Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert Wittman
I was attracted to this book after reading The Art Thief by Michael Finkel last year and what do you know, it will fit the same nonfiction category this year as well- True Crime. The Art Thief introduced me to a level of art thievery I was unaware existed. The sheer volume of crimes dealing with masterpieces and historical artifacts is astounding.
Robert Wittman was a FBI detective working undercover tasked with recovering these treasures and arresting the criminals. It's dangerous work and he has so many good stories about his part in the recovery of Geronimo's headpiece, a Rembrandt painting, a suit of armor and so much more. He even arrested someone with the Antiques Roadshow! Lots of good stories. His book covers how the FBI worked in the 1990s and gave an interesting snapshot of that time period.
I'll say the narrative is a bit dated calling some of the female undercovers babes and the cavalier posturing. Still, for an undercover to pull off a false identity and mingle with felons easily takes some stones.
I liked The Art Thief by Finkel more than this one but that was a completely different point of view. 3.25 stars
Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: True Crime
Next up is a monthly update, a review of Whistler by Ann Patchett (amazing book) and another nonfiction titled Believe by Jeremy Egner.
