The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft

Great Book, with a caveat

This is a great book for art lovers and mystery lovers, and it's a true story. Mr. Boser brings the case to life with his beautiful writing. Here is my caveat, however. If you have followed the case or have conducted extensive research into it, then, unfortunately, the book does not add much new information to the discussion; save for an interesting new suspect worthy of investigation by local law enforcement.

This book is definitely worth reading.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Superior Reporting

Ulrich Boser's book of the Gardner Heist is a must-read for anyone who is interested in true crime and who appreciates excellence in journalism. Ulrich combines good old-fashioned reporting (which means interviewing people in person, not just the telephone or trolling the Internet) with first-rate writing. The result is a book that grabs your attention immediately and stays with you long after you've finished. Note to the writers of the Madoff books (that's you, Andrew Kirtzman, Jerry Oppenheimer, Erin Arvedlund: Do your legwork in person. It makes a huge difference in your research and writing. Note to editors: Use Boser as a standard for writers whose books you acquire. This is what superior journalism is all about.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

This is an excellent book and whole-heartedly recommend it to others. My only wish is to find those paintings, especially the Vermeers. An excellent documentary to watch regarding this subject is called "Stolen" and came out in 2005.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Where's Whitey?

A fascinating story, and being from Boston it was a kick reading about all the old neighborhoods and the hoods who inhabited them. The author stepped across the journalism line as he became obsessed with the Gardner theft, and it was a hoot reading about him trekking to Ireland in the hopes of catching the FBI's Number Two Most Wanted man, Whitey Bulger.

The book sheds some light on the Gardner and offers a reasonable theory of the crime, but after almost 20 years the paintings seem to be taking on the title of another Boston crime novel; Gone Baby Gone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What Happened to the Gardner paintings?

As an enthusiastic reader and writer I love a good mystery. The Gardner Heist is one of the best I have ever read. Some booksare very good, but a little stilted, pedantic, often over the top with factual material. Boser had found theright blend of mystery, fact, and just plain great descriptions. There is nothing boring about his work. I will set the book aside for about six months, then go back in and read it again. It is one of thefew books, along with the entire Sherlock Homes series, I will read over, and over, and over.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Looking for Who Done It

I found The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser a fascinating mix of who done it, the Boston underword and the author's search for the missing art and himself. The uncontroverted facts of the Gardner robbery of a Vermeer, two Rembrandts and other priceless painting would only fill a chapter. What makes this book an interesting and provocative read is the author's speculations and his tour of the Boston underworld filled with colorful and lethal characters. Moreover, the author has a real talent for quickly sketching them in a way that brings them to life. Boser's own experience playing junior shamus for three years is fine, but not nearly as good as his frequent and highly insightful comments about art, crime and human nature. I highly recommend this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intriguing story

This book provides insight into the world of underground art thievery and the characters who deal in it. Fascinating true crime story that is still eaiting to be solved.

If Vermeer had painted the way Boser writes...

The Vermeer painting would still be on the wall at the Gardner if Vermeer painted as poorly as Ulrich writes.
A careful heavy editing might have helped thopis intrinsically interesting story to rise above the journeyman level of the prose. Very disappointing.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Incredibly Interesting

I never even heard about the Gardner theft until I read this book. Now I want to stay informed. There are a lot of facts and they are presented in a way that the reader can follow with ease and stay interested in the details.

READS LIKE A NOVEL

an extremely riviting read that is well researched. Its a real life whodunit!

If you like art or a good mystery this will satisfy both!

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in a day! The facts about stolen art are very interesting! What a terrible tragedy! All that art gone. If you have never been to the Gardner, it is a great place to spend the day! But first read this book!

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.