The Great Train Robbery

 Crichton, Michael. The Great Train Robbery. 1975. 266p. ISBN 978-0-307-81644-3. Available both at FIC CRI on the library shelves and as an ebook on Overdrive.

In 1855 Victorian England, the country was bitterly divided between those who had wealth and stood at the top of society, and those who didn't and lived in severe poverty with no social safety net to speak of. At the time, criminals were thought to be poorly educated people, though plenty of rich folks committed crimes as well. Edward Pierce dressed as a gentleman. He lived in a nice house. He dressed in fine clothes, and always had money with him. But Pierce was not a noble. In fact, his origins remain unknown. What is known, however, is that Pierce and several confederates planned and carried out the biggest train robbery in history, stealing the gold destined to pay British soldiers during the Crimean war.

The plan was simple yet devilishly complex. In a time before explosives, breaking into the safe that carried the gold from London to the coast of England where it could be shipped on a boat required keys. A professional could crack a one-key safe with ease. A two-key safe was more difficult, but not impossible. A three-key safe would require more time than the train ride lasted. This large safe had four keys. Pierce and his accomplices needed to make copies of each of the keys, which were in possession of various people of influence at the bank and at the train company, to make this work.

Over the course of months, Pierce and his associates procured the keys, planned their actions, and infiltrated the train before stealing the gold. The result was a black eye for Scotland Yard, a victory for criminals, and the lost of three large boxes of gold from the British treasury.

Based on historical events and reconstituted from court and newspaper accounts, the Great Train Robbery provides an unvarnished look at Victorian society, their morals, and the importance of industrialization in transforming Britain from an agrarian country to one filled with factories.