I find it slightly tricky to rate and review non-fiction books. Am I judging the book based on the real life events that it describes or on the way those events and characters are portrayed. I think at the very least the two need to be decoupled and dealt with distinctly.

So first to the subject matter. Wow. What a crazy story. The sheer scale and audacity of the thefts undertaken by Stephane (and possibly/probably Anne-Catherine) are almost too crazy to be true. If this were a fiction I would have stopped halfway through due to the implausibility of the whole thing. Yet it is staggeringly true. The way he/they roamed Europe seemingly swiping treasures from under the noses of museums, churches, galleries and auctions is unbelievable. And the fact it went on for so long makes it all the more remarkable. As with all non-fiction, the ending is predictable, we wouldn’t know the story unless it had come to a juddering halt at the hands of the police.

And on to the writing and the book itself. I thought it was well written and delivered in such a way that it never glamorised or overly criticised the couple, it simple detailed the events and lets the voices of those who were involved in the events provide conclusions and opinions.

The treatment of Stephane after the inevitable time in prison does paint him in as particularly desperate and tortured soul, and it’s easy to see why that is the case. I guess no life of crime is ever likely to end well.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it, especially if you haven’t heard of the exploits of these two interesting and slightly star crossed lovers.

The Art Thief