A Scandinavian Crime Novel, With a Touch of Robbery
Jonas Bonnier’s book is roughly the chance meeting on the dissecting table of Scandinavian crime and documentary fiction. Or something like that. Not entirely, though, because the genre is mostly referenced through the setting, but the usual whining is nowhere to be found. (You know, when the noble Nordic characters are relentlessly depressed from page one, yet their names and genders remain a mystery for ages.) And if you’re worried – since the book is based on a true story – that it’s just a list of facts thrown together, you can forget that, too. The Helicopter Heist has been streamlined into a full-on novel.
In 2009, a few guys robbed the G4S cash logistics company’s Stockholm depot using a helicopter. (Hundreds of millions of kronor were flying around.) The novel tells the story of the planning and the heist.
Bad Guys? Interesting!
Bonnier’s book isn’t as thrilling or full of twists as the heist genre would lead you to expect. The part of the book dedicated to preparation, unsurprisingly, takes up most of the story and could be described as, at best, moderately interesting. (Obviously, things pick up during the action part.)
The reason The Helicopter Heist is still worth reading, however, is thanks to the characters, who are spot-on. These guys are criminals, but Bonnier has managed to make them so interesting – even downright likable – that, darn it, you find yourself rooting for them to succeed.
Man, is This Even a Plan?!
Anyone who’s seen the series Money Heist (or at least the first two episodes that are still worth taking seriously) knows that no matter how detailed and precise your plan is, chances are it will all go sideways. (You accidentally left the adamantium drill bit at home. Your stockings tear on your head, just when you’re staring intensely at the security camera. The helicopter’s fuel has too high an ethanol content. Etc.)
So, the tension keeps mounting at the G4S depot in Stockholm.
The police storyline in The Helicopter Heist seems a bit unnecessary, though; mostly just hanging around, or rather, hovering in the air. But there’s this cop girl, Miss Thurn, and you end up rooting for her a little, too. Obviously, until the inevitable outcome, which is common in similar cases.
I’m Telling You, This Really Happened!
The final chapter of The Helicopter Heist, which wraps up the story of the likable and dedicated robbers, feels completely pointless and unnecessary. It’s clear that Jonas Bonnier added it just for the sake of it.
So, once you’ve read this propeller-driven plot of a heist, you’ll have to find out what happened to the guys afterward. (See on Wikipedia) Because, blast it, instead of the usual procedure, this high-octane crime story is missing the usual ending.
Rating: 7.4/10
The Helicopter Heist by Jonas Bonnier
416 pages, Paperback
Published in 2017 by Simon & Schuster Canada