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Signal Red
Bestselling author Robert Ryan tells the story of the most ambitious robbery of the twentieth century, when seventeen men risked it all in their quest for adventure, success and fame.
1963: an unarmed gang led by the dapper Bruce Reynolds holds up a Royal Mail train at a remote bridge in Buckinghamshire, escaping with millions. The group lay low in a nearby farm but, panicked by the police closing in they clear out, leaving behind numerous fingerprints. Outraged by the gang's audacity and under political pressure for quick arrests, the police move into top gear. As huge quantities of money start to turn up in forests and phone boxes, dumped by nervous middlemen, Scotland Yard begin to track down the robbers, one by one...
1963: an unarmed gang led by the dapper Bruce Reynolds holds up a Royal Mail train at a remote bridge in Buckinghamshire, escaping with millions. The group lay low in a nearby farm but, panicked by the police closing in they clear out, leaving behind numerous fingerprints. Outraged by the gang's audacity and under political pressure for quick arrests, the police move into top gear. As huge quantities of money start to turn up in forests and phone boxes, dumped by nervous middlemen, Scotland Yard begin to track down the robbers, one by one...
512 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2010
39 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Robert Ryan
42 books81 followersaka Tom Neale
Robert Ryan was born in Liverpool but moved to London when he was eighteen to attend university. He lectured in natural sciences for several years before moving into journalism in the mid-1980s, first with The Face and then the Dylan Jones-edited Arena. During this time, he also wrote for The Daily Telegraph, US GQ, US Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire and The Sunday Times.
Robert Ryan lives in North London with his wife and three children.
Robert Ryan was born in Liverpool but moved to London when he was eighteen to attend university. He lectured in natural sciences for several years before moving into journalism in the mid-1980s, first with The Face and then the Dylan Jones-edited Arena. During this time, he also wrote for The Daily Telegraph, US GQ, US Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire and The Sunday Times.
Robert Ryan lives in North London with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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June 22, 2022The Great Train Robbery
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2763296/...
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2763296/...
April 21, 2013
Robert Ryan captures the feeling of the early 1960s admirably in this fictional account of The Great Train Robbery. It is particularly relevant to myself because it was the very time that, as a young lad, I went down to London.
Interspersing the real characters involved with fictional ones, he creates a realistic, exciting and entirely believable narrative of the events leading up to the train robbery, the robbery itself and the aftermath.
A failed airport robbery is the start of the planning for the big job, for which a host of criminals is gathered together to form a perfect team to cover all the expertise required for the robbery.
The build-up is tense but once the farm is rented things settle down as the team await the opportunity to hold up the train when it has a maximum amount of money on it. And when that arrives, it is £2.6 million, even more than the team dreamed of ... and it was probably the amount of money that led to some lax work at the farm, which eventually led to the capture of many of the robbers, and then led the robbers into all sorts of trouble.
The police side of the affair is well covered but it is important to remember that this is a work of fiction and that some of the happenings are figments of the author's imagination ... they are none the worse for that!
An exciting, entertaining, well-paced read that is difficult to put down.
Interspersing the real characters involved with fictional ones, he creates a realistic, exciting and entirely believable narrative of the events leading up to the train robbery, the robbery itself and the aftermath.
A failed airport robbery is the start of the planning for the big job, for which a host of criminals is gathered together to form a perfect team to cover all the expertise required for the robbery.
The build-up is tense but once the farm is rented things settle down as the team await the opportunity to hold up the train when it has a maximum amount of money on it. And when that arrives, it is £2.6 million, even more than the team dreamed of ... and it was probably the amount of money that led to some lax work at the farm, which eventually led to the capture of many of the robbers, and then led the robbers into all sorts of trouble.
The police side of the affair is well covered but it is important to remember that this is a work of fiction and that some of the happenings are figments of the author's imagination ... they are none the worse for that!
An exciting, entertaining, well-paced read that is difficult to put down.
January 21, 2018
did not finish at 60%
April 2, 2023
A fascinating read .I have read lots of books and magazines based on The Great Train Robbery and have to say this is one of the best.I learned a few new facts I hadn't heard before which was very interesting.It seems to me that if it wasn't for the low life ' grasses ' at the time the police would have had great difficulty in catching all the gang responsible.They would have had time to either strip Leatherslade Farm or burn it to the ground.The sentencing of Billy Boal was an absolute miscarriage of justice as was the tricks and stunts the police had to resort to in order to get ' evidence ' against Gordon Goody.Anyway,this book is a really fascinating read,the story is always so filled with up's and down's.Does crime pay?well,it very nearly did for these train robbers .The book also reminds readers how crooked some of the actual police were at that time, taking backhanders, turning a blind eye, planting evidence etc etc.It's little wonder that in the early 1970's a large number of the Flying Squad were asked to take voluntary retirement! Even though I've read so many books now based on the same story I still feel there is more to say about the whole escapade.So many question marks left lingering.One day we may get to know the full story behind this huge 'tickle '....I do hope so.
