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.)