Heists, both in fiction and real life, call to mind acts of derring-do, impossible physical feats performed with cunning and occasionally sophisticated panache. The high-stakes tension and vicarious thrills make heist stories intriguing, whether the effort is successful or disastrous. Ironically, the bigger the score, the more we root for the thieves rather than their targets. This can be especially true when the sympathetic Everyman is pitted against a cruel, faceless Goliath.
The following collection is a sampler of this popular thriller sub-genre - books and films that share the same anti-establishment theme, executed in ways both conventional and subversive.
Fiction
![]() | The Future - Naomi Alderman
"An internet-famous survivalist, hatching a daring plan. It could be the greatest heist ever. Or the cataclysmic end of civilization." |
![]() | Nicked - M.T. Anderson
"Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for "liberating" holy relics, will steal the six-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas in a heist for the ages." |
![]() | The Heist - Jack Du Brul (Clive Cussler)
"Detective Isaac Bell faces an attack on the Federal Reserve in this all-new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Clive Cussler." |
![]() | To Have and To Heist - Sara Desai
"To exonerate her best friend, one woman must mastermind a jewelry heist during the wedding of the season in this hilarious romantic-comedy caper." |
![]() | The Heist - Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
"International crook Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, but he pulls off his greatest con of all: he convinces the FBI to offer him a job teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who's hiding on a private island." |
![]() | The Picasso Heist - James Patterson and Howard Roughan
"To pull off the heist of the century, (Halston) must enlist a master forger, a ruthless Bulgarian mob boss with his own agenda, and an eccentric fashion designer whose flair for the dramatic might be their only ticket into the elite circles of the art world." |
![]() | The Maid's Secret - Nita Prose
"Head maid Molly Gray's discovery of a priceless artifact sparks a media frenzy, a daring heist, and revelations from her grandmother's hidden diary, intertwining a present-day mystery with a long-lost tale of forbidden love and family secrets." |
![]() | The Take - Christopher Reich
"It's thief against thief, and hot on their trail are a dangerous Parisian cop, a murderous Russian femme fatale, her equally unhinged boss, and perhaps the CIA itself." |
![]() | To Clutch a Razor - Veronica Roth
"A funeral. A heist. A desperate mission. When Dymitr is called back to the old country for a funeral rite, it's the perfect opportunity for him to get his hands on his family's most guarded relic." |
![]() | The Heist - Daniel Silva
"Gabriel Allon, art restorer and occasional spy, searches for a stolen masterpiece by Caravaggio. Sometimes the best way to find a stolen masterpiece is to steal another one." |
![]() | Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead "The heist doesn't go as planned; they rarely do, after all. Now Ray has to cater to a new clientele, one made up of shady cops on the take, vicious minions of the local crime lord, and numerous other Harlem lowlifes. Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook." |
Nonfiction
![]() | The Woman Who Stole Vermeer - Anthony M. Amore
"The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale: the only woman in history to mastermind a major art heist." |
![]() | The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft - Ulrich Boser
"One museum, two thieves, and the Boston underworld--the story behind the lost Gardner masterpieces worth $500 million and the art detective who swore to get them back." |
![]() | The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession - Michael Finkel
"Stéphane Breitwieser carried out more than two hundred heists over nearly ten years all over Europe, and along with his girlfriend stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion." |
![]() | A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz-Age Rogue - Dean Jobb
"A captivating true-crime caper about Arthur Barry, a jewel thief who charmed celebrities and millionaires and pulled off the most audacious and lucrative heists of the Jazz Age." |
![]() | The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Wallace Johnson
"The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, one man's relentless pursuit of justice, and a fascinating exploration of a man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature." |
![]() | Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief- Doris Payne with Zelda Lockhart
"A sensational and entertaining memoir of the world's most notorious jewel thief--a woman who defied society's prejudices and norms to carve her own path, stealing from elite jewelers to live her dreams." |
![]() | Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History - Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell
"A combination of diamond history, journalistic reportage, and riveting true-crime story providing a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century." |
January Two-Minute Review
![]() | The Fourth Rule - Jeff Lindsay
Fans of his Dexter series know that Jeff Lindsay loves an arrogant anti-hero. This is the fourth book in his lesser-known series depicting the adventures of Riley Wolfe, master thief extraordinaire. Although his wide-ranging abilities and luck strain credibility, this would be a fun read for anyone who can tolerate a lack of plausibility for the sake of wit and style. |
DVDs in Our Collection:
Bullet Head Den of Thieves Heist How to Blow Up a Pipeline The Italian Job The Maiden Heist Ocean's 8/Ocean's 11/Ocean's 12 | Out of Sight Reservoir Dogs Snatch Stolen Uncharted The Whistlers |
Hop on the Holds List
A Box Full of Darkness – Simone St. James
Anatomy of an Alibi – Ashley Elston
Caller Unknown – Gillian McAllister
Quote of the Month:
"Any time you take a chance, you'd better be sure the rewards are worth the risk because they can put you away just as fast for a ten-dollar heist as they can for a million-dollar job." - Stanley Kubrick
Bookish News and Links:
Want personalized recommendations? Fill out a questionnaire to get a customized list sent directly to your email: https://gpl.org/services/reade...
Libby Life, a blog produced by the editors of the Libby app, suggests these 10 high-stakes heist works (strong emphasis on the Fantasy genre).
LitHub has a list specifically focused on art heist books.
Looking for information on some of the most famous real-life heists and robberies? Spyscape gives an overview of their favorites.
Den of Geek offers its opinion on the best heist movies of all time.
Adaptation News: Upcoming movies and shows based on books:
People We Meet on Vacation (Emily Henry) - in theaters 1/9/26
A Knight of Seven Kingdoms (George R.R. Martin) - HBO MAX 1/18/26
Bridgerton Season Four, Part 1 (Julia Quinn) - Netflix 1/29/26
Recent Reads
I have recently finished reading Intensity by Dean Koontz and Gliff by Ali Smith. I also just finished listening to Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong.
I am currently reading A Flaw in the Design by Nathan Oates and Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. I am also listening to the audiobook of Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Do you tend to root for the thieves in fictional heist stories? Is your answer the same when it comes to true crime? Let me know: jegan@gpl.org.
Until next time: Be safe, be well, and be well-read!
Joelle
So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, four mostly-grown children, and a Samoyed that keeps my vacuum well-employed. I am currently working part-time at the Groton Public Library and writing monthly reviews for Booklist Magazine. In a former life, I was a Director of PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration in the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind, and my thoughts, opinions. and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them. I have been devouring them ever since.
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