Michael

Finkel

Bestselling Author

Nonfiction Writer & Journalist

Travels from: Salt Lake City, Utah

“Exhilarating… Finkel’s narrative thrills and electrifies, until it all barrels toward inevitable capture, two shocking betrayals, and an astonishing conclusion.” — Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire

Michael Finkel specializes in telling stories that are both true and unbelievable. He is the author of The Art Thief, a #1 New York Times bestseller, about a man who stole more than 300 works of art just for the sake of admiring them. He also wrote The Stranger in the Woods, a New York Times and international bestseller, about a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years. His first nonfiction book, True Story, about a murderer who took on Finkel’s identity while running from the law, was adapted into a major motion picture starring James Franco and Jonah Hill.

Finkel has reported from more than 50 countries across six continents, covering topics ranging from the world’s last hunter-gatherer tribes, to conflicts in Afghanistan and Israel, to theoretical physics and cutting-edge science. His work has appeared in National Geographic, GQ, The Atlantic, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times Magazine.

In the line of reportorial duty, Finkel has skied off the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, stowed away on a Haitian refugee boat, joined a cult in Colorado, investigated the black market for human organs, descended into an active volcano, dogsledded in Greenland, hunted for baboon with the Hadza tribe of Tanzania, meditated silently for 10 days in India, run 100 miles in one day, and hitchhiked across the Sahara Desert. His writing has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Best American Travel Writing, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. He lives with his wife, three children, and two French bulldogs in Park City, Utah.

Michael's Featured Titles

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

Knopf |

June 27, 2023

Criminal Biography

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first century • “The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing.”—The New Yorker

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Lit Hub

“Enthralling.” —The Wall Street Journal

Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time.

He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight.

His girlfriend served as his accomplice.

His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion.

He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom.

He felt like a king.

Until everything came to a shocking end.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.

Art History, Creative Nonfiction, History & Biography, Nonfiction

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

Knopf |

March 7, 2017

Crime Biography

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality; not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own. A New York Times bestseller: In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life – why did he leave? what did he learn? – as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.

Creative Nonfiction, History & Biography, Mystery & Thriller, Nonfiction

True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa

Harper |

May 24, 2005

Criminal Biography

The improbable but true story of a man accused of murdering his entire family and the journalist he impersonated while on the run

In 2001, Mike Finkel was on top of the world: young, talented, and recently promoted to a plum job at the New York Times Magazine. Then he made an irremediable slip: Under extraordinary pressure to keep producing blockbuster stories, he fabricated parts of an article. Caught and excommunicated from the Times, he retreated to his home in Montana, swearing off any contact with the media. When the phone rang, though, he couldn’t resist. At the other end was a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, whom Finkel congratulated on being the first in what was sure to be a long and bloodthirsty line of media watchdogs. The reporter was puzzled.

In Waldport, Oregon, Christian Longo had killed his young wife and three children and dumped their bodies into the bay. With a stolen credit card, he fled south, making his way to Cancun, where he lived for several weeks under an assumed identity: Michael Finkel, journalist for the New York Times.

True Story is the tale of a bizarre and convoluted collision between fact and fiction, and a meditation on the slippery nature of truth. When Finkel contacts Longo in jail, the two men begin a close and complex relationship. Over the course of a year, they exchange long letters and weekly phone calls, playing out a cat-and-mouse game in which it’s never quite clear if the pursuer is Finkel or Longo―or both. Finkel’s dogged pursuit of the true story pays off only at the end, in the gripping trial scenes in which Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally tells the whole truth. Or so he says.

Creative Nonfiction, History & Biography, Journalism, Nonfiction

Alpine Circus: A Skier’s Exotic Adventures at the Snowy Edge of the World

Lyons Pr |

January 1, 1999

Adventure Travel

Boldly going where few others have gone before, Michael Finkel has spent a dozen winters journeying across six continents in order to write about the wonders and eccentricities of the world’s snowy regions. In this collection of his finest work-part seat-of-the-pants adventure, part cultural exploration, and peppered throughout with humor and insight-Finkel takes the reader from the underside of an avalanche to the summit of Kilimanjaro. He partners with a gang of Kazak herdsmen in the remote peaks of China; he launches down the slopes of Iran as he learns about the Ayatollahs’ Byzantine skiing rules; he goes through the torturous Marine Corps mountain warfare training; and he takes on New York City on cross-country skis.

