| Just finished reading another of the great works | | | | and clear to finally strike. |
| of Late Michael Crichton, The Great Train | | | | On the eve of the Great Train Robbery, another |
| Robbery. A gripping, amusing, enchanting and an | | | | unexpected development occurs as a new railway |
| unput down able book. | | | | policy requires the train doors to be locked from |
| Very much known for his science-fiction writings, | | | | the outside. Unwilling to further delay their plans, |
| Mr. Crichton displays a completely different side of | | | | Pierce manages to smuggle Agar into the |
| his right side of the brain. He is as successful in | | | | baggage van (in spite of new security |
| exploiting each of his characters as he is the the | | | | precautions) inside a coffin and then risks his life |
| culture and traditions of the nineteenth century. | | | | by climbing across the roof of the train during |
| He can literally make you smile and admire the | | | | their journey and unlocking the door from the |
| craft of Edward Pierce, the central character, in | | | | outside, thus allowing them to drop off the gold at |
| planning, handling all the difficulties and hurdles that | | | | a pre-arranged point. By the next day, much of |
| arise even minutes before the start of the | | | | England is in an uproar upon the discovery of the |
| execution of the plan and finally executing it so | | | | robbery with every organization involved in the |
| well that he, two of his acquaintances and the | | | | gold shipment blaming each other, and there are |
| money acquired from the robbery couldn't be | | | | few leads towards the true culprits who have |
| found till the end of the book. A serious plot which | | | | largely vanished from the public eye. |
| could have become quite morbid is put down in a | | | | Although their daring exploits appear to have |
| light-hearted manner but not losing its lustre of | | | | succeeded, Pierce, Agar and Burgess are |
| nail-biting moments providing a gush of adrenaline | | | | ultimately apprehended after Agar's mistress, who |
| rush. | | | | has been arrested for robbing a drunk, becomes |
| Here is the summary of the novel taken from | | | | a police informant to escape imprisonment and |
| wikipedia. | | | | Agar confesses after being threatened with |
| Plot: | | | | transportation to Australia by Scotland Yard |
| In 1854, Edward Pierce, a charismatic and affluent | | | | official Edward Harranby. Pierce and Burgess are |
| "cracksman" or master thief, makes plans to steal | | | | arrested at a prize-fighting event in Manchester, |
| a shipment of gold worth more than twelve | | | | and at the conclusion of the book all three are |
| thousand pounds being transported monthly from | | | | convicted. Pierce is sentenced to a long prison |
| London to the Crimean War front. Unfortunately, | | | | term but successfully manages to escape while |
| he faces enormous obstacles as the bank has | | | | being transported from the court and disappears, |
| taken strict precautions, including locking the gold | | | | though reports indicate he, Miriam and Barlow |
| in two heavy safes, each of which has two locks | | | | spend much of the rest of their lives living in |
| and thus requiring a total of four keys to open. | | | | luxury at various foreign cities such as New York |
| He then recruits Robert Agar, a "screwsman" or | | | | and Paris. The train guard Burgess dies of cholera |
| specialist in copying keys, as an accomplice. | | | | during his short prison term while Agar is indeed |
| To ensure the success of his bold plan, Pierce | | | | transported to Australia but actually manages to |
| spends more than a year in preparation as well as | | | | prosper and pass away a wealthy man. Edgar |
| dealing with various unexpected developments; his | | | | Trent dies from a chest ailment in 1857, while |
| first steps are fairly easy as he uses his wealth | | | | Henry Fowler dies from "unknown causes" |
| and social contacts to procure information on the | | | | (presumably from the syphilis he had contracted) |
| security measures and locations of the keys: the | | | | in 1858. The gold from the Great Train Robbery is |
| bank's executives Mr. Henry Fowler and Mr. Edgar | | | | never recovered. |
| Trent each have a key in their possession while | | | | Characters: |
| the other two are locked in a cabinet at the | | | | Edward Pierce: A professional burglar who poses |
| offices of the South Eastern Railway at the | | | | as a gentleman amongst his upper class |
| London Bridge train station. Much of the action | | | | acquaintances in Victorian England. Pierce is |
| during the story develops simultaneously although | | | | arguably one of the most mysterious characters |
| told in different order. | | | | found in Crichton's works as almost nothing is |
| Pierce's first target is the key held by Edgar | | | | known about his background; indeed even his |
| Trent. The attempt to take Mr. Trent's key is | | | | name is likely false as others also refer to him as |
| difficult as the man is a total stranger and Pierce | | | | "John Simms" along with other titles. Nonetheless, |
| has no clues or prior information on his habits. | | | | his actions and thoughts in the book consistently |
| Through painstaking surveillance, conversations | | | | demonstrate a sharp intelligence and broad |
| with bank employees and a deliberately bungled | | | | knowledge which far outstrips that of his fellow |
| pickpocketing attempt, Pierce deduces that Mr. | | | | criminals; perhaps his greatest asset is an ability to |
| Trent's key is kept at his mansion but is still | | | | easily navigate through both the British underworld |
| unable to learn the exact location. Finally, after | | | | and the aristocracy. Throughout the planning and |
| learning that Trent is keen on ratting (a blood | | | | the execution of the Great Train Robbery, Pierce |
| sport involving the betting on dogs killing rats), | | | | is always cautious, never truly trusting |
| Pierce succeeds in becoming acquainted with the | | | | anyone–this caution is eventually justified as it |
