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Stealing the Marbles
At the turn of the 19th century, Lord Elgin stole pieces of the Parthenon and shipped them to England. At the turn of the 21st century, Danny Samsel is going to steal them back.
Danny Samsel is a Master Thief. He has defeated the finest security systems in the world: Interpol wants him, the FBI wants him, the CIA wants him. After a year languishing on Kefalonia, he has turned his attention to the heist of the century. He has decided to steal the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum and return them to Greece.
His motives are not entirely altruistic: estranged from the beautiful Kastania, he wants her back in his life. And, he needs her help to steal the Marbles from the British Museum. With help from old friends worldwide, plus a few surprising ones, Danny pursues his goal, despite vicious interventions from Interpol and avaricious underworld art collectors. At great cost to him and his accomplices, Danny settles a few scores, foxes old foes, and guarantees the future of his chosen career.
Danny Samsel is a Master Thief. He has defeated the finest security systems in the world: Interpol wants him, the FBI wants him, the CIA wants him. After a year languishing on Kefalonia, he has turned his attention to the heist of the century. He has decided to steal the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum and return them to Greece.
His motives are not entirely altruistic: estranged from the beautiful Kastania, he wants her back in his life. And, he needs her help to steal the Marbles from the British Museum. With help from old friends worldwide, plus a few surprising ones, Danny pursues his goal, despite vicious interventions from Interpol and avaricious underworld art collectors. At great cost to him and his accomplices, Danny settles a few scores, foxes old foes, and guarantees the future of his chosen career.
292 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2009
73 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Knapp
7 books7 followersEJ Knapp was born during a thunderstorm in Detroit, Michigan several years before the Motor City discovered fins. Raised in a working-class, blue-collar neighborhood, he morphed into the stereotypical hoodlum a teenager growing up on the west side of Detroit was expected to be. He took to ten-inch switch blades, bike-chain belts, the proper assembly of zip-guns in shop class, rumbles, beer drinking, heavy petting in the park and juvenile delinquency in such a lack-luster way that he was finally forced to drop out of high school, jump in his 1960 Chevrolet and hit the road. He’s pretty much been traveling down that road ever since.
Throughout his life he has been a paper boy, a bagger in a grocery store, a roofer, a forestry ranger trainee, a Navy squid, an auto mechanic, a factory worker, a long haul trucker, a professional college student, a peer counselor in a street clinic, a drug dealer, an ice cream truck driver, an audio/visual technician, a professional photographer, the IT manager for a San Francisco law firm and the author of two published novels.
He has published numerous short stories in obscure on-line magazines that no longer exist. He claims this is not his fault. He is the author of the novel Stealing The Marbles, released by Rebel ePublishers in 2010, and Meter Maids Eat Their Young - A Love Story, released by the same publisher in 2012. He is the author of a book of short stories titled Thief and Other Love Stories as well as the non-fiction book Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Currently he is back on his stomping grounds of old, back in the Motor City where he has bought an abandoned house – a mere eight blocks from where he grew up – for a ridiculously small amount of cash. Between his many critters and the constant repair of the house, he barely has time to write. Despite this, he’s working on a new novel, recently finished an update to Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge and is working at something he can’t tell anyone about.
Throughout his life he has been a paper boy, a bagger in a grocery store, a roofer, a forestry ranger trainee, a Navy squid, an auto mechanic, a factory worker, a long haul trucker, a professional college student, a peer counselor in a street clinic, a drug dealer, an ice cream truck driver, an audio/visual technician, a professional photographer, the IT manager for a San Francisco law firm and the author of two published novels.
He has published numerous short stories in obscure on-line magazines that no longer exist. He claims this is not his fault. He is the author of the novel Stealing The Marbles, released by Rebel ePublishers in 2010, and Meter Maids Eat Their Young - A Love Story, released by the same publisher in 2012. He is the author of a book of short stories titled Thief and Other Love Stories as well as the non-fiction book Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Currently he is back on his stomping grounds of old, back in the Motor City where he has bought an abandoned house – a mere eight blocks from where he grew up – for a ridiculously small amount of cash. Between his many critters and the constant repair of the house, he barely has time to write. Despite this, he’s working on a new novel, recently finished an update to Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge and is working at something he can’t tell anyone about.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 27, 2010
Well, considering I wrote it, I thought it was pretty good.
