Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery

Set in 19th century Victorian England, The Great Train Robbery is a fast paced novel focused on the planning and execution of an ambitious plot to steal 12,000 British pounds worth of gold, an enormous sum in those times. The main character, Edward Pierce, is a wealthy gentleman, seemingly harmless and ordinary. His background, however, is ambiguous and shady at best, and his demeanor is one big facade. With quick reactions and a flair for devising plots to rob various institutions, Pierce assembles a motley crew of like-minded criminals to carry out his grand scheme. During the first two parts of the novel, the plot focuses entirely upon the preparation and planning that Pierce's group carries out. Their plan seems simple and ingenious, but a whole host of unexpected changes to the environment as well as major setbacks force Pierce to improvise and make his plot much more elaborate and complicated, almost to the point that it seems highly likely that he will fail and be arrested. Yet he seems to elude every effort, intentional or not, to deter him. Will he be successful? Or will fate catch up with him? Michael Crichton is a great author whose novels are highly captivating and advance the storyline in a rapid manner. This is a great book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read about 200 pages of good writing.