. While the writing and subject is 5 star, I knocked off a star for the reasons mentioned above and really it is because of my own peccadillo. I don't know if the author couldn't get the rights (which is hard to believe) to include photos of at least the major art works, but it and a short bio in the Addendum (including the artists involved since I don't know a lot about Germanic art) would have made this book richer and given the reader a deeper reading experience and not left them wanting.
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