October 14, 2010
Stealing the Marbles has many well-developed layers, which makes it more than a satisfying read.
you can read my review of 'Stealing the Marbles' that i wrote for www.women24 here: http://www.women24.com/BooksAndAstrol...
you can read my review of 'Stealing the Marbles' that i wrote for www.women24 here: http://www.women24.com/BooksAndAstrol...
April 10, 2011
Stealing the Marbles by E.J. Knapp introduces us to professional art thief Danny Samsel. Samsel is planning what may be the biggest heist of his career: he wants to steal the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum and return them to Greece. It is a fact that the Elgin Marbles were taken from the Parthenon in Greece in the 19th century by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and shipped to England. The Elgin Marbles are currently in the British Museum in London. For centuries the Greeks have wanted their national treasures returned.
Stealing the Marbles follows the formula of a classic crime novel. We know right from the start what Danny is planning to do and follow along as he sets his plan into motion. As Danny travels across Europe and even, briefly to the USA, Knapp does a good job establishing the setting and giving all the details that will set Danny's plan into motion. I felt the book started out slow, but that was basically because the details of the plan were being worked out. There is tension mounting as Danny realizes there is something else afoot that may affect him and his plans. Danny is a likeable character and I have hopes that Knapp will bring him and his cohorts back for another job soon.
If you are interested in joining the campaign to Send The Marbles Home, please check out Knapp's website. http://www.ejknapp.com/
I did have a few minor quibbles that won't deter from the story for most people, but did for me. First, using all the current techniques and technology available, forgeries in art can be found today. I can suspend disbelief, but just saying... My main problem was that I noticed when Knapp referred several times to blooming flowers, they were inevitably roses, irises, and lilies. (I flagged two pages after reading previous mentions, pg 99 and 122.) As a long-time gardener, generally, if you are talking about the roses, irises and lilies I know and am familiar with, you aren't going to have the irises blooming at the same time as the lilies and the roses. I know it's minor, but it was distracting to me.
Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
Disclosure: I received this novel from the author through a Goodreads giveaway.
Stealing the Marbles follows the formula of a classic crime novel. We know right from the start what Danny is planning to do and follow along as he sets his plan into motion. As Danny travels across Europe and even, briefly to the USA, Knapp does a good job establishing the setting and giving all the details that will set Danny's plan into motion. I felt the book started out slow, but that was basically because the details of the plan were being worked out. There is tension mounting as Danny realizes there is something else afoot that may affect him and his plans. Danny is a likeable character and I have hopes that Knapp will bring him and his cohorts back for another job soon.
If you are interested in joining the campaign to Send The Marbles Home, please check out Knapp's website. http://www.ejknapp.com/
I did have a few minor quibbles that won't deter from the story for most people, but did for me. First, using all the current techniques and technology available, forgeries in art can be found today. I can suspend disbelief, but just saying... My main problem was that I noticed when Knapp referred several times to blooming flowers, they were inevitably roses, irises, and lilies. (I flagged two pages after reading previous mentions, pg 99 and 122.) As a long-time gardener, generally, if you are talking about the roses, irises and lilies I know and am familiar with, you aren't going to have the irises blooming at the same time as the lilies and the roses. I know it's minor, but it was distracting to me.
Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
Disclosure: I received this novel from the author through a Goodreads giveaway.
October 20, 2012
Danny Samsel is at the top of his chosen profession, but his success has a price. His most recent job was so high profile he has had to get out of the limelight for a while, and has spent a year in exile on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. Danny is a master thief and his last job involved liberating a painting from the White House. As a result he is a person of interest to various law enforcement agencies. Now he is getting itchy feet and has his eyes on a new prize. He is determined to find a way to return the Elgin Marbles, or the Parthenon Marbles, to the Greeks and is planning on calling on a gang of his international contacts, including estranged girlfriend Kaz, to make it happen.
