PETER HOULAHAN
NORCO '80
The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History
"A guns-blazing account of a crime that changed American law enforcement."
–– Joseph Wambaugh
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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.
Praise for NORCO '80:
“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.
“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 hair’s breadth 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.
“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.
"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.
Accolades:
Finalist for the 2020 Edgar Award in “Best Fact Crime"
Finalist for the 2020 Macavity Awards for "Best Mystery Nonfiction/Critical"
Finalist for 2019 Dashiell Hammett Prize
NPR - Favorite Books of 2019
Amazon – Best Nonfiction Books of the Month. Best History Books of 2019
New York Times Book Review – 2019 Summer Reads
The Wall Street Journal – Reader’s Pick
CrimeReads –Best True Crime Books of 2019
Junior Library Guild – Gold Standard Selection