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Mar
29
Book Review: Flawless by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell
2010 at 7am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published February 2010 by Union Square Press (a Sterling imprint)
Anyone who was serious about trading in diamonds did business in Antwerp—and, by extension, so too did anyone who was serious about stealing them.
It was with the latter in mind that Leonardo Notarbartolo, Italian jeweler, thief, and member of the illustrious School of Turin, leased an office in Antwerp’s Diamond Center in fall 2000. More than two years later, in February 2003, after extensive research and careful planning, Notarbartolo and his cohorts (some of whom remain unknown) carried off the biggest diamond heist in history when they broke into the Diamond Center’s vault and made off with an estimated $108 million in diamonds and other valuable items.
In Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History, authors Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell use their unprecedented access to case documents to piece together the School of Turin’s preparation, planning, and execution of the heist. They give readers an in-depth history of the thieves’ backgrounds and experiences, a careful look at the Diamond Center and Antwerp’s diamond culture, and a solid understanding of exactly how complex the job was. And they do it all in a fluid, engaging, and often entertaining narrative style that marks Flawless as an example of the very best kind of narrative nonfiction.
I’m hesitant to discuss the details of this book for two reasons: first, because it is fascinating, and you should read it for yourself; and second, because much of the fun of it is reading about the obstacles Notarbartolo and his fellow thieves encountered and being amazed at how elegantly simple their solutions were. As Selby and Campbell put it, the School of Turin “had taken the crime of theft and turned it into an academic pursuit. They were masters of their craft” because “at the heart of every successful heist was a near-religious devotion to research.”
Whereas many true crime books become just as much (if not more) about the author’s research process as about the actual crime, with Flawless, Selby and Campbell keep themselves almost completely out of the narrative, allowing readers to be sucked into the story—which reads like the book version of The Italian Job but with more intellect and less melodrama—and swept away by the thieves’ compelling, surprising, and creative work. I was so impressed by their research and ingenuity that I found myself pulling for them on more than a few occasions!
Because there was enough information available to make the writing of this book possible, it should come as no surprise that Notarbartolo got caught. But what does come as a surprise is how he was caught (and what a salami sandwich had to do with it), how much of the story can be pieced together despite his refusal to give away any of the details, and how close he and the School of Turin came to pulling it off.
I thoroughly enjoyed Flawless and think its fun, accessible, informative narrative style will make it appealing to readers of all types. As a fine example of the ways in which nonfiction can be fun, readable, and just as entertaining as fiction, Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell’s Flawless gets an enthusiastic 4.5 out of 5.
Hey, FTC: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I am an IndieBound affiliate and will receive a commission if you purchase Flawless through one of my links.
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So many bloggers are reading and reviewing Flawless at the moment that I’m starting to wonder if I should join in. I have to admit that with the first post I read I thought: I’m not interested in diamond heists, so why bother? But your review makes it sounds interesting enough to consider reading it.
It really is very interesting. I’m not usually a true crime reader, but this is so well written that it feels like reading fiction.
While the topic of this book wouldn’t necessarily interest me, your review really makes me want to read it. I’m not normally a true crime fan, but I do enjoy a good heist movie (are heist books a viable genre?). I’ve been on a big nonfiction kick lately, so this sounds wonderful. Thanks!
Glad you’re interested! I told a friend recently that Flawless is evidence that good writing can make just about anything interesting. I’m really glad I picked it up.
I used to read tons of true crime years ago and have gotten away from it. I’m really intrigued by this one!
True crime has always been one of my favorite genres. I don’t read it nearly as much as I used to, but I can never say no when the ARCs come around. This one sounds absolutely fascinating…and a good candidate for a movie I think!
Ok – totally not the same as Flawless, the movie I saw with Demi Moore and Michael Caine – which, by the way, was good. Sounds really interesting.
This sounds like such a good read – thanks for the suggestion
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