The book is essentially divided into two parts, the planning and the execution. The first part really put me in mind of Oceans Eleven, which is no bad thing. Danny is a thief with his own moral code. He grew up stealing only what he needed to survive but is now driven to get unseen art back into the public eye and return works to their rightful owners. He intends to make no money from stealing the Marbles, merely doing so to right what he sees as a wrong and for the pure challenge of it. Whether you agree with his views or not he's a bit of a charmer and I was quick to warm to him. Danny has amassed a useful list of contacts after years stealing, and many of his colleagues have their own little eccentricities. I enjoyed meeting the characters and finding out about Danny, and appreciated the degree of tension stemming from Danny's unidentified but determined pursuers. The pace stepped up in the second part as the team started to mobilise and put the plan into action. I'm not going to even think about revealing whether the team are successful or not so will leave the plot there!
I pretty much devoured this book, enjoying the mix of quirky characters, political overtones and global travel to beautifully described locations. While there is plenty of tension and action there is also humour and romance to balance it out. This is a gratifying romp of a heist with a bit more depth than I had expected, which was all to the good. A definite 5* book!
The book is essentially divided into two parts, the planning and the execution. The first part really put me in mind of Oceans Eleven, which is no bad thing. Danny is a thief with his own moral code. He grew up stealing only what he needed to survive but is now driven to get unseen art back into the public eye and return works to their rightful owners. He intends to make no money from stealing the Marbles, merely doing so to right what he sees as a wrong and for the pure challenge of it. Whether you agree with his views or not he's a bit of a charmer and I was quick to warm to him. Danny has amassed a useful list of contacts after years stealing, and many of his colleagues have their own little eccentricities. I enjoyed meeting the characters and finding out about Danny, and appreciated the degree of tension stemming from Danny's unidentified but determined pursuers. The pace stepped up in the second part as the team started to mobilise and put the plan into action. I'm not going to even think about revealing whether the team are successful or not so will leave the plot there!
I pretty much devoured this book, enjoying the mix of quirky characters, political overtones and global travel to beautifully described locations. While there is plenty of tension and action there is also humour and romance to balance it out. This is a gratifying romp of a heist with a bit more depth than I had expected, which was all to the good. A definite 5* book!
December 6, 2010
Review also posted on my blog, Clover Hill Book Reviews.
The cover on this is eye catching and true to the storyline, what the cover can't express is how detailed the book is, no detail is left to chance and it's very thorough. Stealing the Marbles is witty from the outset, as Danny goes about creating allies to aid him in his task to steal and return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Danny is a thief of epic proportions, possibly wanted by various agencies including Interpol. He steals for the thrill of the chase, and as a reader you soon discover that he's not as heroic or brave as he might at first seem. I was surprised by some of his dislikes, these made the story even more interesting.
This book kept me on my toes...it's got car chases, gun fights and a really good plot, menacing in places with twists and turns. I did guess what the outcome was going to be to some extent, but the book was well paced none the less, with touching scenes of vulnerability and grief, that you possibly wouldn't expect from a thriller.
This was a can't-put-it-down read, which was totally absorbing and enjoyable from start to finish. I was surprised at the end to read that although Danny's story is not real, the Parthenon Marbles and their story, is in fact true.
The cover on this is eye catching and true to the storyline, what the cover can't express is how detailed the book is, no detail is left to chance and it's very thorough. Stealing the Marbles is witty from the outset, as Danny goes about creating allies to aid him in his task to steal and return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Danny is a thief of epic proportions, possibly wanted by various agencies including Interpol. He steals for the thrill of the chase, and as a reader you soon discover that he's not as heroic or brave as he might at first seem. I was surprised by some of his dislikes, these made the story even more interesting.
This book kept me on my toes...it's got car chases, gun fights and a really good plot, menacing in places with twists and turns. I did guess what the outcome was going to be to some extent, but the book was well paced none the less, with touching scenes of vulnerability and grief, that you possibly wouldn't expect from a thriller.
