Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781640092129)

5 young men. 32 destroyed police vehicles. 1 spectacular bank robbery. This "cinematic" true crime story transports readers to the scene of one of the most shocking bank heists in U.S. history--a crime that's almost too wild to be real (The New York Times Book Review).

Norco '80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men--led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian--attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. Part action thriller and part courtroom drama, this Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime transports the reader back to the Southern California of the 1970s, an era of predatory evangelical gurus, doomsday predictions, megachurches, and soaring crime rates, with the threat of nuclear obliteration looming over it all.

In this riveting true story, a group of landscapers transforms into a murderous gang of bank robbers armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons. Their desperate getaway turns the surrounding towns into war zones. And when it's over, three are dead and close to twenty wounded; a police helicopter has been forced down from the sky, and thirty-two police vehicles have been completely demolished by thousands of rounds of ammo. The resulting trial shakes the community to the core, raising many issues that continue to plague society today: from the epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder within law enforcement to religious extremism and the militarization of local police forces.

Author: Peter Houlahan
ISBN-10: 1640092129
ISBN-13: 9781640092129
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
Language: English
Published: 06/11/2019
Pages: 408
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.40w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/22/2019
Library Journal 06/01/2019 pg. 134
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
Shelf Awareness 06/11/2019