A review by mec8337
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

informative fast-paced

4.0

I am finding out that I like true crime stories of heists and thieves, and this book was no exception. I was incredibly into the story of Stéphane Breitwieser and how he stole nearly $2 billion dollars worth of art over the course of a 7 year period. The author did a fair job of portraying Breitwieser as human while also recognizing that he is deeply and psychologically flawed. I disagree with other reviews that Finkel makes excuses for Breitwieser. Because Finkel had a personal relationship with him, it adds a little more context into his actions. I do wish there had been more of a deep dive into his (most likely abusive) relationship with Anne-Catherine but I also recognize that she has been unwilling to speak to anyone about the case and Breitwieser so that would be difficult to get both sides of the story due to his narcissism.