The Bank Robber Diaries [Paperback]

Danny King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Chris Benson idolizes his older brother Gavin. In fact, everyone looks up to him. But then they have little choice when they are lying on their stomachs in the middle of a bank with a gun shoved in their face. When Gavin gets sent down for a 15-year stretch the unprofessional trio of Chris, Sid, and Vince are left without their ringleader. As hilarious as The Burglar Diaries, the first book in the series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Extremely funny’ FHM ‘A guaranteed success’ The Bookseller ‘King spends his free time writing for a top-shelf grot mag and hanging out with some ‘tasty’ geezers. he’s also written a couple of excellent boooks about the nonlegit lifestyle choice, the Burglar Diaries and Bankrobber Diaries.’ Loaded -- Review

About the Author

Danny King was born in Slough, near London in 1969. After leaving school, he went to work on a building site where he met his fair share of petty criminals and general nutters. In the late 1980s, following convictions of various offences, including burglary, he gave up crime, got an education and started to work as a journalist on top shelf magazines. He lives in South London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852426659
• ISBN-13: 978-1852426651
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,354,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

British writer Danny King was born in 1969 in Slough, a town made famous throughout the white collar world as the much-lampooned location for the original series of The Office. He never worked in an office while there but he did work as a bricklayer's laborer, a supermarket shelf stacker, a painter & decorator, a postman and a magazine editor and today uses these rich experiences to dodge all of the aforementioned. Besides books he has also written for the both big and small screens and the stage: his credits include the BBC sitcom Thieves Like Us, the forthcoming 2012 movie Wild Bill and the stage show The Pornographer Diaries, which played throughout the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He lives in Chichester, West Sussex with wife, Jeannie and two children and divides his time between writing and wondering what to write about. For further details go to dannykingbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Daddy Was A Bankrobber, But He Never Hurt Nobody..., November 3, 2003

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bank Robber Diaries (Paperback)

There's nothing like the promise of a behind-the-scenes tour of crime and vice to send law-abiding citizens scurrying for the nearest movie theater, TV set, or bookstore. Former burglar King has certainly tapped into this interest with his "Diaries" series. His well-received debut The Burglar Diaries was the first-person account of a burglar's career. This successor volume follows the formula, being a first-person account of the life and times of a London bank robber. (It should be noted that the "diary" label is not really accurate, as it's not a day-by-day account, but more of a memoir that looks back at the past.) The narrator is Chris, who followed his brother into a life of bank robbery and becomes the head of their small crew when his brother gets nabbed and jailed for 15 years.

The story covers about a decade of his career, from inept beginner to slick professional. Along the way, he embarks on a loveless marriage, a desperate affair with his brother's wife, and must confront the growing psychopathic tendencies of his partner Vince. The reader is pulled this way and that, as Chris grows more human and sympathetic, and then will do something awful. He's a subtly compelling character-all he really wants is to be left in peace and quiet to watch TV, enjoy the odd beer, and maybe find some comfort and love. On the other hand, he's not opposed to putting two slugs in anyone who stands between him and jail. The tension mounts as Vince grows more out of control, and in one episode of high black comedy, completely loses it in a paintball battle and starts bludgeoning anyone who stands between him and winning.

The whole book is written in a very easy, smooth storytelling style that moves right along and has the ring of authenticity about it. King treads that fine line between humanizing and glorifying criminals, and does an excellent job of bringing the dark reality of the criminal life back every time the story strays toward the sentimental. It can be funny at times, sometimes slapsticky, but more often the humor of the black Coen Bros. kind. Climaxing in an ambiguous dark ending, the story makes its own statement as to the attractiveness of the criminal life. King's series continues with The Hitman Diaries, and the forthcoming Pornographer Diaries.