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A review by m3erhard
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
3.0
This was a really good book. It may not be my favorite Michael Crichton book, but it was entertaining and full of twists and turns.
The book is based around a British gentleman by the name of Edward Pierce, who is looking to rob around £12,000. He enlists the help of several crooks in order for him to do this. Yet, it takes over a year to plain this heist. First, the money transported by train and locked in "bandit proof" safes. Second, four keys that are kept in different locations are needed to open the two safes. Finally, such with life, rarely anything goes to plan, and Pierce and his cronies are forced to take extreme measures succeed in their schemes.
There are many aspects of this novel that are different than most that I've read. Crichton provides historical information (whether it is true or made up) before each chapter to help the reader better understand the time period. Since I am not well versed in Victorian England, these little history lessons were quite helpful. There were times where I cringed and had to reread sections several times to be certain of what he was saying. Crichton liked to show the poverty of London so he threw in young girls, most who were twelve, sleeping with men who were 25-50. However nasty it was, Crichton was portraying how these were people who would do anything to survive.
The characters were well developed. Instead of giving his characters a past, Crichton would provided the reader with little background, and the reader would get to know the character through social interactions and dialogue. Pierce was the character I enjoyed learning about the most. A new trait was revealed about him in each chapter. These traits were focused on in certain sections of the novel to show how Pierce would use his street smarts to confuse cops, use his observations to make quick assessments of people's strengths and weaknesses, or acting to distract others from his true goal. Despite all of these, there were so many characters that I kept losing count of who was who. I believe that was the main downfall of this book.
Overall, this was a pretty good read. I would recommend it if you are in the mood for a good historical fiction robbery.
The book is based around a British gentleman by the name of Edward Pierce, who is looking to rob around £12,000. He enlists the help of several crooks in order for him to do this. Yet, it takes over a year to plain this heist. First, the money transported by train and locked in "bandit proof" safes. Second, four keys that are kept in different locations are needed to open the two safes. Finally, such with life, rarely anything goes to plan, and Pierce and his cronies are forced to take extreme measures succeed in their schemes.
There are many aspects of this novel that are different than most that I've read. Crichton provides historical information (whether it is true or made up) before each chapter to help the reader better understand the time period. Since I am not well versed in Victorian England, these little history lessons were quite helpful. There were times where I cringed and had to reread sections several times to be certain of what he was saying. Crichton liked to show the poverty of London so he threw in young girls, most who were twelve, sleeping with men who were 25-50. However nasty it was, Crichton was portraying how these were people who would do anything to survive.
The characters were well developed. Instead of giving his characters a past, Crichton would provided the reader with little background, and the reader would get to know the character through social interactions and dialogue. Pierce was the character I enjoyed learning about the most. A new trait was revealed about him in each chapter. These traits were focused on in certain sections of the novel to show how Pierce would use his street smarts to confuse cops, use his observations to make quick assessments of people's strengths and weaknesses, or acting to distract others from his true goal. Despite all of these, there were so many characters that I kept losing count of who was who. I believe that was the main downfall of this book.
Overall, this was a pretty good read. I would recommend it if you are in the mood for a good historical fiction robbery.