A true crime tale of unbelievable friendship, loyalty, criminal genius, and a staggeringly audacious plot to steal one of the world’s most valuable paintings—and return it.
On April 14, 1975, Myles Connor, already a known art thief, entered the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in disguise along with a cohort. The pair went directly the Dutch Gallery and proceeded to remove Portrait of Elsbeth van Rijn from its place on the wall. After a brief scuffle with the guards—with Myles deterring his partner from shooting a bystander—the pair was gone, leaving behind no traceable evidence amidst the mayhem.
Who was Myles Connor and what were his motivations? Most thieves are in it for the money, but Myles was far from most thieves. His motive was freedom. The summer before the heist, he was arrested by the FBI when he attempted to sell three highly valuable paintings by Andrew and N.C. Wyeth to an undercover agent. Incredibly, Myles did this while out on bail for possession of yet morestolen art. When he was arrested and placed in the back seat of a state police vehicle, the FBI agent said to him, “We’ve got you now. Let’s see you get out of this one.” Without batting an eye, Connor calmly replied, “Just you watch me.”
Again released on bail, Connor met with an old friend of his father’s, Massachusetts State Police Major John Regan. Regan worked for the District Attorney at the time, future Congressman William Delahunt. Connor asked Regan if there was any way out of the fix he was in, and the straightlaced cop told him bluntly, “It’s going to take a Rembrandt to get you out of this one.” With that, a master plan was hatched.
But there was a flip side to this story. One involving Connor’s best friend—Al Dotoli—who lived a life in the music industry, far from the world of art heists. Dotoli’s own masterpiece of a plan hinged on the Rembradt’s return.
Filled with unforgettable personalities and non-stop action and intrigue, The Rembrandt Heist will lay out the anatomy of this notorious art theft while describing not just the criminal genius that is Myles Connor, but also the complexity of personal relationships between lifelong friends. All along, the reader will learn about a breathtaking painting by the world’s most famous artist and the incredible true story about how Portrait of Elsbeth van Rijn ended up on the wall at the MFA in the first place.
Anthony M. Amore is the Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where he is charged with efforts to recover 13 works of art stolen on March 18, 1990.
He regularly writes on his "Big Security" Substack account and is a frequent commentator on national and international news outlets on topics ranging from security to art crime to politics.
Prior to the highly-acclaimed THE WOMAN WHO STOLE VERMEER, he wrote THE ART OF THE CON, which was a New York Times Crime Best Seller and an Amazon Best Pick of 2015. His first book, STEALING REMBRANDTS, was a Wall Street Journal Crime Best Seller and an influential work in the field of art theft investigations.
Good news art heist movie lovers! There are real life friendships where people stick by each other through thick, thin, and jail time. However, basically everything else you know about art heists in media is wrong.
Anthony Amore tells the story of Myles Connor in his extremely fun The Rembrandt Heist. I think it is important to point out right away that Amore himself admits in the book that everything in the narrative sounds made up. Myles Connor was a well-known Massachusetts rock'n'roll leading man who was also a prolific thief. Not just art, either. He also robbed banks and did some "light" drug dealing (that didn't last long). It sounds crazy, but it is all true.
Now, I am not one to glorify criminals. However, Connor does have some redeeming qualities which just barely compensate enough to allow the reader to enjoy his exploits. Connor has a code which doesn't allow him to steal from friends or the downtrodden, he never snitches, and he is unfailingly loyal, especially to his best friend Al Dotoli. Poor, put upon Dotoli is not a criminal, but is consistently stuck bailing out Connor both literally and figuratively.
All of this culminates in the aforementioned Rembrandt heist of the title. I will leave the details of that completely behind the curtain. I will tell readers, that specific heist happens late in the narrative. Don't worry, there are plenty of criminal hijinks to keep you entertained while the author gives all the background you need for the big score.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Pegasus Books.)
I finished The Rembrandt Heist about a week ago, and it was so much more than just about the heist. I always love when there is more depth to the book, and we get to know more about the characters or individuals who are a part of the story and the relationship between them. The characters were so well developed, which I appreciated. Yes it was about the heist, but it was also about so much more -- friendship, loyalty, trust. Looking forward to future books from Anthony Amore.
All his life, Connor had been the center of attention. As a rock and roller playing in clubs around New England, his audiences adored him. As a criminal, he had the eyes of law enforcement officers from every agency centered on him. When incarcerated, he was the inmate that the administration looked to in desperation to broker peace with the prisoners. And as a thief, he was revered by his associates and underlings. from The Rembrandt Heist
It is hard to wrap my head around Myles Connor. Brilliant, charismatic, talented, he could have applied himself to his musical career and gone to the top. But he just couldn’t stop from planning to rob museums of art he coveted, and he was wildly successful. Sure, he was arrested and served time in prison, but that didn’t stop his criminal career.
