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 aqyear-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 old grand 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 and 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 per cent 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.
