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Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief Paperback – 12 April 2005

by Bill Mason (Author), Lee Gruenfeld (Author)

169 ratings

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The extraordinarily captivating memoir of the remarkable jewel thief who robbed the rich and the famous while maintaining an outwardly conventional life--an astonishing and completely true story, the like of which has never before been told . . . or lived.

Bill Mason is arguably the greatest jewel thief who ever lived. During a thirty-year career he charmed his way into the inner circles of high society and stole more than $35 million worth of fabulous jewels from such celebrities as Robert Goulet, Armand Hammer, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Truman Capote, Margaux Hemingway and Johnny Weissmuller--he even hit the Mafia. Along the way he seduced a high-profile Midwest socialite into leaving her prominent industrialist husband, nearly died after being shot during a robbery, tricked both Christie's and Sotheby's into fencing stolen goods for him and was a fugitive for five years and the object of a nationwide manhunt. Yet despite the best efforts of law enforcement authorities from several states as well as the federal government, he spent less than three years total in prison.

Shadowy, elusive and intensely private, Mason has been the subject of many magazine and newspaper features, but no journalist has ever come close to knowing the facts. Now, in his own words and with no holds barred, he reveals everything, and the real story is far more incredible than any of the reporters, detectives or FBI agents who pursued Mason ever imagined. Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief, expertly co-written by bestselling author Lee Gruenfeld, is a unique true-crime confessional.

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Review

"Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief is a compelling memoir that details a life of crime and a series of gutsy capers rivaling anything that Hollywood could dream up, exploits made all the more astonishing for having been pulled off single-handedly. Bill Mason, a self-described "ordinary guy" who ended up ripping off everyone from Truman Capote to Phyllis Diller to the Mob, insists he's on the straight and narrow now, but his story sure stole a good night's sleep from me. "
--Les Standiford, author of Havana Run and Last Train to Paradise

"I think this book's tremendous. As is always the case, real life, when properly described, is vastly more fascinating than fiction, and you need look no further for proof than Bill Mason's amazing story. "
--Frank W. Abagnale, author of Catch Me If You Can and The Art of the Steal

"Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief is the kind of book that drives crime-fiction writers like me up a wall: No one would ever believe these amazing, compelling stories of theft and deception if they weren't sitting on the nonfiction rack. Mason tells his life story with such flair and confidence that I felt like I was dangling from a twenty-story ledge right along with him. Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief is the ultimate kind of guilty pleasure, because even though you know it's so wrong, it feels so right."
--Eric Garcia, author of Matchstick Men

From the Back Cover

The extraordinarily captivating memoir of the remarkable jewel thief who robbed the rich and the famous while maintaining an outwardly conventional life--an astonishing and completely true story, the like of which has never before been told . . . or lived.
Bill Mason is arguably the greatest jewel thief who ever lived. During a thirty-year career he charmed his way into the inner circles of high society and stole more than $35 million worth of fabulous jewels from such celebrities as Robert Goulet, Armand Hammer, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Truman Capote, Margaux Hemingway and Johnny Weissmuller--he even hit the Mafia. Along the way he seduced a high-profile Midwest socialite into leaving her prominent industrialist husband, nearly died after being shot during a robbery, tricked both Christie's and Sotheby's into fencing stolen goods for him and was a fugitive for five years and the object of a nationwide manhunt. Yet despite the best efforts of law enforcement authorities from several states as well as the federal government, he spent less than three years total in prison.
Shadowy, elusive and intensely private, Mason has been the subject of many magazine and newspaper features, but no journalist has ever come close to knowing the facts. Now, in his own words and with no holds barred, he reveals everything, and the real story is far more incredible than any of the reporters, detectives or FBI agents who pursued Mason ever imagined. Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief, expertly co-written by bestselling author Lee Gruenfeld, is a unique true-crime confessional.

"From the Hardcover edition.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Villard Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 12 April 2005
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375760717
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375760716
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 272 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.18 x 2.21 x 20.32 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 2,704 in Crime & Criminal Biographies

Customer Reviews:
169 ratings

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Lee Gruenfeld
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169 global ratings

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Kim con
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

item arrived promptly and as described excellent read

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Oberleseratte
switch your alarm system on !
Reviewed in Germany on 17 April 2010
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
After having read this book, there remains a very clear lesson learned: unless you switch your alarm system on when leaving the house, itŽs useless. Even one of the best burglars ever just had to do very simple things to get what he wanted. The safer you think you are the less safe you are in reality. Fascinating read. Anyway, in the end the author had to suffer the average criminalŽs fate. Of course.

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thefrozenangel
Page Turner
Reviewed in Canada on 14 August 2023
Verified Purchase
Wow! The evoked tension that reading this book causes rivals that of any crime serial on TV. I had to take periodic breaks because it got too much. If you love anti-heroes and crime dramas, you’re going to love this.

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singaway
Engaging
Reviewed in the United States on 3 March 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I love true stories. Very engaging

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Rick Spell
More than a Jewel Thief
Reviewed in the United States on 7 May 2004
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I read this book as it received a lot of publicity on initial release. I didn't find it to be a fast, compelling story of a dangerous jewel thief. Rather, I found it to be a tale of a common thief with a substantial amount of time spent on normal legal proceedings and life as a fugitive. While his life was much more normal than you may expect by reading the title, I still found it to be a very compelling read.
Mason starts the book as a teenager who has some minor run-ins with the law while living in Cleveland Ohio. He stumbles in to a life as a jewel thief while marrying, raising kids, and living a fairly normal life as an apartment manager.
The book really revs up with a move to South Florida in the 70s. Florida was exploding with drugs, crime, and wealthy northeners living in ocean front condos with expensive jewels. Mason describes some of his successful heists but the more interesting story is his relationship with the police. Also, there is a comical sideline of him buying a small ocean front home to rent where the renters continually turn out to be drug runners using his house as a delivery point.
The last part of the book has little to do with jewel thefts and more to do with family and escaping the law. Overall, I found this to be a worthwhile story to read. But "a master jewel thief" is really only about 40% of the story. That may be enough for most readers as it was for me.

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