The 500 Million Dollar Heist: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Thirteen Missing Masterpieces

Unsolved Case Files #3

by Tom Sullivan

The third book in this graphic nonfiction series about real FBI cases details the Isabella Stewart Gardner heist--the largest, and one of the most famous, art thefts in the world.

CASE NO. 003: THE GARDNER

MARCH 18, 1990

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

1:24 a.m.

Two thieves posing as Boston Police officers gain entry to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Once inside, they steal thirteen pieces of art, including several rare Rembrandts.

Eighty-one minutes later, these men walk off with $500 million worth of art. This heist is the single largest private property theft in the United States--and despite decades of investigation and dozens of false leads, the case remains unsolved to this day.

Don't miss the first two gripping installments in this thrilling series, Unsolved Case Files: Escape at 10,000 Feet and Unsolved Case Files: Jailbreak at Alcatraz.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Art, Childrens, Mystery, History

104 pages, Hardcover

Published August 30, 2022

About the author

Tom Sullivan is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at the New England Institute of Art where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design.

After spending the first ten years of his career as a freelance Art Director and Designer, Tom switched gears to pursue his love of storytelling. He is the author and illustrator of the Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins picture books I Used To Be A Fish, BLUE vs. YELLOW, Out There and the graphic novel series Unsolved Case Files.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid entry in this solid true crime series aimed at kids. It's delivered in the same Joe Friday only-the-facts manner as the previous volumes, with lots of illustrations and light blocks of text.

The subject this time is an art heist that has been a minor fixation for me ever since the museum was robbed a couple of years after my only visit and involved the theft of my favorite piece: Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. The painting really moved me, and it disgusts me that someone took away the opportunity for the general public to stand in its presence and feel the same emotions I did that day.

Several different theories are explored, making me want to read up some more on the subject sometime in the near future with either the Netflix film or the books cited in the Sources section.

Good stuff!

[Tara Ethridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so popular in our library that it is never in the shelf and this third volume is also so intriguing. Small snippets of information on each page makes the context digestible for elementary readers with pictures and fascinating facts. This one about a museum heist will also be a hit!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a quick read about a famous unsolved art heist. I felt like it hit the highlights and had interesting/appropriate graphics (especially loved the real art photos mixed in with cartoons).

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

MCBA nominee. Fast paced informative graphic nonfiction about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery. This one has generated a lot of interest worth my students!

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so happy to be seeing more reporting around the Gardner Museum theft! This is a good basic overview of the events of the robbery, but it didn't wow me in any way. Solid overall.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bookopoly - true crime

3.5 stars

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel retelling of the Gardner Museum Heist, and the theories about where the art could be now.

I’ve read some other art crime books that have referred to the Gardner Heist, but this is the first book only on that and it was interesting to hear a bit more about the case, the woman who created the museum, the art that is still missing to this day, and the theories about who might have been behind it. This was a quick, easy read and done in a way appealing to the target age group.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. It is related that some of the museum guards were tied up by the criminals. No violence.

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series so much, and was SO excited for this heist! It was great, truly. However, there were a LOT of names that were hard to keep straight for me, a really well-read adult. I think this was the least conscience of the series.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 *

A graphic novel for kids about the Isabella Stewart Gardner heist.

This is another one of my favorite true crime cases that also infuriates me. The fact that these men ruthlessly cut priceless pieces of art from their frames to never be seen again just pisses me off. When I went to Boston a few years ago this was one of the places I knew I wanted to visit. It's so haunting yet respectful leaving their frames empty. (Yes I know that's part of Gardner's stipulation.)

Okay about the book. This was another extremely detailed and engaging graphic novel that paints a picture 😅 of all the events that happened before and after the heist. The attention to detail is insane. We learn all about the creation of the museum, who is Isabella Stewart Gardner, and what possibly happened on that fateful night. This book covers as much as any documentary I've ever seen. For example, theories about possible inside involvement, extensive mob ties, and international criminal elements.

We still don't have a resolution to this case, but the book did a phenomenal job covering every single aspect of this case.

[Daniel Hubbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Sullivan's excellent book of the Stewart Gardner heist is a great piece for young readers. Growing up in the Boston suburbs I only made it to the Gardner as an adult, and was stunned by its beauty and the unique layout of the collection. But mostly I was struck by the appearance of empty frames in a few key places throughout the museum. Sullivan's book does a great job of explaining to readers not only how those pieces were stolen, but why the frames remain. The illustration style is simple and effective, and Sullivan does a great job of explaining his narrative in short chunks without diluting the context or over simplifying the case. Easy recommend for anyone who wants to know more about the heist, but especially good for younger readers looking for something unique.

[K Gover · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum painting heist is told in graphic novel format. On March 18,1990 the museum was broken into by two men dressed as police officers. The stole what is now estimated as 500 million dollars worth of artwork. The artwork has never been found despite several solid suspects- many of these linked to the Boston mob.
The text also tells about Isabella Steward Gardner's life, travels and wishes after she passed away. The museum today is as she left it. In her will the places where the missing portraits were are still empty. They are only to be replaced with the artwork when it is returned.
Some officials have gotten reports that some of the paintings have traveled extensively up and down the east coast.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist has always intrigued me. I love cases about art heists, and heists in general and this one was so fascinating. 13 item stolen, none of them, at least to this day, ever seen again.

The twists and turns of this were remarkable. How the thieves got in, the damage they did taking the paintings, the mob connections, and the reporter who, supposedly, might have seen one of the paintings briefly.

