Synopsis

Charlie White, the professional thief, had robbed over a dozen banks and worked more scams than he could remember, but nothing prepared him for when he was celled with Ray Coyle in Belmarsh Prison.

Picked up by Ray’s lawyer on the day of his release, he becomes part of an elaborate plot to rob a private investment bank of one hundred million in sterling.

When he hooks up with student activist Abby Meyer, the only living descendent of William Meyer and owner of the bank they are trying to rob, nothing is what it seems. With Detective Faulkner on his case and the Russian Mafia muscling in on the action, he finds it hard to know who to trust.

Currently working on the first draft. Here is the beginning:

When the new prisoners arrived, Charlie White was in the canteen listening to Ray Coyle saying, ‘what I don’t get is how they found my shank.’

‘Uh huh.’ Charlie was listening but trying to keep an eye on one of the new arrivals; a skinny kid who was looking around anxiously at his new surroundings and being unshackled by a prison guard.

‘I’m sure it was Mitchell, the fucking snitch.’ Ray swearing and dropping in prison slang as if it was going out of fashion. Charlie guessed it was because of Ray being short that he needed to take on some sort of prison swagger. ‘He’d better not fuck things up for me,’ Ray said.

‘You’re still thinking of getting out?’

‘You thinking about joining?’

Charlie shook his head and looked at Ray. ‘I’m two years short.’

‘I’m looking at another ten.’

‘I thought your lawyer was close to an appeal?’

‘She didn’t think I’d get it.’

‘She did before. You thought about getting another lawyer?’

‘Plenty, but this one has great legs that go all the way up. Besides, she was Andrei Dubrovsky’s lawyer.’

Charlie said. ‘Andrei Dubrovsky didn’t kill his boss and get fifteen years for manslaughter.’

‘No, but the piece they found next to his wife’s body, according to my lawyer, had his fingerprints all over it and she still got him acquitted.’

‘How’d she manage that?’ Charlie said.

‘On grounds that Andrei’s wife had a history of mental illnesses dating back to her childhood and had more than likely committed suicide.’

‘But the cops knew that he killed her, right?’

‘Sure, Andrei killed her.’ Ray paused for a moment. ‘That’s why I decided to hire his lawyer. You know what she said when I asked her?

‘What?’

‘She was expecting my call.’

And so the story continues…