Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

This nail biting ride through the biggest diamond heist in history, from what was thought to be one of the most secure buildings in the world, is Flawless!
Learning about this real-life theft, how it was pulled off, what happened to the thieves, and in the process, gaining insight into the fascinating world of diamond trading is unbelievably interesting.

From Italy to Belgium, we see the design, planning and execution of this complex theft through the eyes of the crooks, the police and the diamond community. Italian crooks, American reporters, Hasidic Jews, honest cops, inept guards and accidental witnesses add up to a fascinating account and an exciting, terrific audio.

During the time of the heist detailed in "Flawless", I was in the midst of moving/changing jobs, and most of the news was dominated by the run-up to the Iraq invasion. As a result, I knew and heard very little about this story when it happened. This book was a real treat for me. It is extremely well researched and written, providing as current and accurate an account as can be of a story that needs no embellishment. And as an audiobook, it's top-notch with an excellent job done by the narrator. You'll be captivated, even if you think you know all of the details about this daring heist.

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The biggest heist in history, well conceived, well executed and then.... hasty mistakes.
What I found interesting was not that it could be done but rather how seemingly ineffective the Belgian police, Italian police and, I guess, Interpol were and how very short the prison sentence handed down. 5 years for a $100,000,000.00 heist? Hardly a deterrence, more like the price of doing business. And also, what's with being held for 18 months without charges filed? Ah, many things European are a mystery to me BUT I would advise all career criminals to ply their trade in Europe rather than the US

I'm on chapter 5 and so far the book is a real snooze. I'm hoping from reading the other reviews that it will get more exciting. I feel like I'm being read an encyclopaedia description of the history of diamonds and Antwerp diamond trading. I guess I was expecting more of an Ocean's Eleven type story.

THIS REVIEW IS ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The subtitle for the book pretty much sums up the topic: “Inside the Largest Diamond Heist In History.” The description from Amazon does a pretty good job of giving you an overview of the details so I don’t have to:

On February 15, 2003, a group of thieves broke into an allegedly airtight vault in the international diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium and made off with over $108 million dollars worth of diamonds and other valuables. They did so without tripping an alarm or injuring a single guard in the process.

Although the crime was perfect, the getaway was not. The police zeroed in on a band of professional thieves fronted by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a dapper Italian who had rented an office in the Diamond Center and clandestinely cased its vault for over two years. The who of the crime had been answered, but the how remained largely a mystery.

Enter Scott Andrew Selby, a Harvard Law grad and diamond expert, and Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds, who undertook a global goose chase to uncover the true story behind the daring heist. Tracking the threads of the story throughout Europe from Belgium to Italy, in seedy cafes and sleek diamond offices, the authors sorted through an array of conflicting details, divergent opinions and incongruous theories to put together the puzzle of what actually happened that Valentines Day weekend.

This real-life Ocean’s Eleven, a combination of diamond history, journalistic reportage, and riveting true-crime story, provides a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century.

MY THOUGHTS

For the most part, I think the description above is pretty accurate … with the possible exception of the phrase “a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century.” This particular story probably isn’t better than fiction, for, as the authors point out multiple times throughout the book, real-life isn’t as glamorous or as fast-moving as fictional heists, like the ones depicted in the Ocean’s Eleven series of films. The thieves spent almost two years planning and plotting, and the heist itself didn’t rely on high-tech devices, disguises or split-second timing. In fact, the amazing thing about this story is that it was the lax security provided by the HUMANS at the Diamond Center that enabled the thieves to pull off the crime … plus a bit of duct tape, hair spray, styrofoam and a long broom handle!

The book provides a balanced mix of the particulars of the heist (both before, during and after, including the subsequent detective work) and the history of diamonds, the diamond district in Antwerp and past diamond heists. What bogs the book down is that no one (except for the actual thieves) know all the details of the heist. Selby and Campbell do a good job of creating a plausible scenario but there are still key details that have not been nailed down … and the thieves aren’t yet willing to spill the beans. (Although Notarbartolo sold his “inside” story to Wired magazine, the authors conclude that his account was an elaborate bit of fiction designed to minimize his own involvement and disguise the actual size of the heist.)

Although the heist itself was allegedly a “perfect” crime, one small mistake (and a bit of bad luck) led to their almost instantaneous capture, which was almost disappointing to me as a reader. Part of me yearned for the neat conclusion of the Ocean’s Eleven movies … where the gang walks away scot-free and leaves everyone scratching their heads. The other thing that was weird to me was how little punishment the thieves ended up facing—based in no small part on the Belgian justice system.

Overall, the book was interesting and kept my attention, but I’d still rather watch Ocean’s Eleven.

About the Narration: Don Hagen has a deep voice that was well-suited to this particular book. He effortlessly pronounced the Italian and Belgian surnames and the rather complicated sounding Antwerp street names.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy true crime books that aren’t violent or involve murder

This is a very interesting listen. I agree that the description of the book from Amazon is pretty accurate. Amazing how these "Pros" are able to complete every aspect of the heist almost perfectly, except the escape!

The author had to complete a lot of research to ensure his information was correct. He does a good job of explaining certain aspects, and if he isn't sure how something happened then he tells the reader.

I enjoyed learning about the planning of the heist, the diamond business and how other countries didn't seem to work together during this time.

The narrator's voice and timing were very good for this particular book, including pronunciation of Italian and Belgian words.

Excellent reporting. Obviously a lot of hard work by the author to choose the puzzle pieces that fit and put forth a credible narrative.

Leonardo, what a smooth fella; other people have compared this heist to Ocean's Eleven, if so, Clooney would play him.

No characters were dramatized.

The close to perfect crime.

I am a fan of true crime and this is one of the best that I've read or listened to.

Summing the book in three words contradicts the requirements of 15 words minimum. Great overall story of the theft along with the workings of the diamond world. Although it is written like the story is completey accurate the reality is that the story is not flawless. The story is all based upon evidence and accounts other than those of the crinimals. When the book concludes it becomes evident that the real story from the thieves perspective was never told. But that is also part of intrigue as you do not come to that fimr conclusion until the end.

The ah ha moment when the determined they could get into the safe.

Performance was a good narration with no character voices. Nice for a change from the narrators who perform versus narrate.

Found myself pulling for the main character

I stopped listening once arrests were made; the last third of the book held no mystery, and so I lost interest.

The planning and execution of the heist was enthralling, though.

This isnt really a fast paced book. Doesnt have danger and daring exploits. But it is an interesting look into the crime and attempted getaway. Kids, dont try this at home! but its ok to listen to.