Bill Mason and Lee Gruenfeld, Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief

Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief

Bill Mason and Lee Gruenfeld

Villard, Apr 2004, $24.95, 365 pp.

ISBN: 0375508392

In the 1960s when Bill Mason was in his twenties, he began a life of crime, stealing jewelry. As he became more proficient at his profession, he raised the ante soon taking gems from a virtual who's who of 1960s-1970s Hollywood. Such notables like Phyllis Diller, the Cleveland Mafia chief, and Bob Hope were among his victims. Mr. Mason especially seemed to enjoy a caper involving a perfect security system that no cat burglar could crash. Besides meticulous planning of the theft, Mr. Mason constantly states that the problem with a100% burglar proof security system is somewhere a human is involved; meaning windows left open, systems not turned on, etc.

This true crime memoir initially leads readers to feel Mr. Mason sounds like a real life Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief. However, that turns a bit negative when it feels as if the author is boasting about his daring deeds that led to little jail time, but also the author shows some remorse that his profession has had a negatively profound impact on his family. Well written and fascinating, the true crime biography audience will take a kind of morbid delight in CONFESSIONS OF A MASTER JEWEL THIEF, but count your rings afterward.

Harriet Klausner