This was a can't-put-it-down read, which was totally absorbing and enjoyable from start to finish. I was surprised at the end to read that although Danny's story is not real, the Parthenon Marbles and their story, is in fact true.
July 8, 2011
The older I get and the more I read, the more I like my fiction to provide an extra something beyond the conventions, whether it's genre or literary. STEALING THE MARBLES, EJ Knapp's terrific international caper, gives me just that. In addition to being thrilled and entertained by the resourceful Danny Samsel, international art thief with a good heart, I've learned an interesting and outrageous bit of real life history, the arrogant "appropriation" (which many call brazen looting) by Lord Elgin of Britain of ancient and priceless Greek statues, sacrilegiously stripped from the Parthenon, which are now known as the Elgin Marbles. The author not only sucked me into a rip-roaring good tale with twists and turns and treachery, but also educated me, presenting both sides of the issue but definitely leaving me indignant and rooting for Danny as he goes about planning and executing the theft of the century, an audacious attempt to steal the marbles from the British Museum and return them to the Greeks. STEALING THE MARBLES is how I like my reading to be.
September 5, 2010
Stolen marbles have been the subject of many a playground spat, but at the heart of EJ Knapp’s novel is something very much more heavyweight. Professional art thief Danny Samsel plans to steal the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum and return them to Greece.
This is a classic crime caper – think The Italian Job or The Thomas Crown Affair – involving a seemingly impossible heist. The plot is pacey and laced with sardonic humour, the hero flawed and racked by self-doubt.
Add in a world of secretive art collectors, Interpol, feisty love interest and elegantly invoked locations and you have a thriller to rival MacLean or early Deighton. There are some strong echoes of Ian Rankin’s Doors Open here too, but none the worse for that. If you’re only going to buy one thriller by a new writer this year Stealing the Marbles should be at the top of your shopping list.
This is a classic crime caper – think The Italian Job or The Thomas Crown Affair – involving a seemingly impossible heist. The plot is pacey and laced with sardonic humour, the hero flawed and racked by self-doubt.
Add in a world of secretive art collectors, Interpol, feisty love interest and elegantly invoked locations and you have a thriller to rival MacLean or early Deighton. There are some strong echoes of Ian Rankin’s Doors Open here too, but none the worse for that. If you’re only going to buy one thriller by a new writer this year Stealing the Marbles should be at the top of your shopping list.
June 10, 2011
EJ Knapp, author of Stealing the Marbles showed me Greece at its finest—small villages, remote regions, serene beaches, and bumps in the road. I tasted the food he described and savored the fine wine. He also made a believer of me: the returning priceless antiquities to the country of their origin, in this case marble sculptures that came from the Acropolis in Athens. But modern-day England isn't about to give up what Lord Elgin acquired on its behalf over two hundred years ago. Thief-extraordinaire Danny Samsel thinks otherwise and with help from a wealthy benefactor, Samsel recruits his dream team of fellow thieves, a sophisticated mix of passion, talent, and moxie that executes a heist so complex it evolves from the comedic to the tragic before its completion. More than a good read, Stealing the Marbles is a must read.
June 1, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. One thing that was good was that the book didn't start out like most others where they explain everything and then start the story. This book put you right in the middle and guided you to where the maze of twists began. And personally two thumbs up for the Harry Potter reference. =) The ending is something that was completely unexpected and was very well thought.
I recieved this book free from GoodReads.
I recieved this book free from GoodReads.
July 20, 2011
I really enjoyed EJ Knapp's Stealing the Marbles. EJ's choice of capers is mind boggling and the way he had his main character pull this off, I give him props for the creativity behind this story as well as the historical research he had to do to make each scene, each detail authentic.
I highly recommend this, especially as a fast paced beach read.
I highly recommend this, especially as a fast paced beach read.
December 11, 2010
A fun read for anyone interested in the Elgin Marbles.
December 25, 2010
Weirdly uneventful for a book about a major heist with violent scenes.
April 2, 2011
FBI, CIA and the thriller of the the year!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews