Synopses & Reviews
“A gripping tell-all….A fascinating look inside the mind of an unrepentant criminal.”
—Washington Post
“One of the most beguiling criminal memoirs ever written….A rare gem of a book.”
—T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Havana Nocturne
Americas most notorious art thief, Boston-based Myles Connor, tells the unapologetic true story of his life of crime in The Art of the Heist. Co-written with acclaimed author Jenny Siler, Connors eye-opening memoirs offer readers a rare, detailed, and intimate look into the mindset of a master criminal—a cat burglar, thief, and con man, veteran of numerous brazen museum heists, who shares the unparalleled “rush” of a life lived on the far side of the law.
Review
“From his daring 1965 jail break at age 22 to his legendary career pilfering treasures from museums all over New England, Connors life is the stuff of adventure novels.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
"A gripping tell-all....A fascinating look inside the mind of an unrepentant criminal."
--Washington Post
"One of the most beguiling criminal memoirs ever written....A rare gem of a book."
--T. J. English,
New York Times bestselling author of
Havana Nocturne
America's most notorious art thief, Boston-based Myles Connor, tells the unapologetic true story of his life of crime in The Art of the Heist. Co-written with acclaimed author Jenny Siler, Connor's eye-opening memoirs offer readers a rare, detailed, and intimate look into the mindset of a master criminal--a cat burglar, thief, and con man, veteran of numerous brazen museum heists, who shares the unparalleled "rush" of a life lived on the far side of the law.
Synopsis
"One of the most beguiling criminal memoirs ever written....A rare gem of a book." -- T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Havana Nocturne
How did the son of a decorated policeman grow up to be one of Boston's most notorious criminals? How did he survive a decades-long feud with the FBI? How did he escape one jail sentence with a fake gun carved out of soap? How did he trade the return of a famous Rembrandt for early release from another sentence? The Art of the Heist is a roller-coaster ride of a life, the memoir of America's most infamous art thief Myles Connor.
Once a promising young rock musician, the son of a respected policeman, Myles Connor became one of Boston's most well-known criminals--a legendary art thief with irresistible charm and a genius IQ whose approach to his chosen profession mixed brilliant tactical planning with stunning bravado, brazen disguises, audaciously elaborate con jobs, and even the broad-daylight grab-and-dash. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, Boston's Museum of Fine Art . . . no museum was off-limits. The fact that he was in jail at the time of the largest art theft in American history--the still-unsolved robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum--has not stopped the FBI from considering him a prime suspect. The Art of the Heist is Connor's story--part confession, part thrill ride, and impossible to put down.
Synopsis
“Theres a rush to it, an elevation of the senses. . . . Its a sweet feeling, one Ill never get tired of, not on my twentieth heist, or my fiftieth, or my hundredth.”
Once a promising young rock musician, the son of a decorated policeman, Myles Connor became one of Bostons most notorious criminals—a legendary art thief with irresistible charm and a genius IQ whose approach to his chosen profession mixed brilliant tactical planning with stunning bravado, brazen disguises, audaciously elaborate con jobs, and even the broad-daylight grab-and-dash. New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, Bostons Museum of Fine Art . . .no museum was off-limits. The fact that he was in jail at the time of the largest art theft in American history—the still-unsolved robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum—has not stopped the FBI from considering him a prime suspect. Optioned for film by the Oscar-winning screenwriter and director William Monahan (The Departed), The Art of the Heist is Connors story—part confession, part thrill ride, and impossible to put down.
About the Author
Myles J. Connor grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, the son of a decorated policeman. During the 1960s and '70s he was the leader of a successful Boston rock-and-roll band, Myles and the Wild Ones. He robbed his first museum when he was twenty years old. Shortly after, he gained notoriety for his daring escape from a Maine jail, and for his involvement in a dramatic shoot-out with Boston police. Connor has planned and executed numerous bank robberies and museum heists, several of which are told here for the first time.
Coauthor Jenny Siler, the author of six novels, first met Myles in the fall of 2007. Together, Jenny and Myles have interviewed many eyewitnesses to the events described in the book. For help in reconstructing and corroborating Myles's story, Jenny has combed through numerous documents, including newspaper archives, police reports, court records, transcripts of FBI interviews, and personal correspondence.