Portrait of a Thief (book)

Portrait of a Thief is the 2022 debut novel by Chinese American author Grace D. Li. It is on the New York Times Best Seller list and named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022. Netflix acquired the rights to the book, and it is in development as a television series.

The novel combines elements of an art heist of looted art with an examination of Chinese American identity.

Plot
Will Chen is a senior at Harvard when he is contracted by a Chinese billionaire to steal back five bronze fountainheads from different museums and return them to China. These artifacts were looted during the Second Opium War and dispersed around the world. His heist crew includes four other Chinese Americans: Irene Chen, Daniel Liang, Lily Wu, and Alex Huang. If they succeed in recovering all five pieces, they split a $50 million payout.

Adaptations
Portrait of a Thief will be a television series on Netflix, which acquired the rights of the book in May 2021 before the book was published. Executive producers include Michael Sugar of Sugar 23, Grace D. Li, Ashley Zalta, and Margaux Swerdloff.