Confessions

of a

Master Jewel Thief

Click here for photos.

Four Stars (out of four) -- "Critic's Choice" selection.

— PEOPLE Magazine

“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 Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can

"The greatest jewel thief of modern times. Persuasive -- riveting."

— Forbes Magazine

"Vastly entertaining. Read, enjoy..."

— Toronto Sun

"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

CONFESSIONS OF A MASTER JEWEL THIEF is a compelling memoir that details a life of crime and a series of gutty 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,  Havana Run and Last Train to Paradise

Mason details the mechanics of his most exciting jewelry heists. Supplementing his re-creations of the thrill of the heist, Mason also offers abundant info on the feckless underworld life [and] sharp looks at lawyers and the criminal justice system. Engaging, extravagant account of life on the wrong side of the law that leaves readers to decide how much to like the rogue.

-- Kirkus Reviews

Fans of classic caper films…will be fascinated by the true-life adventures of jewel thief Mason…recollected in engrossing detail.

-- Publishers Weekly

Intrigue. Isn’t that why we go to see the James Bond, 007 films? Throw in a bit of suspense and a dash of danger and voila! Suddenly the plot for the next blockbuster film emerges. Bill Mason’s book, Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief, is nothing like that. It’s much better. Picking it up is one thing; putting it down is another. Confessions is a chocolate torte of thievery and its bitter consequences that you will devour though you know it is bad for you. The book is well organized and conceived. The opening chapter draws you into the middle of one of Mason’s most thrilling heists. But he doesn’t let the subsequent narrative drag, keeping the tension of each burglary as taunt as the rope on which he slinks downward toward his next victim. In other collaborations like this one, sometimes you can sense in the work that storyteller and editor are working at cross-purposes. This causes an imbalance wherein the storyteller’s voice is compromised or the editing is insufficient. (Curbing my instinct to reach for my editorial red pen.) In Confessions, I didn’t sense any of that disharmony between the collaborators, thereby creating a unique balance between the two, which is rarely achieved in a work of non-fiction. So, if you’re in the mood to read a spine-tingling thriller, try Robert Ludlum. But if you’re in the market for the real thing then be a Saint and steal away to your nearest bookstore.

Oh, that some fiction was as entertaining and well written as this!

-- Mystery Morgue

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For the Random House web page, click here.
For photos by co-author Lee Gruenfeld, click here.
To get your book signed, click here.
To order a copy, click here.

To see the CNBC "American Greed" episode on Bill, click here. 

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