Corvette Odyssey: The True Story of One Man's Path to Roadster Redemption

by Terry Berkson

It was a car fanatic's nightmare. While Terry Berkson was visiting his newborn son at the hospital, his '63 Corvette-a gift from his late father-was stolen off the streets of Brooklyn.
Berkson didn't have theft insurance, and he couldn't get over the loss. Detectives wrote his car off. It's been chopped up for parts, they told him. He would never find it. His wife and his sister-in-law told him he was crazy. But he didn't give in-he posted reward notices and cruised neighborhoods where he thought a stolen Corvette might pop up.
In his incredible search, he was aided by an unlikely coterie of understanding officials, sympathetic car thieves, as well as repo men, bus drivers on the lookout for him, and desperate cases who wanted to help him in unexpected ways, like the woman who claimed she had seen the car, and who was wearing almost nothing when he showed up to talk with her. He plunged into the secretive and dangerous world of "chop shops," where cars are cut down to nothing and sold for untraceable parts. He lurked in the dim corners of New York's most secluded hiding places, like "King Kong's Cave" in the Bronx, where stolen cars are abandoned and set on fire. He learned how professional thieves plan and pull off grand theft auto, and he finally located his car-but what happens when he does is both terrifying and exhilarating.
An original blend of philosophy-why do we love our cars the way we do?-the nuts and bolts of crime, urban adventure, and the underbelly of America's car-crazed culture, Corvette Odyssey is sure to find a place on the shelves of auto fans and lovers of a fine tale well told.

197 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jean]

I don't normally read books about cars but the reason I read this book is because it was "Highly Recommended with Broad Appeal" by Library Journal.From a woman's perspective I wasn't disappointed. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I thought it would read like a detective story but surprisingly much of what goes on is not about car theft but more about what a cherished possession represents in a person's life and how the theft of it can affect a family. The tried patience of his wife and the moving flashbacks to times spent with his beloved father gives this book a certain depth I didn't expect. It has a nail biter of an ending that is both frightening and surprising. I recommend this book to anyone who has lost a prized possession and would like to experience the thrill of tracking it down and more incredible how a family remains in tact.

[Roberta]

I bought this book for my brother and decided to read it myself. It's funny that it reminds me of another book that I reviewed sort of recently, Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search for the Eastern Puma. Except in that book the author was searching for a cougar and in this book the author was looking for a Corvette. But, otherwise, they were sort of weirdly the same.

[Louis]

I live in NYC. and over the years have had 2 cars stolen. I was insured but even if I wasn't , I wouldn't have risked my life and marriage to recover a stolen automobile. As I read Berkson's account I began to understand his emotional connection to the car and became so emotionally involved myself with his quest to find his beloved Corvette that I couldn't put the book down. I read it in one sitting!

[Jason Bernhardt]

I am biased because I know the author, but I do feel as though this is a good read for anyone. It's not just about a car, but one man's spirited journey to reclaim one of the loves of his life.

[Oswald]

Well worth reading.

[Jose]

Great story reads like a thriller but it is better because it actually happened. one of if not best non-fiction and I dare say borderline crime read. I've read it countless times glad I own it.