The Art Thief · Epstein · Milli Vanilli

Brace now: The Art Thief, Michael Finkel’s book on Stéphane Breitwieser, is one of those books you’re going to see on everyone’s best of 2023 lists. I know that’s a stretch — after all, who remembers a book published in June when December rolls around? — but it’s so strange, painstaking, and oddly compassionate that I think it’s going to stick with readers long after they swipe the down arrow on their Kindles.

Folks who follow heists, especially in the art world, know Breitwieser already — he admits to over 200 thefts from 172 different museums from 1995-2001, and was caught only after an attempt to steal a 1500s-era bugle went sideways. Just as notable was his stated motive: Breitwieser wasn’t fencing the stuff he stole on the black market, he was a collector who kept the stuff he took at home. (I’ve always wondered if Toulour, the thief played by Vincent Cassel in Ocean’s 12 and 13, was based on Breitwieser — if I ever meet Steven Soderbergh, remind me to ask him.)