I don’t know how this gem of a book fell off my radar for so long. Using lots of historical research, Crichton has done an expert job of putting this crime back together. I really enjoyed this.

Absolutely a ***1/2.

Should be titled “The Great Key Robberies”, but that isn’t an insult.

Ik dacht dat dit een leesboek was over een Spaghetti western-achtige treinroof, maar het was een schoolboek met droge feiten over een Victoriaanse treinroof. My bad. Had beter de achterkant moeten lezen

This book had all the ingredients for a great adventure -- a charming rogue for a lead character, an intricate Ocean's Eleven-style heist, a well-drawn Victorian London setting (you could almost feel Sherlock Holmes in the background investigating), and top-notch writing.

However, since it is made clear in the beginning of the novel that the heist was pulled off successfully, the story is lacking any "will they or won't they pull it off" suspense. The fact that the novel is still so gripping and enjoyable is a testament to the late Michael Crichton -- and make no mistake, the novel is gripping and quite enjoyable.