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A review by albatrossonhalfpointe
Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Lee Gruenfeld, Bill Mason
3.0
I really love heist movies. I'm pretty sure that's what drew me to this book in the first place, and in that respect, it didn't disappoint. The first half of the book describes a number of Mason's scores in delightful detail. Within the first few pages, he describes inching along a narrow ledge on the outside of a building to get the target patio, and you really do feel like you're hanging right there with him. The others are just as suspenseful and meticulously laid out. Good times.
The second half of the book addresses some of his more personal issues and his legal troubles, going into detail about his trials, his time as a fugitive, his relationships, his time in jail, etc., and I didn't enjoy that part as much, although it was still quite compelling.
I thought he and Gruenfeld managed to do a pretty good job of portraying Mason as someone who you can't entirely figure out why people love him so much but you also can't quite bring yourself to loathe. And even he gratefully acknowledges his astonishment at the love and support he got from a shocking number of people, despite everything. This does speak to his character, I think, and his people-judgement skills, as he managed to surround himself with friends who were genuinely friends no matter what, even though I wonder if a little less acceptance from some of them might have helped steer him off the criminal path a little sooner.
He discusses, at the end, the irresistible compulsions he felt to go after these scores, and compares them to other kinds of addictions, without coming across as trying to excuse his actions on those grounds, and I think that's interesting. We know there are people who get pretty major adrenaline kicks, and this is just one manifestation of that, and I wonder if therapy might have also helped keep it in check.
I'm also reminded of the character of Stella in The Italian Job, who took the safe-cracking skills her father taught her and put them toward a legitimate career helping cops get into safes and testing safe manufacturers' new models. I don't know if there would be any way of turning Mason's mad cat burglary skillz into a legitimate career along those lines (finding the flaws in supposedly high-security buildings, for example), but it might have been something to consider, that could have maybe provided enough problem-solving satisfaction to keep him on the straight and narrow. There might not be the adrenaline to go with it, but maybe it could have helped?
Because you really do find yourself kind of rooting for the guy, not so much to successfully steal a bunch more stuff, but to finally stop and to stay out of trouble. Because in many ways, he really does come across as a good guy who just gets sucked into this addiction of his. Like I said, he doesn't excuse himself on those grounds, and I'm not trying to excuse him on them either, but the book does manage to make you feel that way a little.
In any case, I don't know how much or how little embellishment this book contained, but it was a fun read, and that's enough for me.
The second half of the book addresses some of his more personal issues and his legal troubles, going into detail about his trials, his time as a fugitive, his relationships, his time in jail, etc., and I didn't enjoy that part as much, although it was still quite compelling.
I thought he and Gruenfeld managed to do a pretty good job of portraying Mason as someone who you can't entirely figure out why people love him so much but you also can't quite bring yourself to loathe. And even he gratefully acknowledges his astonishment at the love and support he got from a shocking number of people, despite everything. This does speak to his character, I think, and his people-judgement skills, as he managed to surround himself with friends who were genuinely friends no matter what, even though I wonder if a little less acceptance from some of them might have helped steer him off the criminal path a little sooner.
He discusses, at the end, the irresistible compulsions he felt to go after these scores, and compares them to other kinds of addictions, without coming across as trying to excuse his actions on those grounds, and I think that's interesting. We know there are people who get pretty major adrenaline kicks, and this is just one manifestation of that, and I wonder if therapy might have also helped keep it in check.
I'm also reminded of the character of Stella in The Italian Job, who took the safe-cracking skills her father taught her and put them toward a legitimate career helping cops get into safes and testing safe manufacturers' new models. I don't know if there would be any way of turning Mason's mad cat burglary skillz into a legitimate career along those lines (finding the flaws in supposedly high-security buildings, for example), but it might have been something to consider, that could have maybe provided enough problem-solving satisfaction to keep him on the straight and narrow. There might not be the adrenaline to go with it, but maybe it could have helped?
Because you really do find yourself kind of rooting for the guy, not so much to successfully steal a bunch more stuff, but to finally stop and to stay out of trouble. Because in many ways, he really does come across as a good guy who just gets sucked into this addiction of his. Like I said, he doesn't excuse himself on those grounds, and I'm not trying to excuse him on them either, but the book does manage to make you feel that way a little.
In any case, I don't know how much or how little embellishment this book contained, but it was a fun read, and that's enough for me.