Gregory M. Carroll's riveting 11 Minutes is an account of Melbourne’s 1976 Great Bookie Robbery. The author takes us down into the underworld, where names like “Fingers,” “The Fox,” and “The Toe Cutters” are commonplace. The Dockers and Painters unions of the 1970s play an integral part in this tale and backstory. The book opens with the bookie robbery at the multi-story Victoria Club. It took a crew of six hardened criminals, each with a different talent, to pull off the infamous heist. Quick as a bullet and as graceful as a ballet, the job was executed with impeccable choreography by the dustcoat-wearing crew. Simultaneously flashing machine guns, each man had a specific job to accomplish. The final take would be in the millions. Flashbacks of the time leading up to the event detail the men’s family and "work" lives with great authenticity. Ian and Ray are the two main players in this event. In the aftermath of the robbery, the cops are puzzled by the crime scene, have few leads to go on, and a lack of corroborating witness accounts as well.

Because Gregory M. Carroll doesn’t pull any punches in 11 Minutes, I found the story exciting and suspenseful. This unbelievable story is a mashup between Peaky Blinders, The Godfather, and a side of The Sting. But there’s one huge difference. It’s true! What fascinated me most were the descriptions of the men who grew up to become hardened criminals but also became loving husbands and fathers. The author reveals the multidimensional humans behind these risk-takers. What impressed me was that the dialogue in this story suggests that the author had inside information, making the planning and execution of the robbery even more intriguing. Just like its leading men, this smartly written real-life tale is full of grit and blood, but also heart and soul. The crew did some irreparable damage but lived life on their own terms, maybe with little regret. It’s a classic historical, eloquently written crime story. But it’s also an honest ode written by Gregory M. Carroll to his brother, Ian.

In April 1976, a group of six armed men pulled off a brazen daylight robbery at the Victoria Club; the multimillion-dollar haul was proceeds from various bookmaking operations. In 11 Minutes by Gregory M Carroll, the story is told of how Raymond Chuck and Ian Carroll assembled a group of criminal confederates to pull off the heist of a lifetime. Ray and Ian had lived in the criminal underbelly of Melbourne since they were juveniles, but there was a fine line between pulling off a robbery and being an active target in a gangland war. The war for control of the docks proved too close for comfort for Ray, who relocated to London while Ian survived a bullet wound to the abdomen. Despite being away from home, Ray didn’t lose his lust for the criminal venture, and while in London, he began to hatch the plan to rob the Victoria. They didn’t foresee the size of the score, nor the consequences of their crime.

Carroll's 11 Minutes is a gripping dramatization of real-life events that unfolded in Melbourne, Australia, and had life-changing effects for every participant. There is a tone of foreboding perceptible throughout the story, and yet each death still manages to be surprising. The narrative ably shifts from the perspectives of the various gang members, yet the bulk of the tale is about the lives of Ian Carroll and Raymond Chuck. Gregory M Carroll has written an enthralling novel about a band of gangland antiheroes who took their shot at the brass ring, only to have everything fall apart due to paranoia, drugs, and the mayhem of the streets. This is a terrific historical drama with compelling moments throughout the book, which will appeal to readers who enjoyed Goodfellas or The Brink’s Heist.