| man and visiting the Trent mansion feigns | | | | is Agar, his closest accomplice who finally sells him |
| romantic interest in Elizabeth Trent, Mr. Trent's | | | | out. |
| twenty-nine year old daughter who has had few | | | | Robert Agar: A twenty six year old screwsman |
| suitors. Edward then begins to court Elizabeth and | | | | (criminal who is skilled with copying keys and |
| manages to learn that the key is most likely | | | | picking locks) at the beginning of the novel, Agar |
| located in the house's basement wine cellar. With | | | | is pivotal to the eventual success of the Great |
| the assistance of his mistress Miriam and cab | | | | Train Robbery, though he is also largely |
| driver Barlow, Pierce and Agar successfully break | | | | responsible for the culprits' eventual capture. He is |
| into Mr. Trent's home at night and make a wax | | | | apparently very well acquainted with many |
| copy of the key after much painstaking searching. | | | | criminals and helped Pierce identify many persons |
| Henry Fowler develops syphilis and, being unwilling | | | | of interest including the informant Chokee Bill as |
| to seek medical attention out of embarrassment, | | | | well as the snakesman Clean Willy. Though he |
| decides to seek a remedy through sleeping with a | | | | became a police informant at the end of the book |
| virgin (similar to superstitions about HIV) and asks | | | | in hopes of avoiding transportation to Australia, |
| Pierce for assistance. After charging Fowler an | | | | the judge sends him there anyway and he dies a |
| exorbitant price of one hundred guineas for a | | | | wealthy man. Ironically, Michael Crichton depicts |
| night of pleasure with a twelve year old (twelve | | | | Robert Agar as Pierce's lackey with limited |
| being the legal age of consent), Pierce and Agar | | | | intelligence though his real life counterpart actually |
| take advantage of the opportunity to make a | | | | masterminded much of the robbery and got |
| copy of Fowler's key (which he always carried | | | | away with minor punishments. |
| with him around his neck but took off left on the | | | | Clean Willy: Generally acknowledged to be the |
| bedside table during the assignation). | | | | best snakesman available in London although his |
| The most difficult keys to copy are the two | | | | skills were apparently inadequate to prevent |
| keys at the train station which Pierce plans to | | | | arrest and incarceration (which occurred at least |
| procure and copy by night; the presence of | | | | twice before and during the story). Edward Pierce |
| "crushers" (policeman) forces him to recruit a | | | | went to great expense to help Willy escape |
| "snakesman" (burglar able to slip inside buildings | | | | imprisonment at a high security prison for the sole |
| through small and cramped spaces) nicknamed | | | | purpose of enlisting the snakesman's aid in the |
| Clean Willy who is currently incarcerated in the | | | | train robbery. After successfully completing his |
| high security Newgate Prison. He sends a | | | | tasks, Willy is paid off by Pierce and disappears |
| message through Willy's former mistress and | | | | for some time from the narrative before |
| assists him in escaping from Newgate while the | | | | resurfacing as a police informant, almost |
| public is distracted by an execution. After nursing | | | | jeopardizing the entire scheme. Ultimately he is |
| Willy back to health from injuries received during | | | | garroted by Barlow in a boardinghouse. |
| the escape, the criminals succeed in making wax | | | | Barlow: A violent thug and murderer who served |
| copies of the two keys at the railway station, | | | | Edward Pierce loyally as a cabby although his |
| completing the task with only seconds to spare | | | | services were also employed for other purposes |
| before detection. | | | | such as the death of Clean Willy. He and Ms. |
| Now possessing all four copies of the necessary | | | | Miriam managed to elude capture by the |
| keys, Pierce loses no time in bribing Burgess, the | | | | authorities, eventually rescuing him from the |
| poorly paid guard on the train who rides in the | | | | authorities before the trio completely disappeared. |
| baggage van containing the safes. Agar is then | | | | Ms. Miriam: Edward Pierce's mistress who is |
| able to perform a dry run of the theft on | | | | generally regarded as highly attractive by other |
| February 17, 1855, making sure that the copied | | | | characters in the book. She is also a talented |
| keys work perfectly. | | | | actress and plays rather brief though important |
| Everything appears to be moving along smoothly | | | | roles in the execution of the train robbery such as |
| (despite some minor setbacks that cause delays) | | | | pretending Agar was her dead brother and |
| and the actual theft is planned for May 22nd | | | | distracting Mr. Fowler while Pierce unlocked the |
| when the would-be thieves find themselves | | | | cargo train. In many ways, she and Pierce are |
| seriously compromised: Clean Willy turns informant | | | | very similar and well suited for each other: both |
| to the police (presumably, although the book does | | | | are resourceful and possess the ability to mix |
| not specify the reason, as a result of being picked | | | | with men and women of all classes. |
| up for an unknown crime). Luckily Pierce manages | | | | Historical Deviations: |
| to have Willy murdered before he could reveal | | | | The story is a fictionalized representation of the |
| the most crucial information, although their plans | | | | historical events that happened, although the |
| are now greatly compromised by law | | | | setting can be considered quite accurate. The |
| enforcement agents who correctly fear that a | | | | character names are mixed up in the novel, for |
| major robbery is at hand. Through careful | | | | example, the main protagonist William Pierce is |
| manipulation of a "nose" (informant), the criminals | | | | changed to Edward Pierce, and Edward Agar to |
| manage to divert the police's attention to an | | | | Robert Agar. |
| alleged robbery in Greenwich, leaving them free | | | | |