Overview

"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."

Full Product Details

9781640092129

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Reviews

Praise for Norco '80 Norco '80 somehow makes meticulous research and devotion to the truth fuse with suspense and excitement until the reader is right there, a witness to this guns-blazing account of a crime that changed American law enforcement's readiness for violence in the extreme. -Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Onion Field

Praise for Norco '80 [An] alarming account of a bank heist that rocked the country in 1980 and reflected 'the peculiar zeitgeist of that decade' in all its cockeyed drama . . . For a first-time writer, Houlahan sure knows how to dramatize a scene. His cinematic treatment of the robbery itself reads like wildfire, the fatal shootout with the police ends in colorful chaos, and the huge manhunt through San Bernardino National Forest conducted by 'Hunt & Kill Teams' is a nail-biter. -Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review Like American Heiress in the summer of 2016, this looks like the true crime book that will launch a hundred conversations. -CrimeReads, One of the Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer [A] deeply researched, thrillingly paced tale. -Peter Larsen, Southern California News Group Thrilling account of a violent California bank robbery . . . Houlahan's debut is remarkable for the exhaustive . . . level of detail he brings to every stage of the story, transforming a pulpy true-crime narrative into a reflection of social transformations and class conflict as the countercultural 1970s faded into the Reagan era . . . An impressively well-rendered true-crime saga. -Kirkus Review Norco '80 somehow makes meticulous research and devotion to the truth fuse with suspense and excitement until the reader is right there, a witness to this guns-blazing account of a crime that changed American law enforcement's readiness for violence in the extreme. -Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Onion Field Simply put, Norco '80 is one of the best true crime accounts ever written. Harrowing, incisive, and important. But also? A goddamned thrill ride. This is a book you'll read and then talk about for weeks. --Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland Norco '80 reads like a pre-apocalyptic nightmare, and it's all true. Houlahan's writing is intimate and stark, and the pacing relentless, as it tells the story of a group of young men who robbed a bank to prepare for the end of the world and succeeded in bringing fire and brimstone to one unfortunate small town and the police sworn to protect it. The reader will feel like a witness to these events as they unfold. Be warned-you will not get anything done until this book is done with you. -James Renner, author of True Crime Addict There is no doubt that Norco '80 is poised to become a true crime classic. It's a marvel of pacing and information-at times racing ahead like a speeding bullet and others slowing down to provide a perfect panorama of a hairsbreadth moment. Houlahan has left nothing unexamined in his obsessively detailed account of this heist, from the emotional to the logistical to the spiritual. Trust me, you're going to want to read every word. -Ivy Pochoda, author of Wonder Valley As the astonishing mayhem chronicled in this book unfolds, you'll find yourself wondering, 'How much worse can this situation get?' Answer: a lot. Turning the pages, I kept flashing back to the desperate, duck-for-cover urgency of Black Hawk Down. Meticulously reported and artfully written, Norco '80 is an utterly absorbing, unforgettable, and haunting study of how a series of bad decisions can snowball into something truly disastrous. --Dave Howard, author of Chasing Phil

Praise for Norco '80 Norco '80 somehow makes meticulous research and devotion to the truth fuse with suspense and excitement until the reader is right there, a witness to this guns-blazing account of a crime that changed American law enforcement's readiness for violence in the extreme. -Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Onion Field Simply put, Norco '80 is one of the best true crime accounts ever written. Harrowing, incisive, and important. But also? A goddamned thrill ride. This is a book you'll read and then talk about for weeks. --Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland

Praise for Norco '80 Norco '80 somehow makes meticulous research and devotion to the truth fuse with suspense and excitement until the reader is right there, a witness to this guns-blazing account of a crime that changed American law enforcement's readiness for violence in the extreme. -Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Onion Field Norco '80 reads like a pre-apocalyptic nightmare, and it's all true. Houlahan's writing is intimate and stark, and the pacing relentless, as it tells the story of a group of young men who robbed a bank to prepare for the end of the world and succeeded in bringing fire and brimstone to one unfortunate small town and the police sworn to protect it. The reader will feel like a witness to these events as they unfold. Be warned-you will not get anything done until this book is done with you. -James Renner, author of True Crime Addict There is no doubt that Norco '80 is poised to become a true crime classic. It's a marvel of pacing and information-at times racing ahead like a speeding bullet and others slowing down to provide a perfect panorama of a hairsbreadth moment. Houlahan has left nothing unexamined in his obsessively detailed account of this heist, from the emotional to the logistical to the spiritual. Trust me, you're going to want to read every word. -Ivy Pochoda, author of Wonder Valley As the astonishing mayhem chronicled in this book unfolds, you'll find yourself wondering, 'How much worse can this situation get?' Answer: a lot. Turning the pages, I kept flashing back to the desperate, duck-for-cover urgency of Black Hawk Down. Meticulously reported and artfully written, Norco '80 is an utterly absorbing, unforgettable, and haunting study of how a series of bad decisions can snowball into something truly disastrous. --Dave Howard, author of Chasing Phil Simply put, Norco '80 is one of the best true crime accounts ever written. Harrowing, incisive, and important. But also? A goddamned thrill ride. This is a book you'll read and then talk about for weeks. --Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland [An] alarming account of a bank heist that rocked the country in 1980 and reflected 'the peculiar zeitgeist of that decade' in all its cockeyed drama . . . For a first-time writer, Houlahan sure knows how to dramatize a scene. His cinematic treatment of the robbery itself reads like wildfire, the fatal shootout with the police ends in colorful chaos, and the huge manhunt through San Bernardino National Forest conducted by 'Hunt & Kill Teams' is a nail-biter. -Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review Like American Heiress in the summer of 2016, this looks like the true crime book that will launch a hundred conversations. -CrimeReads, One of the Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer [A] deeply researched, thrillingly paced tale. -Peter Larsen, Southern California News Group Thrilling account of a violent California bank robbery . . . Houlahan's debut is remarkable for the exhaustive . . . level of detail he brings to every stage of the story, transforming a pulpy true-crime narrative into a reflection of social transformations and class conflict as the countercultural 1970s faded into the Reagan era . . . An impressively well-rendered true-crime saga. -Kirkus Review

Author Information

Peter Houlahan is a freelance writer contributing to a wide range of publications. In his career as an emergency medical technician, he has written a number of articles related to his profession. He holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. A native Southern Californian, Houlahan now lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Find out more at www.peterhoulahan.com.

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