The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton



Synopsis :

Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in Victorian London—and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city's most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century, the daring theft of a fortune in gold. But even Pierce could not predict the consequences of an extraordinary robbery that targets the pride of England's industrial era: the mighty steam locomotive. 

Based on remarkable fact, and alive with the gripping suspense, surprise, and authenticity that are his trademarks, Michael Crichton's classic adventure is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks of steel at breakneck speed.


The Great Train Robbery is a rather great book and exceeded my expectation.  I actually thought that it would be rather dry and factual but it turned out to be pretty interesting and captivating.

The novel is actually based on an actual train robbery of gold that occurred in 1855.  The protagonists in the actual robbery were William Pierce and Edward Agar; in the novel their names were changed to Edward Pierce and Robert Agar.

One word of advise for those intending to read this - if you can, do not read the Introduction chapter until you have completed the whole book. The Indroduction Chapter is a bit dry and might give you a false impression about the book.  You would appreciate the intro better after devouring the whole book.

Other than that, enjoy the book :)

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