Unfortunately, this book could not make me feel bad for a white dude who can’t learn a lesson, no matter how hard the author tried. The story itself is pretty thrilling and almost feels like fiction, it was solid and entertaining. However, the journalism and research did not seem robust. It mostly read like the author became enthralled with Breitwieser and his vibe and was just recounting his exploits. This book almost cast his kleptomania as the quirky character trait of a dude who just really loved art rather than a crime that ended up destroying historical artifacts, which is kind of weird!

I’ve become spoiled by really good nonfiction (Challenger and The Wager come to mind) that covers a topic very holistically, dipping into greater themes and history at large. While I liked that this was quick and to the point, I would have liked a broader look at art and art thieves throughout history and a more balanced account of Brietwieser, his girlfriend, and his mom (what was her deal?!). I was interested when the author dipped a bit into museums and their role in stealing art from, especially oppressed, people and how that might connect with art thieves. Could have been interesting to explore (though definitely a bit off topic!) Maybe this would have worked better as a long article rather than a book? I still had a good time reading it, but found it lacked depth and rigorous journalism.