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Royal Flush
'The Colonel' was rumoured to have masterminded the most successful robberies of the past decade. Now he's back playing his old game.
The immensely wealthy owner of a successful racing yard, Edward de Jersey, has set high hopes on a Derby win from his magnificent colt, Royal Flush. But de Jersey's luck runs out when his adviser invests his fortune in a fledgling Internet company that crashes, leaving him with mounting debts.
Afraid he will loose everything, de Jersey resurrects his criminal past and attempts to pull off the most audacious heist in history - the target, the Koh-i-noor diamond, Mountain of Light. Weighing over a hundred carats, the jewel has an estimated value of more than a billion pounds…
The immensely wealthy owner of a successful racing yard, Edward de Jersey, has set high hopes on a Derby win from his magnificent colt, Royal Flush. But de Jersey's luck runs out when his adviser invests his fortune in a fledgling Internet company that crashes, leaving him with mounting debts.
Afraid he will loose everything, de Jersey resurrects his criminal past and attempts to pull off the most audacious heist in history - the target, the Koh-i-noor diamond, Mountain of Light. Weighing over a hundred carats, the jewel has an estimated value of more than a billion pounds…
544 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2002
125 people are currently reading
476 people want to read
About the author
Lynda La Plante
123 books1,829 followersLynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.
Her first TV series as a scriptwriter was the six part robbery series Widows, in 1983, in which the widows of four armed robbers carry out a heist planned by their deceased husbands.
In 1991 ITV released Prime Suspect which has now run to seven series and stars Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. (In the United States Prime Suspect airs on PBS as part of the anthology program Mystery!) In 1993 La Plante won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her work on the series. In 1992 she wrote at TV movie called Seekers, starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson.
She formed her own television production company, La Plante Productions, in 1994 and as La Plante Productions she wrote and produced the sequel to Widows, the equally gutsy She's Out (ITV, 1995). The name "La Plante" comes from her marriage to writer Richard La Plante, author of the book Mantis and Hog Fever. La Plante divorced Lynda in the early 1990s.
Her output continued with The Governor (ITV 1995-96), a series focusing on the female governor of a high security prison, and was followed by a string of ratings pulling miniseries: the psycho killer nightmare events of Trial & Retribution (ITV 1997-), the widows' revenge of the murders of their husbands & children Bella Mafia (1997) (starring Vanessa Redgrave), the undercover police unit operations of Supply and Demand (ITV 1998), videogame/internet murder mystery Killer Net (Channel 4 1998) and the female criminal profiler cases of Mind Games (ITV 2001).
Two additions to the Trial and Retribution miniseries were broadcast during 2006.
Her first TV series as a scriptwriter was the six part robbery series Widows, in 1983, in which the widows of four armed robbers carry out a heist planned by their deceased husbands.
In 1991 ITV released Prime Suspect which has now run to seven series and stars Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. (In the United States Prime Suspect airs on PBS as part of the anthology program Mystery!) In 1993 La Plante won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her work on the series. In 1992 she wrote at TV movie called Seekers, starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson.
She formed her own television production company, La Plante Productions, in 1994 and as La Plante Productions she wrote and produced the sequel to Widows, the equally gutsy She's Out (ITV, 1995). The name "La Plante" comes from her marriage to writer Richard La Plante, author of the book Mantis and Hog Fever. La Plante divorced Lynda in the early 1990s.
Her output continued with The Governor (ITV 1995-96), a series focusing on the female governor of a high security prison, and was followed by a string of ratings pulling miniseries: the psycho killer nightmare events of Trial & Retribution (ITV 1997-), the widows' revenge of the murders of their husbands & children Bella Mafia (1997) (starring Vanessa Redgrave), the undercover police unit operations of Supply and Demand (ITV 1998), videogame/internet murder mystery Killer Net (Channel 4 1998) and the female criminal profiler cases of Mind Games (ITV 2001).
