by Bill Mason
—ERIC GARCIA, author of Matchstick Men
“[A] cool-witted and frequently jaw-dropping memoir . . . Reads like a night’s worth of the greatest barstool tales ever told, as Mason spins his own legend without the need for embellishment. Offering an irresistible taste of the derring-do to come, the book opens with a prologue worth of a Jules Dassin heist picture. . . . It’s hard, as a reader, not to root for his success.”
—The Onion
“There must be a touch of larceny in most of us, otherwise how to explain the kick we get from reading about the exploits of cat burglars. . . . In this vastly entertaining book, Mason tells of his various heists, most of which he carried out for the thrill and the challenge rather than the monetary reward. . . . His exploits were so amazing the media dubbed him ‘ghost’ and ‘phantom.’ Using a combination of skill, daring, good preparation and caution, Mason led the good life until, inevitably, he got caught. Read, enjoy, and get some tips on how to avoid becoming a mark.”
—Toronto Sun
“Fans of classic caper films . . . will be fascinated by the true-life adventures of jewel thief Mason, who had a long and successful career. . . . His crimes, recollected in engrossing detail, involved careful planning and research, but he never fails to credit luck and simple human carelessness.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Engaging, extravagant account of life on the wrong side of the law.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Entertaining.”
—Library Journal
While this is a work of nonfiction, the names and personal characteristics of several peripheral characters have been changed in order to protect their privacy. In these instances, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
2005 Villard Books trade paperback edition
Copyright © 2003 by William Mason and Steeplechase Run, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Villard Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
VILLARD and “V” CIRCLED Design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
The January 1985 cover of Cleveland Magazine on page 336 is © Cleveland Magazine and is reprinted by permission of Cleveland Magazine. The April 14, 1985, cover of Sunshine magazine on page 336 is reprinted by permission from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
This work was originally published in hardcover by Villard Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2003.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mason, Bill.
Confessions of a master jewel thief / Bill Mason with Lee Gruenfeld.
p. cm.
eISBN 1-58836-195-0
1. Mason, Bill. 2. Jewel thieves—United States—Biography. 3. Celebrities—Crimes against—United States. I. Gruenfeld, Lee. II. Title.
HV6653.M3A3 2004
364.15'52—dc21
[B] 2003053758
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www.villard.com
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