He especially loved Japanese swords and art, and he needed to own what he loved. He noted how poorly museum artefacts were protected. He assumed a fake identity as a researcher, gaining the museum staff’s trust, gaining access to the archives of items not on display. Then, returned to the museum, broke in, and systematically carried off whatever he wanted.
Myles’ best friend and successful music agent Al Dotoli knew what Myles was up to, but turned a blind eye, avoiding any specific knowledge.
He broke into mansions, as well. He took a grandfather clocks and Wyeth paintings from the Woolworth mansion. After he was arrested, a cop said, “It’s going to take a Rembrandt to get you out of this one.” Myles had a Rembrandt! And Al had a plan.
Lively and entertaining, this is a must for true crime lovers.
Anthony Amore’s job at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is to recover stolen goods. He has written several true crime books about art thefts.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through The Book Club Cook Book.
Were you captivated by the recent Louvre heist? If so, read this. It’s a gripping insider tale on the world of art crime and one of its most notorious figures. If you have any connection to Boston or interest in art, then you’ll appreciate the thorough research and vivid details that make this story come to life - nothing cooler than hearing about heists in museums we know and love.
When I was a preteen in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Myles O'Conner was a legend. He was a bank robber and art thief. He was a lone wolf, outside of the Mafia and the Bulger gang. He once stopped his car on the corner of Walk Hill Street and Wenham St, a block from my home. He talked to a guy in another car for two or three minutes and drove off. We talked about it for weeks.
This is a wonderful book about O'Connor. It is an excellent telling of his criminal career and tops it off with an incredible story about his theft of a Rembrandt painting from Boston's Museum of Fine Art.
Amore is the head of security for the Gardner Museum in Boston. It was the site of one of the largest and most notorious art thefts in history. O'Conner did not commit that crime. He was in jail at the time. Amore met him because of the rumors and theories that O'Connor was somehow connected to the robberies. That theory did not pan out but, in the process, Amore ended up developing a friendship with O'Conner and with O'Conner's best friend Al Dotoli.
O'Conner and Dotoli were high school bandmates. O'Conner was a very good rock and roller. He spent years playing clubs and getting close to breaking big. At the same time, he was one of the most prolific art thieves ever. He also robbed a bunch of banks. Amore does a nice job telling the stories of the various jobs O'Conner carried out.
Dotoli became one of the most successful concert producers around. He organized a world tour for Whitney Houston. He produced concerts for Frank Sinatra and provided sound systems for huge venues. He stayed best friends with O'Conner but never got involved in his criminal activity.
The Heist in the title is a crazy story. O'Connor was finally caught by the Feds for robberies, gun possession, drugs and more. He was looking at a twenty-year Federal sentence. He set out to pull off a crazy scheme involving the Rembrandt painting that would result in his getting a five-year state sentence instead of the ten year Federal sentence.
O'Connor is a brilliant guy. He had a significant collection of Japanese swords. He had a deep knowledge of Japanese and European art. He would routinely convince museum curators that he was an art scholar. (These were pre-internet days). His jobs were clever and well thought out. The plan involving the Rembrandt was complex and required perfect co-ordination of a heist, a switch and clever legal maneuvering. It makes for a great story.
Amore has a great examination of the various techniques for art thefts. There is the stowaway where you come in during business hours then hide util the museum is closed. There is the insider who gets you access. There is overpowering the night guards and more. O'Conner's conclusion for his big job was the same as the recent Louvre robber's, "A smash-and-grab job was the surest path to success."
One thing I do not understand. Amore explains several times that the hardest part of art thefts is selling stuff that everyone knows is stolen. Fences won't take high profile pieces. O'Conner had truckloads of stuff that he kept for years. When he was in jail two big stashes got stolen from him. It seems that he robbed banks for money but that the art thefts were a compulsion. He just liked having the stuff and the excitement of the jobs.
We were wrong back when I was a kid. O'Conner was not a folk hero. He shot a cop. He dealt drugs. He was happy to commit violence when it was in his interest. He stole things. He was a bad guy and a criminal. But, as Amore shows, he led a spectacularly exciting life.
Great thieves have to be brilliant, crafty storytellers who believe they won't be caught. Anthony Amore was fortunate to make friends with Myles Conner, who stole the Rembrandt from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Myles's motivation for stealing this highly valuable piece of artwork was not typical of a criminal. It was used to buy his freedom!
In addition to being the most talented art thief who ever lived, he was a musician who put every ounce of his heart and soul into every performance, and people came from miles around to hear him play. He taught a young kid, Al Dotoli, how to play as he did. After tutoring him for free, Al became the best stage manager ever. He managed most of the people who were famous in the 70's.
