The Louvre, Mona Lisa, and the Greatest Crime

A Clancco reader pointed to this interesting book, The Crimes of Paris: True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection. According to the book’s website:

In 1911, it fell victim to perhaps the greatest theft of all time–the taking of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. Immediately, Alphonse Bertillon, a detective world-renowned for pioneering crime-scene investigation techniques, was called upon to solve the crime. And quickly the Paris police had a suspect: a young Spanish artist named Pablo Picasso.

The Boston Globe has a brief analysis of this book here, including:

Before the heist took place, Valfierno commissioned a forger to make six copies of the Mona Lisa to sell to American millionaires. The forgeries were then shipped overseas and stored until the time was right.