The Art Thief is the true story of Stéphane Bréitwieser, who stole hundreds of pieces of art valued at more than $2 billion. He never sold a piece, and never intended to, instead amassing the collection to display in his own home.

I put this book off because I wasn’t in a place to commit to a nonfiction story about a guy stealing artwork. Oops, my bad because this book was so good, read like fiction, and I was hooked from the start. 

Credit to author Michael Finkel for writing such an immersive narrative. At times I had to remind myself this was nonfiction. Finkel’s writing was easy, descriptive, and engaging. The book is a mix of quotes from Bréitwieser, interviews with psychologists, and accounts based on police and court statements. 

I have probably a basic appreciation of art. I’m certainly not an art aficionado and I’ve never thought about or looked at art the way Bréitwieser must have. But reading this makes me want to revisit that approach and get to a museum stat!

This story is fascinating and the book was an easy five stars for me.