Author:Damien Lewis
1976, THE GREATEST HEIST STORY NEVER TOLD.
In a breathtaking act of daring,a band of armed men blast their way into the Imperial Bank of Beirut. Over the next 48 hours they load up three trucks with gold bullion, and disappear without a trace.
But whilst the heist went like clockwork, the raiders are forced to hide the loot and make a quick getaway. Thirty years later, they are planning their return.
The only problem is that a powerful and ruthless enemy – the deadly Black Assassins – is hell-bent on catching up with them and finding the gold first.
It’s a race against time for the ultimate prize.
A true diamond of a novel, glinting with comedy and tragedy
—— Daily MailA tall tale and a serious work of literature…its reputation suggests that one “should” read it, and so far I would have to agree
—— Nigel Rodenhurst , Times Higher EducationStunning... A high-spirited historical romance...remarkable.
—— New York Times Book ReviewAn emotional, funny, stunning novel which swings with wide smoothnes s between joy and bleakness, personal lives and history...it's lyrical and angry, satirical and earnest
—— ObserverA wonderful epic novel...it has made him a name to conjure with. Both on the large and the small scale it is an absorbing and memorable book...the sweep, invention and warmth of the novel carries one effortlessly along
—— Derwent May , The TimesHypnotic...a vast tapestry woven in tiny, colourful, intricate detail...a graphic and moving commentary on the futility of war. This magical book stayed in my head long after I had finished it
—— Marian KeyesCaptain Corelli's Mandolin achieves that rare feat of saying something new about war...fusing with remarkable felicity the cosmic and the tragic, the lyrical and the epic... And without offering easy answers, it poses difficult questions about love and suspicion, trust and betrayal, faith and despair, creativity and destruction
—— André Brink , Times Literary SupplementLouis de Bernières is in the direct line that runs through Dickens and Evelyn Waugh...he has only to look into his world, one senses, for it to rush into reality, colours and touch and taste
—— Evening StandardA master of haunted realism. His best novel yet. He deals with death and love and tragedy... This is a novel to be prized
—— Daily MailCaptain Corelli's Mandolin is a wonderful, hypnotic novel of fabulous scope and tremendous, iridescent charm - and you can quote me
—— Joseph HellerAn enthralling tale of endurance and passion, full of emotional intelligence
—— Charles Spencer , Daily Express