Al was Myles's best friend and would do anything for him. The friendship between the two ranked higher than women, cars, jobs, or anything else. If Myles asked Al to do anything for him, he never asked. He just dropped everything and said yes. It was a complex relationship to understand.
The first part of the book was about character building and understanding the art world in the area where Myles and Al lived and had been robbed in their youth.
The action takes place in the second part of the book. It sets you up for how the Rembrandt heist was pulled off.
Amore is an exceptional writer, as you would expect from someone who writes technical and security reports for a living.
While this story follows an incredibly intelligent and talented thief which had a specific interest in great works of art at its essence it follows two men and their genuine friendship.
I was honestly shocked and absolutely astounded by some of the things Myles Connor has had the audacity to do during his life. The author mentioned that through the years of meeting Myles and Al that he has developed a friendship with them and this shows throughout the book. It’s so honest and pulp-able that it almost felt as if they had become my friends also.
Personally this is my kind of non-fiction. I love learning about people that have lead amazing lives (sometime bordering on the unbelievable when it comes to Myles Connor). The added benefit of giving a background on some great works of art that have been stolen from American Museums during the 70s just added another layer of intrigue.
Audiobook ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review.
4.5 ⭐️ This insight into the life and activities of a very well known art thief is such a breath of fresh air.
In a world where we can look up anything about (what others would deem as) ignominious figures in history, often what gets lost is what we get in this book: the portrait of the person in question, as an actual human.
Myles Connor and his BFF Al Dotoli are given a buddy cop comedy treatment. Their… adventures were as amazing as they were true.
I don’t suggest engaging in similar activities but there’s something about art heists that I just love and if you enjoy the Ocean’s 11 series or White Collar tv series, you’re gonna love this book!
The friendship of Myles Connor and Al Dotoli is a thread throughout this telling of Connor’s life of crime. Myles just couldn’t not steal art and rob banks. The author’s relationship with these two is highlighted at the beginning and end, not muddled throughout the whole. The main heist telling is of a Rembrandt stolen from the museum of fine arts in Boston so that Myles could use it as a bargaining chip for his predicament with another art heist. Now I need to find the documentary mentioned in the book!
A very good examination of the numerous heists by one of the most notorious art thieves of all time, plus the particulars of one painting in particular. Extraordinary detail. Plus a criminal who loved art, and protected it. Lots of oxymorons here. A good listen.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I do like a fast-paced thriller, and the real-life story of The Rembrandt Heist does not disappoint. The historical backdrop of a 1970s museum heist was right up my alley, and the character-driven investigation was fascinating. It’s a blend of true crime tension and art history detail. And the result is a fantastic thriller.
Just like the recent heist at The Louvre, The Rembrandt Heist gives a background on the crazy capers involving stolen art from museums during the 1970s. The story of Myles Connor’s life is insane; he’s one of those brilliant people doing wrong, when one wonders what he could have achieved if he put his smarts for good rather than illegal enterprises.
This was a fascinating audiobook to listen to. Narrated by Paul Heitsch, I think he really captures the essence of author Anthony Amore’s prose; I was never bored or zoned out because Heitsch did a great job. This was a lively and entertaining listen!
Right on the heels of the theft of jewels from The Louvre, this book is one of many I've read on art theft. Why would someone steal art, what do they do with it after they have stolen it? If caught, why would they do it again?
This book might surprise you as this art thief was a genius with a real love of art, collecting art, protecting art. He was also a musician and one who rubbed elbows with many famous musicians of the era. I am in no way supporting theft of any kind, but do find understanding those who are art thieves, what they do with what they stole, and why they even steal to begin with, does fascinate me. Every one seems a bit different and so interesting.
An interesting story I had not heard of and well done in this audiobook.
My thanks to Net Galley, Pegasus Crime and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook.
4.5 stars Fascinating non-fiction book about the life and crimes of Myles Connor, a famous art thief in Boston in the 1970s. It’s also about his life-long friendship with Al Dotolli who sticks with him through it all. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. I listened to the audiobook and it was well narrated. Published in the US 11/4/2025.
I would have liked more details about how the heists were carried out, because I didn't feel like I could picture them. I did like the unconditional friendship between Al and Myles and hearing about their careers in music. It would have been fun to hear recordings of Myles' performances as an addition to the audiobook.
Interesting from the standpoint of how insecure museums once were and how easy it was for a theft to take place. I found the book repetitive, probably due to the fact that there are only so many ways to pull off a heist.
I feel like I watched a documentary about this but it didn’t have a solid ending. This was a bit drawn out for something that wasn’t the best ending, but I still liked it. 4 stars even