Synopses & Reviews
On February 15, 2003, a group of thieves broke into an allegedly airtight vault in the international diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium and made off with over $108 million dollars worth of diamonds and other valuables. They did so without tripping an alarm or injuring a single guard in the process.
Although the crime was perfect, the getaway was not. The police zeroed in on a band of professional thieves fronted by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a dapper Italian who had rented an office in the Diamond Center and clandestinely cased its vault for over two years. The who” of the crime had been answered, but the how” remained largely a mystery.
Enter Scott Andrew Selby, a Harvard Law grad and diamond expert, and Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds, who undertook a global goose chase to uncover the true story behind the daring heist. Tracking the threads of the story throughout Europefrom Belgium to Italy, in seedy cafés and sleek diamond officesthe authors sorted through an array of conflicting details, divergent opinions and incongruous theories to put together the puzzle of what actually happened that Valentines Day weekend.
This real-life Oceans Elevena combination of diamond history, journalistic reportage, and riveting true-crime storyprovides a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century.
Review
Praise for FLAWLESS:Fans of caper books and movies will be in seventh heaven here.
A must-read for true-crime fans.”
Booklist (Starred Review)
a riveting narrative
” Boston Globe
"...a fascinating chronicle...Like a finely cut gem, this well-polished, multifaceted book sparkles." --Publishers Weekly "Fans of true crime (especially those who appreciate less violence and no gore) and of crime caper movies will especially enjoy this fun romp." --Library Journal
"Exciting, well-crafted tale...Selby and Campbell (Blood Diamonds: Tracing The Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones, 2002, etc.) provide an engrossing nonfiction thriller...an effective, well-researched collaboration, in which the classic heist story illustrates the seamy underbelly and criminal lure behind the bright facade of the diamond industry. Sure to appeal to armchair rogues and, like Blood Diamond, cinema-ready." -- Kirkus Reviews
Part whodunit, part mob tell-all, part diamond underworld reportage, Flawless is simply too good to miss.” Ulrich Boser, author of The Gardner Heist
With Flawless, Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell take the genre of true crime to a new level. Reading it, you realize that sometimes reality can be more fantastic than most action films.”Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi, New York Times bestselling authors of The Monster of Florence
The first must-be-read-with-popcorn book ever. Selby and Campbells propulsive and cinematic narrative shimmers with truth, hubris and knowing details. I loved it.”Gregg Olsen, New York Times bestselling author of Starvation Heights
That real life often outdoes fiction is no longer surprising, but when a true story is brilliantly told, it's a discovery worth shouting about. Flawless will leave you gasping as the authors gradually peel back the covers on one of the most audacious acts of high stakes mischief in the history of thievery.”Lee Gruenfeld, co-author of Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief
In Flawless, Selby and Campbell expertly dissect this audacious crime in a compellingly expansive investigation ranging from the intricacies of the diamond industry to the history of the mob in Italy. A story that could have been ripped from the pages of a movie script but which is rooted in fact, Flawless is a rare true crime storya real diamond in the rough.”Julian Rubinstein, author of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
[D]azzling. Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell take us into the minds of top-drawer jewel thieves who view every lock as a challenge, every cop as a fool and everyone elses diamonds as their own birthright. Handle with discretionyou might be up all night reading.”Tom Zoellner, author of The Heartless Stone and Uranium
Flawless is flawless. This is a one-hundred carat gem of a book. Flawless is an incredible, true, page-turning account of a half-billion dollar diamond robberythe boldest, most daring diamond theft in the world.”J. North Conway, author of King of Heists
The gripping story of an incredible crime. This tale of old-fashioned criminal enterprise has been told with a level of research that immerses you in a fascinating journey into the hidden world of diamond trading.”Neil Forsyth, author of Other People's Money
You could not invent a better crime story. From the very first step into that ransacked vault, Selby and Campbell have you.” Kevin Krajick, author of Barren Lands
A thoroughly modern and riveting tale of the world's biggest diamond heist. With vivid storytelling and fascinating detail, Selby and Campbell piece together every step of mastermind Leonardo Notarbartolo's plan, and the investigation that left detectives dumbfounded. Full of intrigue and suspense, Flawless is a terrific read.”Gilbert King, author of The Execution of Willie Francis
Review
Praise for The Axmann Conspiracyandnbsp;
andquot;The Axmannandnbsp;Conspiracy is a well-documented history but reads like a thriller. In our troubled age, when anti-semitism is on the rise, this account of a would-be Fourth Reich and the men who foiled it is as timely as it is chilling and engrossing.andrdquo;andmdash;Dean Koontzandnbsp;andldquo;Selbyandrsquo;s account, of the soulless Nazi fanatics who slithered about the ruins of Germany seeking not survival but resurgence and restoration, unfolds as if in real time, vivid and chilling.andrdquo;andmdash;Hugh Ambrose, author of The Pacificandnbsp;andldquo;The Axmann Conspiracy is a true storyandhellip;never before told in such extraordinary detail. The Nazi plot to resurrect a Fourth Reich from the ashes of Berlin has all the elements of a great spy thriller.andrdquo;andmdash;Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi, bestselling authors of The Monster of Florenceandnbsp;andldquo;Astonishingandhellip;Selby recounts this true story with the excitement, tension, and drama of a spy novel.andnbsp; It is an authentic tour de force, done with great skill and accuracy.andrdquo;andmdash;Bevin Alexander, author of Inside the Nazi War Machineandnbsp;andldquo;How many novelists have imagined some diabolical villain who seeks the resurrection of the Nazis? None do justice to the heart-thumping true story of Axmann and his aim to do just thatandhellip;Selby recounts this history with zeal and narrative verve.andrdquo;andmdash;Neal Bascomb, author of Hunting Eichmannandnbsp;andldquo;Grippingandhellip;With the deft hand of a skilled researcher, Scott Selby brings to life one of the lost stories of World War II. A must read.andrdquo;andmdash;Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500andnbsp;andldquo;Parts of The Axmann Conspiracy read like something out of a LeCarrandeacute; spy novel.andrdquo;andmdash;Jim DeFelice, author of Omar Bradley: General at Warandnbsp;andldquo;A fascinating true story of insurgent Nazism with characters and twists as engrossing as any espionage novel.andrdquo;andmdash;Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow
Synopsis
A trusted member of Hitlerandrsquo;s inner circle, Artur Axmann, the head of the Hitler Youth, witnessed the
Fanduuml;hrer commit suicide in Berlinandmdash;but he would not let the Reich die with its leader. Evading capture, and with access to remnants of the regimeandrsquo;s wealth, Axmann had enough followers to reestablish the Nazi party in the very heart of Allied-occupied Germanyandmdash;and position himself to become dictator of the Fourth Reich.
U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps Officer Jack Hunter was the perfect undercover operative. Fluent in German, he posed as a black marketeer to root out Nazi sympathizers and saboteurs after the war, and along with other CIC agents uncovered the extent of Axmannandrsquo;s conspiracy. It threatened to bring the Nazis back into powerandmdash;and the task fell to Hunter and his team to stop it.
The Axmann Conspiracy is the previously untold true story of the Nazi threat that continued in the wake of World War II, the espionage that defeated it, and two fascinating men whose lives forever altered the course of history.
INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAPS
About the Author
Scott Andrew Selby is the co-author ofand#160;
Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History. He has a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Masters degree in Human Rights and Intellectual Property from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute at Swedenandrsquo;s Lund University, as well as a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies/Theories of American Culture from UC Berkeley.and#160;