The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery
by Thomas Goodman

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Crime fiction

Based on a real crime and its aftermath in 1927, this is the story of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong and the consequences faced by those responsible. I was careful not to look up the robbery that the book is based on in advance so I could let the story unfold the way the author intended. In the end, though, I did find myself wondering what the real intention and plot of this story were meant to be. The robbery happens, there’s a shootout, and an attempted escape by the robbers, and then the rest of the story follows these men through the rest of their lives, however short they may be. The bulk of the story seems to be about the trials and imprisonments of the criminals, with a long stretch of one man living on death row and watching prisoner after prisoner go through the door to the death chamber and not come back out. There are more trials, prison escapes, and then in the last third of the book, the story of a second chance that is touted in the official synopsis finally begins. 

I don’t think I can really say that the book isn’t what it claims to be, minus the truncated “second chance” aspect, but I think I was just expecting a bit more variety in the story. The redemption story near the end, had it been expanded on more, might have made for an overall better book. However, I don’t meant to say that the book is bad. The story is well written and seems to be very well researched. I did find myself somewhat invested in the fates of these men, though it was difficult to get past the brutality that they were involved with to be sympathetic to them. So in the end, I’m probably not the right audience for this kind of true crime fiction, but I can confidently say that if you’re interested in the story, you should consider giving it a try.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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