Great Robberies

Children's Literature

Part of the "Crime, Justice, and Punishment" series which, from the listing of its other titles appears to be a Criminology course for kids, the book opens with not one, but two introductory square-ups. After all the moralizing is done with, though, Worth gets down to the nitty-gritty—seven case histories of absolutely fascinating crimes. Jessie James runs wild and ends up empty-handed in the Northfield Bank Robbery; the Reichsbank is looted of millions in gold bullion at the close of World War II; British thieves accomplish the Great Train Robbery of 1963. But the best story is the analysis of Adam Worth, the Yankee who moved his crime syndicate to London after the Civil War and became the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's evil genius Moriarty. Richard Worth writes entertainingly of all these events, and the book concludes with a good bibliography and index. 2001, Chelsea House, $19.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr