The Helicopter Heist

Book excerpt: A fast-paced, riveting novel inspired by the true story of a group of four young Swedish men who pulled off “one of the most spectacular heists of all time” (Time). The men behind the daring daylight robbery have been imprisoned, but the $6.5 million that they stole has never been recovered. Sami has a history of petty crime, but that’s all behind him now. He has a new child to provide for, so he’s training as a chef, ready to lead a quiet life. But when a business deal suddenly goes sideways, Sami is left wondering how he’ll ever provide for his newborn daughter. Michel and his family fled a bloody civil war in Lebanon when he was a child. He grew up in the suburbs of Stockholm surrounded by poverty and criminals. He’s trying to turn over a new leaf, but the past just won’t let him go. Niklas has always had a thirst for life. He traveled the world and made an effort to become someone who was both seen and heard everywhere he went, the sort of person people talked about. He followed through on his vision…and no good has come of it. Zoran is a businessman. He knows everyone and who seals a deal with a handshake. When he was young, the ambitious Yugoslavian had a dream—to get rich, by whatever means necessary. And Alexandra? She’s the reason that the four men found themselves plotting to rob a Stockholm cash depot in September 2009. At first, the plan seems foolproof. Every contingency is covered, every detail is planned perfectly, and the payoff will make them all rich for life. No one would even get hurt. But not everyone is who they seem. Even as the gang’s stolen helicopter is lifting off from the cash depot with $6.5 million inside, questions remain unanswered. What secrets does each man hold? Who is the woman who has implicated herself in all of their lives? And who among them holds the key to the wealth they so desperately seek?