Okay. Full disclosure. I read this book for the 52 in 52 challenge for a book that features a heist. This is not the kind of thing I normally read. But, I looked through Goodread’s suggestions for this challenge, and I saw this book and pictured the movie ‘Buster’ with Phil Collins and Julie Walters, and I thought, yeah. I can read that. Nope. I got the wrong train robbery! This book is about the first Great Train Robbery of 1855. So, not what I was expecting at all.

Now, I still wouldn’t choose to read this genre book. However, I did find myself enjoying this. It made me smile, even laugh, a lot. The humour is brilliant. And the descriptions of London and the train station are vivid, and I felt I could see it all clearly.

The characters are first class. Edward Pierce is wonderful, if sociopathic. His mind works quickly and cleverly, and he is completely in control of everything that happens. But his whole band of thieves are drawn colourfully. You find yourself rooting for the thieves, and hoping the police don’t catch them. And that is because the characters are so real. I wasn’t sure about the use of slang in everyone’s dialogue. Admittedly, Chrichton does explain a lot of them. But not all, and it gets very confusing at times. I read whole sections where I didn’t know what a character had said. It reminded me of dear, old Joseph in ‘Wuthering Heights.’

If you’re looking for a fast-paced action story, I’m not sure this is for you. The first three quarters of the book are about the planning of the robbery, and only a small section is based on the robbery itself. Which is good, in that it highlights how intricately planned the robbery was, and how the actual theft was just a small part of the story. But I did find myself wanting the robbery to happen more quickly.

I guess my main issue was the writing style. It was all very detached, removed from the characters because it is told from the point of view of a journalist writing after the event. At least, that’s how it feels.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It’s a clever, intriguing story. Especially as it is based on real events.

People who enjoy historical fiction. People who enjoy action stories (though not fast-paced action).

Edward Pierce. The description of how he climbed over the railway carriages to get to the wagon that had the gold is brilliant. And the soot that covered his face and shirt made me chuckle.

How little of the book focussed on the heist. I got a little bored with all of the planning and changing plans. I know that's what really happened, but for entertainment, I would have liked something faster.

Read about the real train robbery.

Interested. Amused. Frustrated.

Michael Crichton. I don't know whether this is his normal style of writing. If it is, I'm not sure I get what all the fuss is about. It was so detached.

It's a great read for finding an entertaining take on the first Great Train Robbery.

Don't read if you're looking for action-packed intrigue.

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Created Feb 02, 2025 at 7:10am • Submit your own review...