Admittedly, before picking up this book I’d never heard of Willie “The Actor” Sutton or his illustrious career as a bank robber/prison escape artist. In fact, when I first saw this book in store and judged its cover, (lesson learned) I presumed it was a fictitious mystery novel based in London, England during the 1920’s. I was quite mistaken.
J.R. Moehringer does a fantastic job of recanting Sutton’s real, fact-based life story with his own distinct twist on events. He manages to provide the answer to the mystery of why an intelligent and charismatic hard worker such as Willie Sutton chose to transform himself in to a master thief who was just as skilled at robbing banks, as he was deft at breaking out of prisons. The only plausible answer could be love. First love.
This book had me loyally rooting for Willie “The Actor” who never fired a shot, yet cringing internally for the destruction left behind in the lives of those he loved. Despite the conflicted feelings, the ending of the book left me only with the feeling of remorse that it was over.
Kamaljit
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