CURRENTLY READING
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
Monday, March 24 through Friday, April 4, 2025
Read by Bruce Bradley
Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time. He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight. His girlfriend served as his accomplice. His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion. He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom. He felt like a king. Until everything came to a shocking end. In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.
THEME: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit conductor, Kyung Wha Chung piano
(Vintage; ISBN10: 1984898450)
Readings are archived for just one week after their broadcast due to publisher copyright restrictions.
Latest Episodes
-
The Art Thief 10 of 10 – The Aftermath
Following the trial, Anne-Catherine settles into a quiet, private life. She never makes contact with Breitwieser again. He falls in love with an Anne-Catherine look-a-like. He also quickly falls into […]
-
The Art Thief 9 of 10 – Breitwieser’s Day In Court
After a failed suicide attempt and a surprise visit from his father, Breitwieser faces justice in a Swiss court. There he learns a terrible secret about his girlfriend.
-
The Art Thief 8 of 10 – The Confession
After confessing to hundreds of thefts, Breitwieser is transported to a facility near Geneva for inquisition by Detective Alexandre Von der Muhll, who’s been pursuing him for over five years. […]
-
The Art Thief 7 of 10 – Caught In A Trap
Following a violent argument, Anne-Catherine considers her future with Breitwieser, who makes a rash decision that brings him once more to the attention of the Swiss police.
-
The Art Thief 6 of 10 – Trouble In Paradise
As he makes his most challenging heist yet, Breitwieser comes face-to-face with the law. What’s worse is that his relationship with his cohort in crime has reached a turning point.
Chapter A Day Booklist
View information about every book we’ve read in the past 30 years!
Coming Next
Last Person Rural by Noel Perrin
monday, April 7 through friday, april 18, 2025
Read by jim fleming
Perrin’s second “final” collection of bucolic essays was written eight years after his supposedly ultimate compilation (Third Person Rural, heard earlier this year on CAD)—and it’s another appreciation of rural life and being a good steward of the land told with humor, warmth and a little bit of philosophy as well.
NPR’s Book Concierge