It's sad, and incredible all at the same time. These lost masterpieces will probably never be found, and that is a great loss. How the thieves did it though, was, at least technically, ingenious.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well done graphic novel that mixes illustrations with photographic prints, as well as ephemera, museum blueprints and interesting details.

I love the Isabella Gardner museum in Boston. It’s a beautiful and fascinating building and I had no idea about the art that was stolen from there. Now I’m anxious to go back to try to find the empty frames that still sit in their place waiting for the art to be returned.

I love the layout of this book I found it fascinating to read and I loved the typewriter font as if it came right out of a 1990s police crime report. This is very engaging and I think for anyone interested in unsolved, mysteries.

[BiblioBickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough file providing details about the 1990 theft of several works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. Includes images of each item stolen, timeline of events, details of various suspects (and, sometimes, their grisly ends). Also includes a few pages of background on Isabella Stewart Gardner and how she inherited a lot of money and used it to buy art and build the museum. I liked how it included a notation about how she sometimes smuggled in works of art to avoid paying taxes on them.
I found it a little hard to keep track of each person's name.

[Megan Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boys have loved this series. They are fun to read out loud together. The premise is super engaging, true, unsolved cases about various crimes.

This one is about two thiefs who stole 13 priceless pieces of art from a Boston museum. This happened in 1990.

However, out of the three books we’ve read, this one was by far the most disjointed and confusing in the end.

We still devoured it and there was some super interesting components, but I just don’t think this one was as well-written. I’d still recommend this series though.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Largely enjoyed this especially since I live in Boston now. A couple of theories are explored that I didn't quite remember. Maybe it's just that I've read a couple of these now but the information presentation didn't quite wow me as much; maybe it's just that this time there were a lot of names of people to keep track of and I didn't feel like I would remember as much from this as I remembered in the first two books. But still good overall and I'm glad I picked it up. If more come out in this series I will definitely devour them!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling middle grade nonfiction graphic novel about the unsolved art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston which is known for being the single largest private property theft in the United States. This book does a good job telling a well crafted narrative about the heist, the history of the museum, the investigation, and the art work taken. There is also a useful list of resources at the end. A solidly good book about an interesting topic!

[Emily Mullibow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 (rounded to 4) Great nonfiction title that would appeal to a wide range of younger readers. Having gone to college right next to the Gardener Museum and seen the empty frames as they stand, the story of the heist is one that I find fascinating. The book presents the information in an easily digestible and entertaining format for the younger readers, however the illustrations are effective but lacking overall.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this book was more of a quick read for fun. It is a true story about how people managed to steal 500 million dollars in artwork from a very fancy museum. The people who committed this crime were never caught. I feel that this book is a cool quick read, but just not my style of books that I like to read. This book also shows how the criminals managed to do it and how smart they were to be able to pull it off. Over all, I gave it 3 stars which I feel is what it deserves in my opinion.

[Salamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books in the Unsolved Case Files. This book was well written, full of facts and interesting information, I just felt felt the museum did not do it's due diligence in protecting the artwork. i also felt this was an inside job. The bottom line to me is, someone steals all this artwork and can't sell it because then they will be caught and go to jail, so what is the point. However, I hope Sullivan makes a fourth book.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the three in this series (including one about D.B. Cooper and one about the escape at Alcatraz) this was the crime I knew the most about, which might be why it was the least exciting to read. I'd already seen the documentary on it, and this doesn't add a lot of new information, but for true crime interested kids, it's a great recommendation. It's also a good summation of the case. So, a good read, just not my personal favorite!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime for our younger readers! Using illustrations and engaging text, this book highlights the unsolved art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I'm familiar with the basics, but enjoyed learning about the different suspects, and wondering how they got away with a pretty impressive crime! I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[Asher Kindley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is to fast paced for me giving that it is only 90 pages. It is about a unsolved heist the robbers still very expensive art pieces I did like that the art in each image was very detailed I liked that i got to learn that this is one of the most famous art heists ever. I would recomend this book if you like books about robbery's.

[Jessica Salisbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these books. This one was not quite as interesting to me as the escape from 10,000 feet but that's probably because I don't know art as well. But still fascinating and mind boggling. Especially the fact that only 5% of stolen art ever gets recovered. How is that even possible? Where does it go?

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another absorbing entry in this true crime middle grade series- this time centering on the unsolved Gardner Museum art heist. I once again read this with my 9 year old daughter, who has been fascinated by this series.

This one is the shortest and probably the weakest of the three books, but it was still super interesting. (My daughter's favorite of the three was the Alcatraz one.)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is fabulous for graphic novel lovers interested in true unsolved mysteries. My 5th grader is eating them up and reading them very quickly. I do think they’re some words he ant read and skipped over, but the pics are good, info easy to understand, & some terms are defined in little side boxes. Great books!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in this series. I think this is a slightly less glamorous case than DB Cooper or the Alcatraz escape for a lot of people, partly because the theories are less exciting. But it's still a very interesting case. I look forward to seeing what comes up next for the series.

[Myka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great quick read. Excellent for a student that enjoys nonfiction mystery. Has lots of pictures and facts about the artwork which might not interest most young children. But overall very interesting read.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a graphic novel written by Tom Sullivan. It is a true story about a theft at an art museum. I would say that the book was all right. The book wasn't my favorite because it was very short and didn't have very much detail going into the different things in the book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the first two books more but still enjoyed it. I found this one harder to follow as there were more characters. I had no memory of this event so it’s always a fun way to learn. I hope they find the art!