Retired FBI agent Clark and veteran journalist Palattella [offer a] . . . solid survey of bank robberies in the United States, beginning in 1798 with the first one on record and spanning to the present. . . . The book serves as a useful introduction to the topic, particularly in the sections that cover the 18th and 19th centuries.

Publishers Weekly

A good bank robbery has us walking along a razor, and the new book A History of Heists: Bank Robbery in America walks us along the sharp edge of our confused sympathies. . . .Clark and Palattella are able to draw a continuous line from one iconic robbery to the next in their history, while simultaneously explaining how every bank robbery is a distinct product of its era. They not only look at how banks get robbed, but why bank robbery becomes the crime of choice for certain kind of criminal. It's an explanation of how bank robbers become folk heroes, never summed up better than by Dillinger's line, 'We don't want your money. We just want the bank's.'

Biographile

Happily, A History of Heists is loaded with flesh-and-blood characters who don't fret about being down a quart or two of blood. People like Jesse James, who Clark and Palattella call 'the original outlaw.' . . . . A History of Heists is a thoroughly professional job; Clark and Palattella don't miss much. Behind the scenes, I imagine Palattella, a reporter at the Erie Times-News, writing most of the text in his garret at home, with Clark, a former FBI agent, providing research and professional know-how. I love Palattella's well-slanted take on the characters in his book: 'The Sundance Kid ... settled on banditry as his calling.' In fact, I'm glad Palattella settled on storytelling as his calling because, with Clark's expertise, there's a lot of story to tell in their new A History of Heists.

Erie Times-News

What Clark and Palattella have done quite effectively is bring the historical characters to life. From Jesse James and his need for publicity to Butch Cassidy and his creation of the professional thief to the lesser known Henry James who they call the last of the horseback outlaws these men, and occasionally ladies, are given their due. While these people are criminals, often violent ones, we come to see them as humans as well. . . .While certainly not a definitive look at bank robberies or the most notorious robbers this is a book that succinctly covers the subject. It is an easy read and recommended for those with a passing interest as well as those with more knowledge on the subject. Complete with b/w photos, notes, and a bibliography this is a book sure to engage any true crime reader. Recommended.

Robert Redd Historian & Author

Clark and Palattella have clearly joined the ranks of bank robbery myth busters in a well researched and carefully documented history of bank robbers and bank robbery from the western frontier to modern day urban America. While they provide very interesting and humanizing insights into the background of some of our Nation’s most well-known bank robbers, they leave no doubt that these men and women were criminals and often killers. Clark’s law enforcement and academic background, along with Palattella’s journalism background, make this book a fascinating read.

Magnus Seng, Ph.D., Senior Professor Emeritus,Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Loyola University Chicago

I love A History of Heists. Reading it is like sitting in with former FBI agent Jerry Clark as he interrogates a perp, and meeting underworld sources with investigative journalist Ed Palattella, all at the same time. The only way to learn more about heists is to rob a bank yourself.

Matt Rees, award-winning crime novelist, author of The Collaborator of Bethlehem