With rare skill and insight, Finkel vividly recreates the thrill of flying off an Olympic ski jump in Lake Placid, the excitement of gliding through virgin snows on a remote Alaskan peak, and the exhilaration of taking off into the unexplored mountains of interior Greenland. In turn, ALPINE CIRCUS becomes the adventurous ride of a lifetime, a tour through a unique world with a unique guide that is sure to thrill both armchair travelers and Arctic explorers.

Creative Nonfiction, Memoir & Personal Journeys, Natural World, Travel Narratives

The Secrets of the World's Greatest Art Thief

Do you want to know how the most prolific art thief of all time stole a total $2 billion worth of art from some 200 museums? Of course you do! In this talk, I will explain precisely how the French thief Stéphane Breitwieser did it, for this is a present-day story and I was able to exclusively interview Breitwieser himself, as well as visit museums with him and read his psychologists’ reports.

Even more fascinating than the number of thefts was Breitwieser’s motivation – with his girlfriend as his accomplice, he stole not for money but for the love of art. He displayed all his stolen works in his secret attic bedroom. He lived inside a treasure chest.

My book about Breitwieser, The Art Thief, was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and my talk will feature never-before-seen photos of Breitwieser inside of museums as well as incredible video showing his bedroom filled with stolen loot. But this talk will also touch on something deeper, and everyone will walk out knowing one amazing technique, also taught to me by the art thief, that will deepen your appreciation of art and beauty. After this talk, you will never experience a museum or a work of art the same way again.

The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

This presentation, augmented with gorgeous photos and video clips, will detail the fascinating and historically unique story of Christopher Knight. Soon after graduating from high school, Knight walked alone into the woods of Maine with few supplies and little food. He did not emerge for 27 years, until he was arrested in 2013 while attempting to steal food. By then he was a middle-aged man.

Why did Knight leave the world? What did he learn? What secrets would he like to share with us? This case became a huge sensation in the state of Maine. More than 500 journalists requested an interview with Knight, but he decided to share his story only with me. Our extensive talks formed the bases of my internationally best-selling book, “The Stranger in The Woods.” I will explain how Knight survived the harsh winters without ever lighting a fire (he feared that smoke would give his campsite away), what his did with his time, and why he wanted to separate himself so profoundly from the rest of us.

My presentation will also dive into the profound subject of solitude, and the importance and difficulty of spending time alone. Solo retreats have resulted in world-changing religious awakenings, artistic creations, and scientific breakthroughs. And yet solitary confinement is also the harshest nonlethal punishment in the United States. How can alone time be both rewarding and tortuous? This talk will leave you with a better appreciation for quiet moments, for introspection, for living the examined life, and for understanding of one of greatest feats of self-isolation in all of human history. It will touch on something deep and ineffable that resides inside all of us. And I will also reveal Knight’s unexpected answers to the grandest questions of all, one asked of hermits across ages: What great knowledge did he gain from all his time alone? What is the meaning of life?

Living a National Geographic Life: Reporting for the World’s Most Famous Magazine

This talk, enhanced with incredible, behind-the-scenes photographs, will discuss the amazing and unique experiences I’ve had while working as a reporter for National Geographic Magazine for nearly 20 years now, and counting. While on assignment for National Geographic, I have lived with a hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania; descended into an active volcano in the Congo; traveled by dogsled in Greenland; hitchhiked across the Sahara Desert; climbed an 8,000-meter peak in Nepal; spent time with a terrorist group in Indonesia; searched for mushrooms worth more than their weight in gold in Tibet; spent extensive time in danger zones in the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan; interviewed a blind man who learned to navigate by echolocating like a bat; joined an archeological team that discovered amazing treasures in remote Nepal; and much more.

This will be an endlessly entertaining and fascinating talk that will also discuss topics that everyone can relate to. Why do we travel? How can we find the magical places that lie just beyond the tourist traps and rip-off restaurants? I will offer a few simple tricks will elevate your travel experiences and make your voyages unforgettable, unique, and extraordinary. No one who hears this talk will ever travel quite the same way again.

Extreme Journalism: A Life of Danger, Adventure, and Insatiable Curiosity

This presentation will encompass my 35 years working as a globe-trotting journalist. I have covered wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as humanitarian crises, terrorism, crime, science, adventure, and human eccentrics and outliers. I have been arrested in several countries, shot at a couple of times, and attacked by a mob. I’ve lived with hunter-gatherer tribes, conducted prison interviews, been invited into terrorists’ homes, and spent time imbedded with the Taliban. My identity was stolen by a murderer on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List. A car in which I was traveling was run over by a tank in Afghanistan. I have filed stories from more than 50 different countries, and all 50 US states. I’ve ventured across deserts and glaciers and interviewed thousands of people, from beggars to kings.

But more broadly, I have tried to make sense of this crazy world. In addition to recounting many astonishing stories, I will discuss what I’ve learned about the world from my decades of exploring, usually traveling alone, armed with nothing more than a pen and notebook. Is the world safe or dangerous? Are people generally good or bad? This talk can be tailored and shaped to fit dozens of different areas of interest, depending on what kind of event you are planning. We can work together to make sure that the topics I cover will be ideal for your audience. But no matter how I tailor the specifics, the audience will come away from this talk with a better perspective on the state of the world, and how journalism really works, and most of all, a greater appreciation and understanding of this crazy, complicated, and endlessly fascinating planet we all share.

“I’ve been hosting author events for almost 50 years, and Michael Finkel provided one of the best I have ever seen. Michael is funny, informative, and illuminating. He has an appealingly casual, nonacademic style. Everyone in attendance was riveted and enthralled. We are looking forward to having him speak here again.” — Elaine Petrocelli, owner of Book Passage in Corte Madera, California

“Michael Finkel brought so much energy, enthusiasm, and care to his talk for our One Book One Valley community read on “The Stranger in the Woods.” He took our audience beyond the book with photos, videos, letters, and stories from his research and interactions. He’s a gifted storyteller, blending insight and humor into both his presentation and his answers to audience questions. He clearly loves exploring the complexities of the people he writes about, along with his own conflicted feelings about them. This joy and intensity is palpable when he’s speaking-–he had our audience fully engaged and immersed from start to finish!” — Eric White, Adult Services Librarian, Estes Valley Library, Estes Park, Colorado

“What a delight! Michael Finkel’s presentations are fascinating, informative, and extraordinarily entertaining. His easy-to-listen-to delivery and his sense of humor had the audience hooked. He’s a true professional.” — Kase Johnstun, Program Manager, Utah Center for the Book

“It was an absolute pleasure to host Michael Finkel for a presentation at our library. He was outstanding — such an engaging and generous speaker. The audience was enthralled, and I thought his Q&A was fantastic, the way had such witty interactions with the attendees. We were thrilled to have him speak as part of the Wasatch Back Book Festival.” — Adriane Juarez, Executive Director, Park City Library, Park City, Utah

“Michael Finkel was terrific to work with when he visited Westport for our community-wide read. His conversation during the evening program was entertaining and educational and the audience enjoyed both his book and his presence.” — Jennifer Keller, Senior Programming & Events Coordinator, The Westport Library, Westport, Connecticut

“The author was a hoot!” — Two separate audience members, Estes Valley Library, Estes Park, Colorado

The Art Thief

“The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing. It is propelled by suspense and surprises….This ultra-lucrative, odds-defying crime streak is wonderfully narrated by Finkel, in a tale whose trajectory is less rise and fall than crazy and crazier….Part of what makes Finkel’s book so much fun is that, without exception, [Breitwieser’s] strategies are insane.” — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker

“A mesmerizing true-crime psychological thriller….The Art Thief develops the tension of a French policier, where the crook (for whom you alternately feel sympathy and disgust) has Maigret or Poirot hot on his trail. The final outcome is a shock. Mr. Finkel tells an enthralling story. From start to finish, this book is hard to put down.” — Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal

