Stolen Masterpiece Tracker
by Thomas McShane
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Book Summary Information
Author: Thomas McShaneCollaborator: Dary Matera
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-11-25
ISBN: 1569803145
Number of pages: 360
Publisher: Barricade Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781569803141
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of Stolen Masterpiece Tracker
Book Review: Great read, Kindle version marred by poor translation to ebook form
Summary: 4 Stars
Fortunately, the book is better and more imaginative than the title! The author is a retired FBI agent who did much of his work undercover investigating and recovering stolen art. We're talking Rembrandt and Grandma Moses here, big money paintings, statues, and coins. The book gets into nitty-gritty, describing undercover stings and investigations, with Hollywood-style drama such as wearing a wire, trying to figure out what to do when the FBI agents monitoring the bug don't come charging in when the agreed-upon code word is used, having a formal complaint filed against the author by the person for whom he'd just recovered a multimillion dollar emerald, and going on the Internal Revenue Service "eternal rectal probe audit" list because $500,000 of government money passed through his personal bank account as part of a sting.
As you can tell, there are a lot of colorful events and characters in the book, but I've left out lots, including the guy who was stunt man for Charlton Heston during Ben Hur, Rudolf Guiliani's underworld cousin who was the prototype for a character on The Sopranos, and stationing police under a window with a laundry basket to collect evidence when it is thrown out the window as the SWAT guys break in to make the bust. In addition to the merely strange or ridiculous, there are some interesting tidbits about law enforcement work, such as that FBI agents going into a room that is bugged by law enforcement _NEVER_ know where the bug is or how it is hidden--That way they can't be forced to give up the wiretapper's tricks when testifying under oath.
Presumably thanks to the co-writer (Matera) the book is well-written and the writing is pleasant to read. The author speaks with a rough-and-tough, "that's how it is" voice that feels authentic. On the unpleasant side, the translation (presumably by optical character recognition?) to Kindle form is awful! There are numerous typos, and whenever multiple numbers appear together, unwanted space is inserted between the numbers even when it doesn't belong there. Sometimes clumsy right-justification means that only a few words appear on a line with massive gaps in between each word. It was annoying enough to repeatedly jolt me out of "the zone" of reading and break my concentration. The book actually does have a chapter index that works, though. These glitches aren't bad enough to keep me from enjoying the book and recommending it for anyone who thinks the subject might be interesting.
Summary of Stolen Masterpiece Tracker
Legendary FBI undercover agent Thomas McShane is one of the world's foremost authorities on the billion-dollar art theft business, and here he presents a unique memoir that provides a thrilling ride through the underworld of stolen art and historical artifacts. His expertise and indefatigable determination prompted FBI Director William H. Webster to name McShane as the Senior Investigator of the FBI's expanding Art Squad.Memoirs Books
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