The Train Robbers

Fülszöveg

On Thursday 8 August, 1963, fifteen masked men stopped the night mail train from Glasgow to London and robbed it of L2,500,000. It was called the crime of the century, and the thieves were pursued relentlessly by Scotland Yard until half the gang were brought to court and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. The story did not end there. First one, then another escaped from prison and fled abroad: the audacity of the original robbery was compounded by these impudent jailbreaks, and to many all over the world the Great Train Robbers actually became folk heroes. Thirteen years later most of the gang were released on parole: only two remained in prison, and Ronnie Biggs was still a fugitive in Brazil. Now, most having served their sentences, they combined together to tell for the first time their complete, exclusive and sensational story; and Piers Paul Read, the author of Alive, agreed to write it. This extraordinary book is the result. It contains not only a thrilling account of... Tovább

Fülszöveg

On Thursday 8 August, 1963, fifteen masked men stopped the night mail train from Glasgow to London and robbed it of L2,500,000. It was called the crime of the century, and the thieves were pursued relentlessly by Scotland Yard until half the gang were brought to court and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. The story did not end there. First one, then another escaped from prison and fled abroad: the audacity of the original robbery was compounded by these impudent jailbreaks, and to many all over the world the Great Train Robbers actually became folk heroes. Thirteen years later most of the gang were released on parole: only two remained in prison, and Ronnie Biggs was still a fugitive in Brazil. Now, most having served their sentences, they combined together to tell for the first time their complete, exclusive and sensational story; and Piers Paul Read, the author of Alive, agreed to write it. This extraordinary book is the result. It contains not only a thrilling account of the robbery itself, but an anatomy of the two gangs that combined to pull it off; the role played by each individual; the tension between them; the meticulous planning and the measure of luck. It probes deeply into the London underworld - the corruption of policemen, the intimidation of witnesses, the bribing of jurors, the murder of informers, the miscarriage of justice. The story is fast and exciting but is told with a ruthless detachment, and details the tragic consequences for the wives, girl-friends and children of the robbers. The final chapter reveals in a totally unexpected way how long prison sentences have failed to reform the most notorious criminals of our generation. Jacket design by Steve Ridgeway and Nick Thirkell Vissza