“Enthralling…In animated and colorful prose, Finkel summons the emotional intensity of a murder mystery. But old masters, not bodies, are missing….The Art Thief is about heists, yes, but it also speaks to much more.” — Brandon Tensley, The Washington Post

“Exhilarating…Finkel’s narrative thrills and electrifies, until it all barrels toward inevitable capture, two shocking betrayals, and an astonishing conclusion.” — Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire

“Thrilling…Finkel deftly unspools the story of Breitwieser’s improbable years-long adventure.” — Geoffrey Gagnon, GQ

“Meticulously detailed, [a] page-turning account….As much a crime caper as a psychological thriller, Finkel’s narrative interweaves gripping descriptions of Breitweiser’s in-plain-sight thefts armed with nothing more than stealth and a Swiss Army knife, a concise history of global art theft, and psychologists’ musings on Breitwieser’s unconscious motivations….Finkel deftly keeps us swaying between great sympathy for his central character and profound suspicion.” — Jenny McPhee, Air Mail

“It is romantic to liken art thieves to Pierce Brosnan’s glamorous character in The Thomas Crown Affair. The reality is far less charming. Case in point: Stéphane Breitwieser, one of the most successful art thieves of all time. From roughly 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser executed more than 200 heists. The book’s first lesson? Europe has a lot of understaffed historic buildings. The second? Even a kleptomaniac with delusions of grandeur can be made mildly sympathetic in the hands of a skilled writer.” — James Tarmy, Bloomberg

“The author’s account of the skulduggery is thrilling…. [Breitwieser] emerges from this astonishing tale as a tragic figure.” — The Economist

“The Art Thief benefits from a built-in ticking clock as time runs out for Breitwieser and his girlfriend. Finkel controls the pace effortlessly, broadening and narrowing focus from the day-to-day of the thieves to the intricate plotting of their thefts and a history of art crime, as well as who steals and why. That combined with mounting dread for the artworks’ fate makes for a heart-pounding read.” — Maren Longbella, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Finkel turns his extensive research and interviews into a suspenseful story that reads like a novel. He relates Breitwieser’s technique in vivid detail, and then shows us what happened to an estimated $2 billion worth of paintings, sculptures and other works. Finkel explores the relationships between Breitwieser and the women in his life, along with interesting bits of art history. A true-crime thriller that’s a work of art.” — Suzanne Perez, KMUW Wichita, Kansas

“The level of detail Finkel is able to provide… is uncomfortably gripping, as if the reader is watching these events unfold and working as an accomplice to the French robber’s crimes…. Although the definition of a page-turner, this book will also likley force the reader to consider why details of this kind are so exhilarating to us in the first place.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Finkel has crafted The Art Thief with finesse and élan. He tells his tale of obsessive desires and ornate objects in measured and unadorned prose; employs a supple structure that separates the multiple threads of the tale while also exploring their weave; and advances the linear plot with narrative strategies that not only anticipate its foregone conclusion without giving it away, but also incorporate into the unfolding events his retrospective analyses of them….[Finkel] manages point of view with deftness and purpose….The Art Thief…morphs from an entertaining caper story into a claustrophobic study in pathology…An absorbing but disquieting read.” — Charles Caramello, Washington Independent Review of Books

“This is an absorbing and astonishing portrait of a fascinating and complicated character—a riveting story of obsession and misplaced brilliance.” — Kirk Wallace Johnson, best-selling author of The Feather Thief and The Fishermen and the Dragon

“In this masterful true crime account, Finkel traces the fascinating exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, a French art thief who stole more than 200 artworks…turning his mother’s attic into a glittering trove of oil paintings, silver vessels, and antique weaponry….Drawing on art theory and Breitwieser’s psychology reports, Finkel speculates on his subject’s addiction to beauty….It’s a riveting ride.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The tale of a strong candidate for the title of ‘most prolific art thief ever….’ Finkel’s play-by-play of each theft has the pacing and atmosphere of a good suspense tale….The author describes each acquisition as well as Breitwieser’s simple but effective methods….Finkel’s extensive research, survey of art history, and hours of interviews with his subject combine for a compelling read.” — Kirkus