November 6, 2017
Fictionalized version of one of the great heists.
I wish the actual job was a bit more in depth, the airport job was a bit better handled, still the writing and dialogue felt so much like the classic London underworld with historical bits tossed in now and again smoothly.
I enjoyed this immensely so my few qualms which would have knocked it down a star were overcome.
I wish the actual job was a bit more in depth, the airport job was a bit better handled, still the writing and dialogue felt so much like the classic London underworld with historical bits tossed in now and again smoothly.
I enjoyed this immensely so my few qualms which would have knocked it down a star were overcome.
September 22, 2020
DNFed at 9%
Sorry, but it is no where even remotely near the Great train robbery book by Michael Crichton.
That book is remarkable. While this one, up until the point I stopped reading, was just talking about cars and hobbies and living of the main characters. Couldn't care less.
Sorry, but it is no where even remotely near the Great train robbery book by Michael Crichton.
That book is remarkable. While this one, up until the point I stopped reading, was just talking about cars and hobbies and living of the main characters. Couldn't care less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2021
A great read for anyone interested in early 1960’s British villainy and the greatest heist of all time.
This is “faction” but a lot of it is based on fact and it was used as the basis for the 2013 mini series “The Great Train Robbery”.
This is “faction” but a lot of it is based on fact and it was used as the basis for the 2013 mini series “The Great Train Robbery”.
November 2, 2018
Brilliant read
Totally enjoyed reading it like the author points out some of it is fiction, like the characters the rest is an account of what happened
Totally enjoyed reading it like the author points out some of it is fiction, like the characters the rest is an account of what happened
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
January 25, 2022
Great read
Fantastic book
Couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended
Fictionalised version of the great train robbery while getting the facts a cross at the same time.
Fantastic book
Couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended
Fictionalised version of the great train robbery while getting the facts a cross at the same time.
June 16, 2015
Signal Red is one of the most interesting books I've ever read.
Robert Ryan really captures and recreates the atmosphere of 1960's and the essence of the key players in one of the most daring robberies this country has ever seen.
The characters involved in what became known as The Great Train Robbery, have rightly or wrongly become legends in their own lifetime and have been the subject of film, TV drama and countless other books.
The robbery was planned in minute military detail by the mastermind behind it all, Bruce Reynolds, who according to varying accounts, was horrified by the violent attack on the guard during the robbery.
The behaviour before, during and after the robbery by some of the others in the gang, led them to being rounded up and arrested not very long after the event. But were they all caught?
Signal Red, with a mix of fiction and fact, delves right inside the lives of the characters behind the Great Train Robbery and their significant others and the author brings them to life in this account that draws from his extensive research into the subject and meetings with various faces and names from the past.
Bruce Reynolds himself approved of the book, it's authenticity and background and wrote an afterword for the book.
There was TV dramatisation of this book that was excellent but the book delves so much deeper and was an absolutely fascinating read. Highly recommended 5*
Robert Ryan really captures and recreates the atmosphere of 1960's and the essence of the key players in one of the most daring robberies this country has ever seen.
The characters involved in what became known as The Great Train Robbery, have rightly or wrongly become legends in their own lifetime and have been the subject of film, TV drama and countless other books.
The robbery was planned in minute military detail by the mastermind behind it all, Bruce Reynolds, who according to varying accounts, was horrified by the violent attack on the guard during the robbery.
The behaviour before, during and after the robbery by some of the others in the gang, led them to being rounded up and arrested not very long after the event. But were they all caught?
Signal Red, with a mix of fiction and fact, delves right inside the lives of the characters behind the Great Train Robbery and their significant others and the author brings them to life in this account that draws from his extensive research into the subject and meetings with various faces and names from the past.
Bruce Reynolds himself approved of the book, it's authenticity and background and wrote an afterword for the book.
There was TV dramatisation of this book that was excellent but the book delves so much deeper and was an absolutely fascinating read. Highly recommended 5*
December 23, 2019
Enjoyable! The author really captured London in the 1960s, as if I had gone back in time. Reading from the both robber's view point and the detective's caused havoc with my emotions. That's a good thing. At one point I was rooting for the thief and the next I was rooting for the police. Even though it was a fictionalized account of a true story, and I knew the outcome, I was still on edge during the some of the action scenes.
November 21, 2010
A novel based on the 1963 great train robbery.
March 17, 2014
Wonderful in sight to The Great Train Robbery
February 24, 2014
love historical fiction and this is a classic example of this genre when it is written well and you can not tell which parts are fact and which fiction.
February 8, 2014
started off ok, though found myself getting bored near end.
Read
April 30, 2019DNF at 69/488 - it was such a pleasant book to hold but not to read, the writing style had me sitting too far away from the story.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews