Hot Art

It began with a burglary at the local art gallery and turned into an international investigation. Hot Art traces Joshua Knelman's five-year immersion in the shadowy world of art theft, where he uncovers a devious game that takes him from Egypt to Los Angeles, New York to London, and back again, through a web of deceit, violence, and corruption. With a cool, knowing eye, Knelman delves into the lives of professionals such as Paul, a brilliant working-class kid who charms his way into a thriving career organizing art thefts and running the loot across the United Kingdom and beyond; or the LAPD detective Donald Hrycyk, one of a handful of obsessive special investigators who struggle to keep pace with the evolving industry of stolen art. We learn, as they learn, that art theft is no fringe activity - it has evolved into one of the largest black markets in the world, which even Interpol and the FBI admit they cannot contain. In this battle, the thieves are winning. Sweeping and fast-paced, Hot Art is a major work of investigative journalism and a thrilling joyride into a mysterious criminal world.