Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief

By Bill Mason

By Bill Mason and Lee Gruenfeld

New addition to our Tactical Book Club. This one actually pairs really really nice with “A Burglar’s Guide to the City” Link*.

Liked

In every Urban Survival Course* that I teach there is a small section I include on Social Engineering. After learning all about how to exploit locks and security I usually finish with a question to the class about the bigger picture of problem solving. Reading this book before attending one of my classes will put your mind-set way ahead of the game; because the difference between being a lock picker and practicing “Tactical Lock Picking” is that you can do one in the comfort of your own home, on your couch, while eating chips and watching TV – The other one requires you to operate and solve problems in the real world.

“This book is FULL of case studies in how to defeat security and often in better more efficient ways than having to pick a lock”

Note* This book was talked about in depth in my Hollotec Lock Picking Course I attended and reviewed recently (Here). I was happy that I had read it before class and was able to see another side of the surreptitious entry coin (Think like the enemy)

Also this book was MUCH more valuable in terms of thinking like the enemy than another book with that phrase in the title “Red Team – How to Think Like The Enemy”. You will learn more about thinking like the enemy in this auto-bio then you will in Red Teamming.

Dislikes

The cardinal sin of authors. When I buy a book on a topic, written about or from a specific person’s point of view I expect to hear about the topic, early and often. Now, authors have every right to paint you a very detailed picture about what led them to the point of their expertise in their field of practice but mother fucker if I don’t HATE when I am forced to read for pages on end, right up front, about the author’s mommy and daddy, and what instrument they played in band in the 3rd grade, and getting in and out of detention in school. Don’t fucking care.

BUT… if you push though that in the beginning you’ll find a ton of useful information.

Excerpts

LOTS of social engineering case studies!

 

See? The shit I tell you isn’t BS 😉

 

Highlight function wasn’t working, but: “The Standard Lock” this relates to my Same Lock Principle for target assessment.

 

Another interesting excerpt showing some of the readability of this book. NOT boring (except for the About Me in the beginning) lol.

 

Last One. What would my review be without a little nod to the BS “Judicial System” in this country. Enjoy! 🙂

Read books. Ask questions. Stay Legal.

-Pat

 

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