Geoffrey Kelly
Author & Retired FBI Special Agent
New Release
THIRTEEN PERFECT FUGITIVES
The True Story of the Mob, Murder,
and the World's Largest Art Heist
On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art were plucked from the walls of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston by two subjects posing as police officers. Over the next eighty-one minutes, they stole some of the world’s most valuable artwork, including a rare Vermeer and Rembrandt’s only known seascape; a total loss estimated at over $1 billion.
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For more than two decades, Geoffrey Kelly, one of the original members of the FBI's elite Art Crime Team, was the lead investigator into the heist. Rather than working the case as a traditional stolen property crime, however, he framed it as a fugitive investigation. Thirteen fugitives, to be exact.
In this captivating true crime story, Geoffrey Kelly shares his insights and theories about the case, and recounts his journey to apprehend those thirteen perfect fugitives.
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“Twists and Turns Galore…I could not put this book down. Inside the Infamous Gardner Art Museum Heist in Boston with the FBI’s lead investigator, retired Special Agent Geoff Kelly. The true crime details you don’t know plus the suspects, the searches and the saga of the “Thirteen Perfect Fugitives”. This amazing story has it all…..”
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— Dave Schratwieser, Retired Investigative Crime Reporter, Host of the MobTalk Sitdown/Philly Prime Podcast, Adviser on Netflix’s Mob War: Philadelphia vs The Mafia.​
Praise & Reviews
"With the pacing of a thriller and the allure of true crime, Geoff Kelly has brought readers a tale of mob bosses, art theft, and a decades old mystery. Thirteen Perfect Fugitives will keep you turning pages, wondering how any of this could possibly have happened, and marveling at the fact that all of it is true."
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— Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight, The Lies I Tell and The Ghostwriter.
"A surprisingly fun book about cop life, FBI life, and crime life. Casual and deft at the same time, it's hard to put this one down, except for meals."
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- Steve Martin
“Geoff Kelly, the FBI’s lead investigator on the infamous Gardner Museum art heist, gives us not only the ultimate insider’s guide but a front row seat to a real-life thriller. Beautifully written and well-plotted by a smart, dedicated, and unusually sensitive lawman, this book should be required reading for any and all crime writers!”
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– Jonathan Santlofer, bestselling author of The Last Mona Lisa and The Lost Van Gogh
Upcoming Events
Don't miss the chance to engage with Geoffrey Kelly at these upcoming events.​
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Author Talk & Book Signing
Spire Center for Performing Arts
Plymouth, MA
Time & Date TBD
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Author Talk & Book Signing
The Center at Duxbury
Duxbury, MA
Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 1 pm
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Lecture
Preservation Society of Newport County
Newport, RI
Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 6pm
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Author Talk & Book Signing
Porter Square Books at the Boston Seaport
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 7 pm
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