An entertaining read and an intriguing peek into the profession of legal safecracking.

I made the distinction of “legal” because it’s important in terms of what to expect out of this book. A heist-driven, criminal safecracking memoir probably would have been a lot more exciting, but of course, there probably aren’t many people in that one of work eager to put their name on a book about it.

The author here does a good job of writing about his own completely legal brand of safecracking with as much excitement as one can for, say, trying to get into a bank vault when the bank itself is paying you to do so.

He’s also a likable guy, devoid of the awkwardly obnoxious ego that often populates these types of niche professional memoirs.

I didn’t learn as much from this as I would have liked to in terms of the technical aspects of the job, but the book is appropriately short, well-paced, and holds your interest throughout.

A man with a lot of great stories to tell and some he can't tell. With his services in high demand, he never has a dull day. A different kind of memoir that is not only interesting, it's educational too.

Safecracker tells stories of someone whose job seems almost fictional: a man who's an expert in breaking into safes filled with various kinds of treasure. A fascinating series of stories told in a well written manner.

I like a good heist story, and this really worked for me. Very interesting stuff. Nicely told. Recommended to mystery and crime fans.

I really appreciate the free review copy!!

Fun and interesting look at the inside world of a professional safecracker. It reads like having your favorite uncle tell you all his best stories, and McOmie legitimately has some very cool stories. This is the guy they called to come open Prince's safe after he died. Really. It's an informative book too; I now know the difference between a locksmith and a safecracker, as well as some of the many clever engineering tricks that are built into safes to make them burglar-proof. If you like movies like The Italian Job, you're going to enjoy this book.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Firefighter? Cowboy? Indian chief? Or maybe a chef or a sports star? But did you know that you could be a professional safecracker? Well, that is what Dave McOmie became and this is his story!

Dave McOmie tells the story of his career over the course of a week. Starting with a flight to Vegas on Monday to open a major bank's private currency center because the bankers has overwound the timelock. And it needed to be done by midnight! While taking the reader along on this thrill ride, Dave reveals how he got into this business. Tuesday involved opening an ATM at a theater in full view of the public plus a discussion of professional ethics and the challenge of opening safes. Wednesday involves a chartered flight to open two gun safes for a widow and the Department of Defense followed a return home for supper. During the course of the day, he gets a couple of jobs for Thursday and a job for Sunday while discussing the merits of various gun safes. Thursday involves opening the Portland Air National Guard armory vault with an interesting side-bit on government procurement in regard to safes and vaults. Friday comes with a fully automatic bank vault to open in Salt Lake City with the need to return home for a daughter's dance recital. Unlike Vegas, he has plenty of drill bits this time! Saturday has Dave spending time at home and reminiscing about old jobs, the journal he writes,and the Penetration Parties he hosts. Sunday involves a flight to Paisley Park, Minnesota to open a Mosler vault after the owner has died. This opening has a big crowd of lawyers, bankers, and an archivist as well as DEA agents. And of course this opening would be filmed. Dave manages to get the safe open in the end only to have a smaller safe he needed to open inside the vault.

When a reader cracks open a biography, you can never be sure what you will find in side. In Safecracker, the reader gets a glimpse into a job most people will never experience in a lively, entertaining read!

Once a week, on average, somewhere in the United States, a bank vault fails to open at the appropriate time. Sometimes this is due to mechanical failure, but usually it is because some human improperly wound the time lock element. When a vault door does not open, it is time to call in a professional locksmith.
In the rarefied world of pro lock pickers, Dave McOmie is a rock star. The editor of a professional locksmithing journal, McOmie traverses the country forcing open supposedly unpickable locks. Safecracker is McOmie's entertaining account of how a dude with a major in philosophy became one of the country's preeminent legal, safe burglars.
In between anecdotes of some of his toughest assignments, McOmie provides practical advice on how to choose the right safe and the best ways to keep your valuables secure. But the most amusing chapters of Safecracker are tangential to the main story: his unlikely friendship with intellectual . Morton Adler, his desperate attempt to pop a safe and get back home to fulfill a promise made to his young daughter and his love for the 1960s safecracking drama, It Takes a Thief.
Safecracker is a light, entertaining look at an unlikely profession. We can all be grateful that McOmie and his fellow crackers use their knowledge to help people instead of turning to crime.

Thank you NetGalley, Dave McOmie and Rowman & Littlefield for the digital copy of Safecracker. This is my personal review.
Ok this book made me say WOW I want to go to work with him for a day!
Dave McOmie was fascinated by seeing safecrackers in a television when he was young. This is what lead him to an apprenticeship as a locksmith and safecracker. He becomes on of the best paid in people to crack safes and do it as a job!
I was so fascinated by this book that I can not wait to buy copies for family and friends as a gift.

Reading this was like watching a movie all about different heists. Even though everything was on the up and up it still felt like being able to hover over a master criminal as they were on the job.

I feel like Mission Impossible music should be playing along with the review. This book is biographical and suspenseful. This book and Dave McOmie's story are so cool! This book really has everything. I can't wait to buy it in the future.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book isxa look into theclife of David who is a safe cracker which is a very unusual job. This book was very informative and I learned a lot about what it takes to open a safe. This book was well written.

Dave McOmie has to have one of the coolest jobs. From the time as a kid with his fascination safecracker in a television series he was attracted to the profession as a safecracker which lead to apprenticeship as a lock smith and a safecracker. Can you imagine having a job getting paid to crack safe and not go to jail ? He goes on to being if not the best one of the best. He was even an editor and publisher of a magazine to pass on trade knowledge and particular jobs. This book covers various jobs he was called out on. You would not think there were so many callouts or jobs for safecrackers or technicians. This is a fast and fun read. The only downfall I see with this book is I wish there would have been a few more illustrations. Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

Who knew there was such a thing as a safecracker? I mean I know they are in movies but..... This book was fascinating I kept interrupting my husband to read him parts. He was intrigued as well. I plan to buy a copy for my brother because I know he will enjoy it as much as I did. I know it is non-fiction but you wouldn’t think that while reading it. It reads like a novel and you want to see what’s next. Great book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me a chance to read a book I probably would have just walked by but now I need to know more about this job!

I received an advance copy of, Safecracker, by Dave McOmie. This is a very interesting book, about a very interesting man, with an interesting job.

This was a quick read that was written well. The author had a great sense of humor and told the stories well. While it was the technical in parts, it was all easy to understand. The stories blended well together and the author seems like a fun guy to hang out with

This is a fascinating look into the life of a professional safecracker. To be honest, before seeing this book, I had no idea there was such a profession, let alone such a significant need for it. The author's stories about some of his more notable experiences were interesting and told in an engaging way. While a non-fiction book, this book read more like a novel.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject or simply learning about something outside of their own experiences.