Lifted

by Evan Ratliff

The robbers had a crew of two dozen specialists, a stolen helicopter, speedboats, perfectly-designed explosives, and inside information on a $150 million cash repository in Stockholm. But the police were on to them—or so they thought. What happened next would make headlines around the world, but the robbery was just part of the story. The Atavist, a new home for original nonfiction storytelling, presents Evan Ratliff's inside tale of one of history's most elaborate heists, and the race to unravel it.

The Atavist is a digital publisher of longform journalism and nonfiction tales, researched and written by skilled reporters and authors. Atavist stories are longer than magazine articles but shorter than books, and each one is sold individually on portable devices. More information about The Atavist and our other stories is available at www.atavist.net.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Ebooks, Crime, Essays, True Crime, Journalism

Nook

First published January 19, 2011

About the author

Evan Ratliff is the editor of The Atavist magazine. His writing has appeared in Wired, where he is a contributing editor; The New Yorker; National Geographic; and other publications. He is also the story editor of Pop-Up Magazine, a live event.

Reviews

[Joan]

This is a small publication available on Amazon and The Atavist. It is about a brazen heist of a cash depot that occurred in Sweden around 2009. The criminals were extremely well prepared and intelligent. Though some of the robbers were captured and sentenced, many got away. The money has never been found. I recommend this interest, quick read.

[Liz Nutting]

I wrote in my blog recently that there has been much talk about how the Kindle and other e-readers are going to change the world of publishing. In a New York Times' article, Jenna Worthan held out Lifted as a shining example of this new world--primarily because of its length. Lamenting that she had not yet been able to actually finish a book on her Kindle, Worthan was thrilled to be able to read Lifted "cover to cover" on her Kindle.

I read Lifted on a boring cross-country flight, where I flipped between this book, a longer novel and a collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. I enjoyed having such variety so easily to hand on my Kindle (notwithstanding the fact that they made me turn it off for take-off and landing), and I enjoyed the diversion that this book offered, I'm not as excited as Wortham about this supposed revolution in books. Lifted is nothing new. It's a long magazine article for the Kindle, rather than for some venerable publication like "The Atlantic." Although frankly, "The Atlantic" would publish a better quality of article than this.

The subject matter is interesting, especially for me since I have worked around ATMs and the management of their cash. Here is a very clever gang of Slavic mafia in Sweden pulling off a large scale heist not from a bank, but from a private company that provides cash and armored services for ATMs and other businesses. And they did it even while Swedish police kept them under surveillance. It could be an action movie or the plot of the next "Girl Who..." novel--but it would need a lot of fleshing out to take it from the "just the facts, ma'am" approach here.

This isn't a badly written story. It has suspense and quirky characters. But there isn't any meat on the bones, and ending was so abrupt that I felt a bit cheated. If this is the future of publishing, I'll stick with the dinosaurs of paper and ink, thank you very much.

[shana]

i love this new format (Kindle Singles - which are basically long form magazine pieces) and i really enjoyed Ratliff's stunt for WIRED where he made himself disappear off the grid for as long as possible, leaving a few clues and goading readers to "catch" him.

this is not a first person experiential piece like this - it's a straight up report of a major bank heist in sweden, and a bit of sociological history as to why this kind of heist, while impressively daring/large, is almost within the boundaries of normal for that country at that/this time.

it's a tight, strong, detailed story - a nice blend of what's known, what's not known, some speculation, but all tightly within a reported piece.

almost, i have to say, a how-to manual.

[Jacqui]

Lifted is my first experience of Kindle Singles and I have to say that I love this new format of short writing pieces or novellas. I really enjoyed Evan Ratliff's thrilling re-telling of the true story of one of the greatest bank heists in Sweden's history and it was well worth the $1.99US price tag.

Memorable Quotes

No memorable quotes

[Andre]

This was a very good short true crime story. It was nearly great. The only gripe I had, the only reason this book gets 4 stars instead of 5, is that I feel the author did not give enough detail into how exactly how the case was solved. A few more details into the code-cracking, and I would have loved it.

[Petra Willemse]

I wasn't sure what the point of this piece was. Yes, it details a robbery. Yes, we learn about Swedish law enforcement. But otherwise, I wasn't convinced that this was really a story. Interesting for people really interested in true crime and bank robberies - otherwise skip it.

[Patrina Danielle Riha]

Quick read!

Succinct writing allows for a quick read of a real life event without a lot of needless filler. The author used details from extensive research to create fast-paced action during the heist, which is the part readers are most interested in reading.

[Christine]

This is a Kindle Single, and runs about 34 pages.

Ratliff does a sit on the edge of the seat retelling of a Swedish bank heist. This is really good crime writing.

[Scott]

A fast-paced, true story about a jazzed-up bank robbery in Sweden. If you like tales of sophisticated bank robberies and the cops who chase them this one is for you.

[Lindsay]

This was a neat little story. Well written. I felt like I was reading a burglary fiction novel, but it is actually a true story.

[Chris Engel]

Great story, made better by the fact that it's true.

[Charles]

A short but invigorating read, this Kindle single is well worth the $2 asking price. What's most interesting is the international appeal.

[Stephen Davis]

Loved it!

[Lauren F.]

Insanely suspenseful true story about one of the most brazen heists in history. Mostly great, but the denouement was a bit of a letdown.

[James]

What is it about Sweden that produces such interesting crime writing? Long read article or short book, this was very much worth it either way. Diverting and interesting.

[Paul French]

fascinating true heist caper of ex-Yugoslavs on the thieve in Scandanvia

[Knut Sigurd]

Litt i stuttaste laget.

[Jonathan]

Great short story about a bank heist in Sweden. Very well written.