tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post2149940851831062486..comments2024-03-29T09:55:28.798-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: True Crime Tuesday--Vanishing TreasuresJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28703903936456852402011-06-30T19:37:28.991-04:002011-06-30T19:37:28.991-04:00Patricia, a novel about a theft at the Gardner pub...Patricia, a novel about a theft at the Gardner published after the actual heist is David Hosp's AMONG THIEVES.<br /><br />With respect to the Eagle finneal, I just noticed that Shea, who had been mentored by Bulger and was bitter that he was an informant, says in RAT BASTARDS that the Eagle is the mascot for Boston College and that Billy Bulger was known as Triple Eagle... Boston High School, Boston College and Boston College law school... IF I am remembering correctly and Boston College has a law school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80301886787562007922011-06-29T11:23:40.742-04:002011-06-29T11:23:40.742-04:00DO come, dear Jennie! That would be so great!DO come, dear Jennie! That would be so great!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29336661869065869822011-06-29T11:20:29.505-04:002011-06-29T11:20:29.505-04:00Wow, cool... Makes me wanna come to Crimebake! I&#...Wow, cool... Makes me wanna come to Crimebake! I've got Priceless waiting in the TBR stack, about the FBI's art theft division. Fascinating stuff! <br /><br />As for favorite paintings... being Norwegian, I'm partial to Munch. Like 'The Scream,' - you know, the one that was stolen from the National Museum in Oslo the day the Olympics in Lillehammer opened in 1994? Someone put a ladder up to the window, climbed up, took the painting, and climbed back down. The police found it again, but it took years. :(Jennie Bentleyhttp://www.jenniebentley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85362144216341323362011-06-29T09:49:50.398-04:002011-06-29T09:49:50.398-04:00Hank, I seem remember reading a mystery novel abou...Hank, I seem remember reading a mystery novel about a theft at the Gardener BEFORE the real one occurred. I can't remember anything about it, including the author, title, or plot. Do you know it?Patricia Wintonhttp://italianintrigues.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39741472777026648752011-06-29T08:49:59.707-04:002011-06-29T08:49:59.707-04:00And the winner is--chosen as a random number chose...And the winner is--chosen as a random number chosen by my dear husband: KRISTI!<br /><br />Email me via my website and we will get you the book!<br /><br />Hurray--and congratulations..and we're giving away another book today!Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38236159181306817292011-06-29T05:45:36.883-04:002011-06-29T05:45:36.883-04:00I'm so excited to read Anthony's book; tha...I'm so excited to read Anthony's book; thank you for posting this interview and bringing it to my attention. I write art mysteries for young adults, and agree with other posters here that it's more intriguing (and frankly, easier) to have a sophisticated art thief who rubs his hands with glee at the prospect of owning a masterpiece. I have struggled to paint a more complex and realistic picture. One aspect of art theft that I find intriguing is that it relies so much on networks of people, some of whom are not in some shadowy underworld but who in fact operate in legitimate art markets. This idea is a sobering one for the art world, but a fascinating one for us fiction writers!Diana Rennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00141038221046486655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45827444500573217612011-06-28T20:25:21.688-04:002011-06-28T20:25:21.688-04:00Hank is correct...Information that leads directly ...Hank is correct...Information that leads directly to the recovery of all 13 pieces stolen in 1990 brings a reward of $5 million. That's the largest private reward ever offered for anything!Anthony Amorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35800542206100279992011-06-28T18:52:08.874-04:002011-06-28T18:52:08.874-04:00Thanks, Anthony -- such intriguing stuff! And the ...Thanks, Anthony -- such intriguing stuff! And the Isabella Stuart Gardner thefts are still fascinating -- I just read two novels in a row with references to them (Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty and Sheila Connolly's Fundraising the Dead).Leslie Budewitzhttp://www.LawandFiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-53665557495264337242011-06-28T18:50:08.473-04:002011-06-28T18:50:08.473-04:00Why is it we think more often of the opportunities...Why is it we think more often of the opportunities we missed when we passed on a piece of artwork than the items we bought that hang on our walls?<br /><br />I am a bit dissapointed that real art thieves are sophistocated rascally entrepenours. Sigh! This is probably one of the reasons we write fiction.<br /><br />gkw9000 at gmail.comKari Wainwrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17142494074566856696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8037017796600212712011-06-28T18:43:00.166-04:002011-06-28T18:43:00.166-04:00Anthony, me too, can't wait to meet you at Cri...Anthony, me too, can't wait to meet you at Crimebake! Boy you'd have to have some nerve to walk right up to a famous painting and cut it out of the frame. can't even imagine it...Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2130345316939745692011-06-28T17:00:04.472-04:002011-06-28T17:00:04.472-04:00And, Sheila, if he DOES know, and tells, couldn...And, Sheila, if he DOES know, and tells, couldn't he get the $5 million dollar reward? And then he could pay his lawyers, right?<br /><br />Hmmmmm...Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86570600752579609002011-06-28T16:50:48.805-04:002011-06-28T16:50:48.805-04:00Anthony, I can't wait to meet you at Crime Bak...Anthony, I can't wait to meet you at Crime Bake! Since I've worked at not one but two institutions that suffered significant (i.e., multi-million dollar) thefts while I was there, I have a passing familiarity with art theft. But I was not in the Boston area when the Gardner heist happened, I swear! Although I did go to school with one of the former curators...never mind.<br /><br />Even if he didn't engineer the theft, can we really believe Bulger didn't know what was going on?Sheila Connollyhttp://www.sheilaconnolly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24792762459911918052011-06-28T15:21:13.377-04:002011-06-28T15:21:13.377-04:00Hank asked for more details about my experience at...Hank asked for more details about my experience at the Louvre. <br /><br />Short version: Thieves razor-bladed the painting out of its frame, and the museum authorities locked down the museum as soon as it was discovered. There were thousands of people inside, though, so they searched as well as they could but never found the painting! <br /><br />You can read the long version here: http://www.pensfatales.com/2010/12/theft-at-louvre.htmlGigi Pandianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378365974242102657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61330872090226530732011-06-28T15:16:33.204-04:002011-06-28T15:16:33.204-04:00What? Gigi! What happened?What? Gigi! What happened?Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-74800482754378328462011-06-28T15:13:07.704-04:002011-06-28T15:13:07.704-04:00I was traveling in Paris in 1998 and happened to b...I was traveling in Paris in 1998 and happened to be at the Louvre the day a Corot painting was stolen from the museum. I was already fascinated by art theft in the world of mystery novels, but that experience solidified my interest in art crime. This book sounds great!Gigi Pandianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378365974242102657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-77241438244650781002011-06-28T13:51:01.987-04:002011-06-28T13:51:01.987-04:00Anthony, your book sounds wonderful. I read a goo...Anthony, your book sounds wonderful. I read a good bit about art and antiquities fraud in major auction houses when I was researching one of my books (Where Memories Lie.) Fascinating stuff.<br /><br />But, I, too, hate to think of great paintings stashed away in some attic or lock-up, to be ruined or perhaps lost forever . . .Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01658027347346424733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-11767651781740509922011-06-28T13:49:05.558-04:002011-06-28T13:49:05.558-04:00Just began Hailey Lind's series on art forgery...Just began Hailey Lind's series on art forgery and theft. Time to read about the real stuff.Liz V.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-19762013422876657862011-06-28T13:14:02.868-04:002011-06-28T13:14:02.868-04:00Thanks, everyone, for your comments! If you'd ...Thanks, everyone, for your comments! If you'd like to read an excerpt of the book that appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine on June 19, here's a link: <br /><br />http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-19/lifestyle/29677385_1_rembrandt-gogh-worcester-art-museum<br /><br />Anthony AmoreAnthony Amorehttp://tinyurl.com/3shcppjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32111422543870233902011-06-28T13:13:15.687-04:002011-06-28T13:13:15.687-04:00Mary! I love that theory..and have never heard it....Mary! I love that theory..and have never heard it. I am now a total adherent.<br /><br />There was a gorgeous piece of art I wanted in Georgia--and I am thinking it was 1979. I passed--and I STILL think about it.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-31150693679067758582011-06-28T13:01:02.775-04:002011-06-28T13:01:02.775-04:00Not a famous painting, but . . . back in the '...Not a famous painting, but . . . back in the '70's there was a painting in the lobby of a Minneapolis theater, not expensive, a girl on a swing hanging from a tree branch. My friends teased me out of my impulse to buy it, so it has become better and better in my mind as I still regret the decision. <br />Another friend has since taught me her mother's "a year from now" guideline for deciding based on how you will feel about the item in a year. It has helped me walk away from unnecessary stuff and walk away WITH things I would regret in a year, or thirty.Storyteller Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03807705866873141004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90810504276331263612011-06-28T11:09:38.204-04:002011-06-28T11:09:38.204-04:00Great, Michele! I loved Edited for Death--will you...Great, Michele! I loved Edited for Death--will you come visit here when it comes out?<br /><br />Did you do a lot of research?Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64683996682045906502011-06-28T11:07:44.048-04:002011-06-28T11:07:44.048-04:00This subject fascinates me, and the mystery of the...This subject fascinates me, and the mystery of the Isabella Gardner theft still echoes. Art theft is a huge dollar crime and collectors who buy stolen art still exist. A theft of a Da Vinci drawing is the seminal event in "Edited for Death", my first mystery available Oct. 1, 2011 from Mainly Murder Press. And "Stealing Rembrandts" is going in my "to be read" pile today!Michele Drierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06944263184981732147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55695190002790244112011-06-28T10:30:07.147-04:002011-06-28T10:30:07.147-04:00Mr. Boser explains that in 1992, Joe Murray told e...Mr. Boser explains that in 1992, Joe Murray told ex-FBI agent Bob Fitzpatrick that he had access to paintings for trade. Then he was shot when he showed up at the summer house on the lake in Belgrade. Fitzpatrick, as I recall Mr. Boser’s book, noted that Susan was 125 lbs. and so it was surprising that she could squeeze 5 shots off into Joe. The suggestion perhaps by some was that perhaps Whitey was upset at Joe Murray for dropping a dime on him to Weld about the murders or dropping the dime about the paintings. Certainly, if experience in the office is any indication, Whitey Bulger would have learned that Joe Murray had made a contact about the paintings. The history had been that information about informants was given by the FBI to Whitey and then the informants were killed.<br />Nee's report that Joe had come to Bulger and Nee asking that they kill his wife and brother-in-law because she might disclose that Joe was an informer does not seem plausible -- given that Joe and Susan had sought to tell the DOJ about Bulger and the payments for wiretap information.<br /><br />Joe and Susan’s information to the US Assistant Attorney General — about the murder of informants and trading of money for wiretap information — checked out. So why doubt Joe Murray when he says he has access to the paintings? Others are proven con artist. But not Joe Murray. He was a gun-runner and pot smuggler. He may have come to believe in the irish nationalist cause -- schooled by Nee -- but there is no indication he was a liar. Moreover, he had large liquid assets and so could have easily picked up the paintings from the actual robbers.<br /><br />I think what former Agent Bob Fitzpatrick says about what Murray told him looms large in importance and would love to see him interviewed on the subject of the paintings. .. to confirm firsthand that Joe Murray in fact made the claim.<br /><br />Now toward the end of his book, Mr. Boser says he learned that a Murray theory was discounted because Joe did not get out of prison until the Summer of 1990 (I don't know the month) and so there was insufficient time to get hold of the paintings before being killed in September 1992. Huh? Why? It only took an hour to get hold of the paintings when they were grabbed by the two men wearing police uniforms. Why couldn’t Joe have gotten hold of them in the course of 2 1/2 years? The smash-and-grab guys commonly would do such work for a tidy one-time payment of $100,000 or whatever and be done with it. No one ever suggested that the 6' 4" blond Murray was one of the two men (described as young) who committed the actual robbery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-81909815591043586092011-06-28T10:15:22.001-04:002011-06-28T10:15:22.001-04:00With respect to the report that the drug dealer Jo...With respect to the report that the drug dealer Joe Murray had told the former #2 in the office, Agent Bob Fitzpatrick, that he could lay his arm on them, note that years earlier he and Patrick Nee bought chemically treated bags to protect against moisture years earlier in connection with the IRA gun smuggling operation. They paid $7,000 to a gun dealer in Kingston, NY. The IRA would bury the guns in bogs. Brian Ross reported in 2004 that one witness (Youngsworth?) said that Murray at one time had the paintings his home. After Joe's death, his brother Michael, who had been charged with drug smuggling, claimed to have access but then never provided any proof. Joe reportedly had suggested to Agent Fitzpatrick (who in the office seemed part of the solution and not part of the problem) that he could lay his arm on the paintings in connection with trading for freedom. It had been suggested that it related to an IRA prisoner but it was his brother Michael who was facing hard time in connection with marijuana trucked in from Texas. So I think reporters might fruitfully interview both Michael, Joe's wife Susan, and Joe's brother-in-law. Also, Joe and Susan's neighbors who were witnesses that day to Joe's arrival at the summer home in Belgrade Lakes whereupon he was shot by the 125 lb. Susan in self-defense 5 times with a .357 magnum.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84968484439067346232011-06-28T09:55:25.772-04:002011-06-28T09:55:25.772-04:00HI Anthony,
Welcome to JR. This stuff is fascinat...HI Anthony, <br />Welcome to JR. This stuff is fascinating. I once heard that stolen art was used as "colatera" to secure bad guy debts, as if a drug distrubotr might put up a painting to secure a shipment, until the cash came in.<br /><br />Is this just urban legend?Jan Broganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11323983086318138814noreply@blogger.com