{"product_id":"11-minutes-a-crime-novel-of-melbournes-1976-great-bookie-robbery-9781764222600","title":"11 Minutes: A Crime Novel of Melbourne's 1976 Great Bookie Robbery","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn its \u003cstrong\u003e50th Anniversary, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e 11 Minutes\u003c\/em\u003e is a gripping Australian noir crime novel based on the real-life Great Bookie Robbery of 1976\u003cstrong\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e This audacious daylight heist remains Australia's greatest armed robbery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart I: The Crime of the Century\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe novel opens with a meticulously executed robbery. In just eleven minutes, six masked men storm the Victoria Club and disappear with a fortune-an estimated $15 million - $80 million in today's money. No arrests. No recovery. A perfect crime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart II: Where It Began\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe docks of 1960s Melbourne. Ray \"Chuck\" Bennett and Ian \"Fingers\" Carroll rise through the ranks of the Painters and Dockers Union, where violent factions fight for control of the city's underworld. As the Waterfront War claims dozens of lives, their wives-Raelene and Gail-are left to navigate this hostile world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart III: The Making of a Legend\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConceived in Pentridge, developed in the UK, the crew is assembled and trained like commandos. This heist elevates them to legends in the underworld. But Vivian, the Victoria Club's lounge manager, saw it differently.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart IV: The Aftermath\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a short time, they enjoy the Life of Riley. However, it's not just the police looking for them. The Kane Brothers, Australia's Krays, and Sydney's Toecutters want a share. Meanwhile, the seeds of internal fracture are sown, and the once-tight bonds begin to unravel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart V: Retribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGreed and paranoia take hold. Mistakes during the heist set off a chain reaction. As the body count rises, Ray and Ian struggle to maintain control. Their wives wrestle with love, fear, and the inescapable pull of the crime. No one walks away clean.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold through the lens of Ian Carroll's younger brother, in the end, \u003cem\u003e11 Minutes\u003c\/em\u003e isn't about the heist. It's about what came after. The price of power. The weight of greed. The illusion of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarroll, Gregory M.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \"Gregory M. Carroll is not just the author of 11 Minutes - he lived it. Born and raised in the same tough world as the men in his story, he was more than a witness. He was a brother. Ian Carroll was his brother, his best man, and the man whose body he had to identify. Now retired, he writes from the Gold Coast, Australia, bringing lived experience to the page with sharp insight and unflinching honesty. Just like the lives that shaped it.\"","brand":"Gregorymcarroll.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51779049652498,"sku":"9781764222600","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_46a480c0-9f46-41d9-834d-afbd82daf2a9.jpg?v=1765366151","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/11-minutes-a-crime-novel-of-melbournes-1976-great-bookie-robbery-9781764222600","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}