Books & Exhibitions

The Tiffany Diamond and Murf the Surf Inspired ‘Stealing Time’

M. J. Rose reviews the fabulously fun new heist novel

by M. J. Rose

November 19, 2024—In 1964, the American Museum of Natural History was robbed by a gang of surfers headed by a man nicknamed Murph the Surf. He and his crew climbed through an open window, did a quick smash-and-grab of priceless gemstones and fled. The next day, the robbery was front-page news around the world.

That famous robbery plus one of the authors’ daughter seeing a rotary phone for the first time in 2022, recognizing it from the movies, but not having any idea how to use it, served as the inspiration for Stealing Time, an enchanting heist novel that will have special appeal for jewelry and gem lovers.

Co-authored by Tilia Jacobs and Norman Birnbach, the novel follows a modern day teenager who becomes an accidental time-traveler and meets up with her own father when they’re the same age as they join forces to solve a family mystery.

Birnbach has a particular interest in the subject of gems. His father and uncle were in the diamond business for decades and other relatives still work in the industry.

 “When the American Museum of Natural History re-designed its hall of gems in the mid-1970s, my father took us to the opening. I remember him pointing out the Star of India sapphire, which had been stolen from the museum in the 1964 burglary,” he said.

Birnbach later took courses at the GIA so he could be knowledgeable about diamonds out of respect for his father, who always loved the beauty of the gems and the jewelry he worked with. “We gave that trait to one of the characters in the book,” Birnbach said.

Stealing Time centers around one particular gem, a stunningyellow diamond that has some very unusual properties. Jacobs said the diamond was partially inspired by the Tiffany Diamond Lady Gaga wore to the 2019 Academy Awards and which Audrey Hepburn modeled in for publicity stills for the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

“By the time Lady Gaga wore it, it was estimated to be worth $30 million. To say the least, that’s an attractive target for a gang of thieves!” she said.

The diamond itself becomes one of the main characters in the book.  To give it the gravitas it deserved, the authors augmented the stone with legends throughout its history.

“Across cultures, precious stones have always been surrounded by tales of mythical powers. Their beauty is only a starting point,” said Birnbach.

Readers will delight in those narratives which, with the authors’ meticulous research, create a seamless fictive tale. When it came to that research, Jacobs said that since the 1964 heist was such big news there was a plethora of material to study. Of special interest was a piece by a young reporter, Nora Ephron who covered the story for the New York Post. For the authentic details about museum security of that era, John Barelli, the retired head of security at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the author of Stealing the Show: A History of Art and Crime in Six Thefts, offered deep insight.

“For all Murph and his accomplices became a cultural obsession, they weren’t criminal masterminds,” Jacobs said. “They were a bunch of surfer dudes who took it into their heads to commit a major felony. It was kind of like Bill and Ted robbing a museum. That lack of genius was something we imbued our fictional gang with” In a curious coincidence, Murph died just as the authors started writing the book. “Make of this what you will,” said Jacobs.

At the heart of this book are genuinely engaging characters and a very clever plot not to mention glorious glittering jewels. Heist stories are usually complex puzzles with the focus is on problem-solving—a combination that makes them emotionally and intellectually satisfying which is exactly why reading Stealing Time is a tale worthy your time!

M.J. Rose is a New York Times bestselling author; her most recent novel is Forgetting to Remember.

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