Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures

by Robert K. Wittman and John Shiffman

Book Overview

The Wall Street Journal called him "a living legend." The London Times dubbed him "the most famous art detective in the world." ? In Priceless, Robert K. Wittman, the founder of the FBI's Art Crime Team, pulls back the curtain on his remarkable career for the first time, offering a real-life international thriller to rival The Thomas Crown Affair . ?? ? Rising from humble roots as the son of an antique dealer, Wittman built a twenty-year career that...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307461475
• ISBN13: 9780307461476
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book

I really enjoyed this book and was delighted to pass it along to my family and friends.

Great Art Crime Book

What a life Wittman lived as an undercover FBI agent hunting stolen treasures. I `m amazed he was able to use the same undercover name for twenty years without the bad guys catching up with him though it was necessary for building a reputation in the underworld. I'd assumed the art theft world was fairly small and maybe it is for criminals with some art knowledge but mostly they seem to be inept bumblers presented with an opportunity. So many museums are under secured. It's a shame they don't have the funding to protect their exhibits better. In the end it was interconnectedness of the criminals and the agents that ended Wittman's government career, that and governmental bureaucracy both at home and abroad. It's an old boys club filled with one upsmanship. The final chapters hold out glimmers of hope of finding the Vermeer and Rembrandt stolen from the Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. It was wrenching to hear one of the other Gardner paintings described as being badly damaged. Though I wish there was better news on the Gardner front that in no way takes away from the many other lovely things Wittman was able to retrieve in fact his descriptive art insider's information made this book for me. In my opinion this is one of the best art crime books I've read in years.

A fun, exciting read

Very much a page-turner. Wittman's got a lot of great stories to tell about why we should appreciate art, how some government agencies have a warped sense of priorities and of course the fascinating ways in which some of the most infamous property crimes in history have played out and his role in them. There are suave characters, misfit gangsters and plot twists that can make you laugh or cry (depending on how much of an appreciation of art you may have - and if you don't have much of one, you will by the time you finish this book). Some of the "gangster talk" is right out of Hollywood; you wouldn't believe it if dialogue wasn't culled from bugged meet-ups and hidden video. But it's all real! And its told in a style that at times borders on gumshoe noir, which keeps the action lively. Highly recommended for a fun summer read; I think anyone would enjoy this international thriller and might even learn something along the way.

All the right elements for a great read

True crime, modern art, US Civil War history, world art history, antiques roadshow, greed, and guns! I'm 3/4 way through this book and can't put it down.

Perfect summer reading

Priceless has just about everything you'd want in a book, with appeal to all sorts of readers. In light of the recent art heist in Paris, this is timely and fascinating. Wittman's exploits do indeed read like a crime thriller, keeping the pages turning in a breathless fashion. I'll definitely buy more copies as gifts!

A riveting, spellbinding, page-turner!

Perfect for the beach...except you won't want to put it down to go in the water. Wittman is instantly a legend and Shiffman's own undercover detective skills mesh with the protagonist's to create the Summer's first "can't miss".