Priceless
By Robert K. Wittman
Written by the retired founder of the FBI Art Crime Team, Priceless
describes how Robert Wittman went undercover to rescue the world's stolen
art treasures. This book is a riveting non-fiction read; it begins with how
Wittman came to enter the FBI and how his first art crime cases inspired him
so much he ended up preferring them to the usual crime and drug busts FBI
agents worked on.
In order to be effective at recovering stolen art, though, Wittman had to
know something about it. His mentor at the agency recommended he take a
year-long art course at a private museum. Through that experience, he came
to understand and appreciate art even more than he had - and recognize some
of the trademark techniques of the grand old masters.
The book then fast forwards to 1997 and one of Robert Wittman's first
undercover stings. A small group of smugglers had discovered and sacked one
of Peru's richest ancient tombs and were trying to get cash for the national
treasures they had stolen. Wittman gained their trust by posing as a shady
art broker who had a buyer for their antiquities. Once the smugglers had
incriminated themselves sufficiently, he made the signal and FBI agents
burst on to the scene, arresting the smugglers and recovering the Peruvian
treasure.
Wittman continues recounting his escapades as an undercover agent, including
how he retrieved some Norman Rockwell paintings that featured the Twin
Towers sometime after 9/11 and how five years after it was stolen, he
recovered a Rembrandt. His narrative is sprinkled with conversations
between himself and the thieves he bested, and they're pretty accurate
reflections of what actually went on: Wittman turned to his secretly
recorded transcripts to recreate the dialogue.
Priceless ends with a disheartening failure. Wittman was on the trail of
one of the biggest busts in history, but one that involved a number of
international governments. By now, the FBI Art Crime Team's skills were
well known and each of the countries involved in the bust wanted to get
credit for solving a decades-old theft from a private museum.
The politics, in-fighting, red tape, and posturing all prevented Wittman
from doing what he did best: getting close to the criminals, gaining their
trust, and negotiating a "sale" so they would bring out the hidden
masterpieces. In the end, the mission completely fell apart and Wittman was
unable to close the case before he retired.
For those interested in the preservation of the world's treasures, though,
take heart: Robert K. Wittman has started an international art security
firm. And it's a good guess that politics and red tape won't stop him from
doing what he does best - restoring antiquities and treasures to their
rightful owners.
Priceless: How I Went Undercover To Rescue The World's Stolen Treasures is
at the Prince George Public Library in the adult non-fiction section and
also as a free downloadable audiobook that plays on computers, mp3 players,
and iPods.
-Reviewed by Rachel Huston, Marketing & Development Assistant at the Prince
George Public Library
Crawling From The Wreckage
By Gwynne Dyer
There's an unfortunate trend in news media today, and it involves slashing
budgets for foreign correspondents and a resulting drop in international
news. Despite the fact that Canada (and just about every other country) is
globally interconnected, international news stories are becoming hard to
find even in large Canadian newspapers.
We can overcome our domestic ignorance about the rest of the world (whose
imports support 40% of our standard of living, after all) by reading
articles and books by Gwynne Dyer. His latest book, Crawling From The
Wreckage, is composed of dozens of his past news columns along with
commentary on whether his views were correct or not, based on subsequent
experience and events.
Dyer's articles cover a vast range of current events, ranging from the
occupation of Afghanistan (when many Canadians were thumping their chests,
Dyer thought the mission would fail) to the issues of Latin America. His
breadth of knowledge is impressive and he has no problem expressing his
personal views of what is happening in the world.
Like all of us, Gwynne Dyer has many opinions. In many cases however, his
opinions are informed opinions and his track record at reading the tea
leaves is surprisingly good, though he has certainly made his share of
mistakes. Readers may disagree with his observations but his commentary has
been a useful source of insight and has changed my personal views from time
to time.
Gwynne Dyer's latest book is on order and will hit the shelves of the Prince
George Public Library soon. Readers can put it on hold to get their hands
on it as soon as it enters the library.
- Reviewed by John Shepherd, former trustee for the Prince George Public
Library Board.
