The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Thief - Paperback
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The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Thief
"One of the most beguiling criminal memoirs ever written. . . . A rare gem of a book." -- T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Havana Nocturne
This gripping true crime memoir chronicles the extraordinary life of Myles J. Connor, America's most infamous art thief. The son of a decorated Massachusetts policeman, Connor transformed from a promising rock musician leading the band Myles and the Wild Ones into one of Boston's most notorious criminals, executing some of the most audacious museum heists in American history.
Inside America's Greatest Art Heists
Connor's criminal career targeted the nation's most prestigious institutions: New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and Boston's Museum of Fine Art. His methods combined tactical brilliance with stunning bravado—elaborate disguises, brazen con jobs, and even broad-daylight grab-and-dash operations that defied conventional security measures.
The memoir details previously untold robberies and heists, including Connor's legendary escape from a Maine jail using a fake gun carved from soap. Perhaps most remarkably, he negotiated early release from prison by trading the return of a famous Rembrandt painting, demonstrating the unique leverage his stolen masterpieces provided.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Connection
Despite being incarcerated during the largest art theft in American history—the still-unsolved 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—the FBI continues to consider Connor a prime suspect. This decades-long feud with federal authorities forms a central thread throughout his criminal narrative.
A Meticulously Researched Account
Co-authored with novelist Jenny Siler, this biography draws from extensive research including eyewitness interviews, newspaper archives, police reports, court records, FBI interview transcripts, and personal correspondence. The result is a thoroughly corroborated account that separates fact from the mythology surrounding Connor's exploits.
Part confession, part thriller, The Art of the Heist offers an unprecedented look into the mind of a master criminal whose genius IQ and irresistible charm made him a legend in both law enforcement and criminal circles.
Coauthor Jenny Siler, the author of six novels, first met Myles in the fall of 2007. Together, Jenny and Myles have interviewed many eyewitnesses to the events described in the book. For help in reconstructing and corroborating Myles's story, Jenny has combed through numerous documents, including newspaper archives, police reports, court records, transcripts of FBI interviews, and personal correspondence.
Connor, Myles J.: -Myles J. Connor grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, the son of a decorated policeman. During the 1960s and '70s he was the leader of a successful Boston rock-and-roll band, Myles and the Wild Ones. He robbed his first museum when he was twenty years old. Shortly after, he gained notoriety for his daring escape from a Maine jail, and for his involvement in a dramatic shoot-out with Boston police. Connor has planned and executed numerous bank robberies and museum heists, several of which are told here for the first time.
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