“A riveting ride….An engrossing true crime narrative….Obsessive crime, dangerous beauty, ill-fated love: The Art Thief is the stuff of noir fiction, made all the more compelling and audacious for its authenticity.” — BookPage

“From the opening chapter, Finkel’s tight prose heightens the drama of each theft, as Breitweiser and his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, who serves as his lookout, enter Belgium’s Rubens House amid visitors and guards….A fascinating read. Finkel will have art history and true crime lovers obsessively turning the pages of this suspenseful, smartly written work until its shocking conclusion.” — Library Journal

“The Art Thief is both comprehensive and completely absorbing. It will have you wondering, as judges and juries did, if the defendant is a career criminal or simply an aesthete.” — Lorraine W. Shanley, BookReporter

The Stranger in the Woods

“Astonishing. . . . An absorbing exploration of solitude and man’s eroding relationship with the natural world.” — The Atlantic

“Campfire-friendly and thermos-ready, easily drained in one warm, rummy slug. It also raises a variety of profound questions—about the role of solitude, about the value of suffering, about the diversity of human needs.” — The New York Times

“[A] fascinating story. . . . Finkel manages to pry powerful words from the man who may hold the world title for silent retreat.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“A story that takes the two primary human relationships—to nature and to one another—and deftly upends our assumptions about both. This was a breathtaking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and—by extension—for my own life.” — Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

“As strong as Finkel’s storytelling instincts and prose are, his greatest feat in writing The Stranger in the Woods is the journalistic diligence and humanity he brought to Knight. . . . Through Finkel, Knight is able to speak up with his own voice at last.” — Paste

“[Knight’s] story will speak to anyone who has ever walked through the wilderness and considered, even for a moment, whether ever to leave.” — Field & Stream

“Moving and haunting. . . . A beautifully rendered, carefully researched story.” — PopMatters

“Riveting. . . . A stunning look inside at the life and inner thoughts of one of our era’s most confounding characters.” — Bangor Daily News

“Thought-provoking and enduring . . . Will leave readers thinking deeply about modern society, the search for meaning, and the impact of solitude. Finkel is a skilled storyteller.” — Portland Press Herald (Maine)

“I was drawn through these pages in a single sitting—their pull is true and magnetic. . . . [Knight’s] tale becomes universal thanks to the expert care of Finkel’s writing. . . The Stranger in the Woods is, ultimately, a meditation on the pains of social obligation and the longing toward retreat that resides in us all.” — Michael Harris, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book . . . [His] investigation runs deep, summoning . . . the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world.” — Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein’s Brain

“Chris Knight is an American original . . . I burned through this haunting tale in one rapt sitting.” — John Vaillant, author of The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed

Michael’s Journalism Link

Honors, Awards & Recognition

#1 on The New York Times Print Paperback Bestsellers list, July 21, 2024, “The Art Thief”
#1 Pick Indie Next List, July 2023, selected by the American Booksellers Association, “The Art Thief”
#1 Pick, Nonfiction, Amazon Editors’ Best Books of 2023, “The Art Thief”
Barnes & Noble Nonfiction Book of the Month, July 2024, “The Art Thief”
Washington Post Notable Book, “The Art Thief,” 2023
New Yorker Best Book, “The Art Thief,” 2023
Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book, “The Art Thief,” 2023
Literary Hub Best Book, “The Art Thief,” 2023
Apple Books Best Books, “The Art Thief,” July 2023
24 weeks for “The Art Thief” on The New York Times Print Paperback Bestsellers list
8 weeks for “The Art Thief” on The New York Times Print Hardcover Bestsellers list
7 weeks for “The Stranger in the Woods” on The New York Times Print Hardcover Bestsellers list
Goodreads Choice Awards, Readers’ Favorite Nonfiction 2023, “The Art Thief” is #3
Major motion picture adaptation of “True Story,” starring James Franco and Jonah Hill, 2014
Goodreads Choice Awards, Readers’ Favorite Nonfiction 2017, “The Stranger in the Woods” is #3
National Magazine Award for photojournalism, shared with the photographer, for the National Geographic article on malaria, “Bedlam in the Blood,” 2007
The Livingston Award for International Reporting, 2000