How to Rob an Armored Car

Been a fan since his "Manifesto" book.And,yes,while the book is funny, it delivers a gut punch:many fellow citizens are down and out and will stay so.Our salvation is to stop coloring in the lines and do something. Our three protagonists do exactly that with their sad lives and learn, however slowly and haltingly, that things can change for the better in unexpected ways.

With every Iain Levison novel I find my self relating to the characters, in spirit and philosophy. They may be down on their luck, one gets fired, another laid off and the third is trying hard not to bust his parole. Most of the country can relate to these characters, mid 20's not yet grown ups. On the surface they may seem like slackers, but they only give as much as much as is expected. Activities that they have a passion for they engage with strong commitment. Each character has a unique view of their situation and their own moral code. They tend to overlap on that, when following the law no longer works then why waste time obeying it. I have to agree with other reviewers that I too burst out laughing in public several times. The humor isn't just a surface one though, it's usually in an interesting context. For example at one point we meet a character who is upset about his sentence which is counseling and a lifetime ban on computers, aptly pointing out that the Judge must not believe in the counseling at all. Routine seems to be what so much of the story circles, either the routine of a system so bent and predictable that it begs to be exploited. Or as is the case for the main characters, an escape from their own routines. My favorite part with Iain Levison is that he writes about these bleak realities which any working person can relate to. He however manages to not bore and instead he gives the characters a spark and anyone reading it can't help but steal some as well.

A word of warning, reading this book in a public place may cause others to wonder if you are slightly crazy. At several points while reading this book, I found myself laughing out loud. The novel follows the antics of three slacker-stoner guys living in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania who sort of stumble into a life of crime. Levison has a wonderful ear for dialog and it was the conversations of these amateur criminals that made me burst out laughing. More than just funny, these conversations felt real. I'm not going to ask how the author knows exactly what three idiots who came up with a not-so-brilliant plan for stealing a Ferrari would talk about it, but he has captured it perfectly. Despite the disparaging remarks I made about our protagonists, they are a likable band of criminals. Even as their criminal plans escalate, they never really stop being good guys, even going so far as to dispense with the use of weaponry as a cautionary measure in the title crime. Like an Elmore Leonard novel or an early Tarantino flick, Levison manages to tell an exciting crime story while peopling it with perfectly human characters.

In Pennsylvania Mitch Alden manages an Accu-mart store; he also struggles with the stress and poverty level wages by buying weed to numb the work. However, his purchase fails to help this time as he becomes introspective wondering why he would spend his last money on getting high in order to get through his shift. Mitch needs a new source of income to pay for his numbing devicers: beer and drugs. He persuades two friends, married father Kevin and Doug who is having an affair with his buddy's wife to help heist a TV from the store. The three feel a natural high, which encourages the planner of the trio Mitch to go for something more expensive. However, the gang who can't walk straight (nod to Jimmy Breslin) fail at swiping a Ferrari from a doctor, but become teammates with him trying to sell his Oxycontin hoard. That is half of an afternoon as Mitch and his buds dream of the million dollar deal. Timely with the economic recession, HOW TO ROB AN ARMORED CAR is a tense yet amusing crime thriller as working class slackers go after the American dream by stealing their way to wealth only doing it the lower middle class way through hard core robberies. The story line is character driven mostly by the three amigos but also to a lesser degree their new business partner. Fans will enjoy Iain Levinson's entertaining look at DOG EAT DOG working class capitalists. Harriet Klausner

I picked up Iain Levison's Working Stiff's Manifesto when it first came out several years ago and it very quickly became one of my favorite books, to read and re-read again and again. Iain is a very good writer, a keen eye for just the right amount of detail and a laser-sharp wit to boot. I sent Iain a fan letter through the US Postal service; it actually found its way to him, and he was kind enough to write back to me. Not only is he a very good writer, Iain is also a good guy. I have bought and enjoyed all his novels since then, including this brand-new one which I got in the mail yesterday and I'm already halfway through. It's just as good as the previous books. I just love the way he writes. I'm hoping he'll write a Fat Masterpiece someday, something his readers can savor for a long time. His writing is excellent and his social commentary is spot-on. He knows how to write a great story; I can't put this book down, and yet I don't want it to end. Carry on, Iain!