Two additions to the Trial and Retribution miniseries were broadcast during 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 29, 2024
As normal another brilliant book by Lynda hard to put down great story and a great ending
September 10, 2009
Lynda LaPlante, Royal Heist (Random House, 2004)
It took me about a year and a half to read Royal Heist. Not continuously, of course. I started it back in December of 2007, struggled through the first few chapters, and when it had to go back to the library, didn't renew it. Here comes 2009, and I'm going through my backlist cleaning it out, so I put the book on hold again and pick up where I left off. (I get questions about that sort of thing. Honestly, I don't find it any harder to do that after eighteen months than I do putting a book down at night and picking it up again the next morning. I don't know why.) I'm glad I did, because it does markedly improve once you're farther into it, but I came very close to abandoning it for good after the first seventy-five pages or so. Be warned.
The novel concerns Edward de Jersey, formerly Eddie Jersey, a thief and con man during his younger years. With his friends James Driscoll and Tony Wilcox, he was part of a band of thieves known as the Three Musketeers, who after pulling off one of the biggest heists in British history, quit their lives of crime and went legitimate. Until, that is, all three invest in an internet startup run by someone even more fraudulent than they are. De Jersey, now a Thoroughbred owner with a horse who has a great deal of promise for next year's Derby, has no intentions of his ship going down, much less him going down with it. But the more he thinks about it, the more he has only one option: revive the Three Musketeers and pull off an even more audacious robbery, one that will return to them the hundreds of millions of pounds they lost.
Once we get into the planning of the heist, the book picks up. We don't get there for quite a while, however, and the setup is interminable. What's more odd is that the book's three-act structure would dictate a similarly detailed description of the police investigation after the heist (which occurs in act 2, naturally), but that part of the book is skimped on, glossed over in comparison to the setup and the robbery itself. Where we get detailed characterizations of the players on the shadowy end of things, the cops are no more than cardboard cutouts, and wet ones at that.
Readable, but not much else. ** ½
It took me about a year and a half to read Royal Heist. Not continuously, of course. I started it back in December of 2007, struggled through the first few chapters, and when it had to go back to the library, didn't renew it. Here comes 2009, and I'm going through my backlist cleaning it out, so I put the book on hold again and pick up where I left off. (I get questions about that sort of thing. Honestly, I don't find it any harder to do that after eighteen months than I do putting a book down at night and picking it up again the next morning. I don't know why.) I'm glad I did, because it does markedly improve once you're farther into it, but I came very close to abandoning it for good after the first seventy-five pages or so. Be warned.
The novel concerns Edward de Jersey, formerly Eddie Jersey, a thief and con man during his younger years. With his friends James Driscoll and Tony Wilcox, he was part of a band of thieves known as the Three Musketeers, who after pulling off one of the biggest heists in British history, quit their lives of crime and went legitimate. Until, that is, all three invest in an internet startup run by someone even more fraudulent than they are. De Jersey, now a Thoroughbred owner with a horse who has a great deal of promise for next year's Derby, has no intentions of his ship going down, much less him going down with it. But the more he thinks about it, the more he has only one option: revive the Three Musketeers and pull off an even more audacious robbery, one that will return to them the hundreds of millions of pounds they lost.
Once we get into the planning of the heist, the book picks up. We don't get there for quite a while, however, and the setup is interminable. What's more odd is that the book's three-act structure would dictate a similarly detailed description of the police investigation after the heist (which occurs in act 2, naturally), but that part of the book is skimped on, glossed over in comparison to the setup and the robbery itself. Where we get detailed characterizations of the players on the shadowy end of things, the cops are no more than cardboard cutouts, and wet ones at that.
Readable, but not much else. ** ½
July 9, 2014
This is fake writing. This is all she was still beautiful after 20 yrs of marriage and he, the strong silent type who never talks about his past,sweeps her off her feet and carries her to bed. Ridiculous.
When his past henchmen started calling him Colonel, I put the book down.
Not worth it even for a beach read.
When his past henchmen started calling him Colonel, I put the book down.
Not worth it even for a beach read.
October 27, 2022
She does such great heist stories! Fanciful, perhaps but always entertaining.
January 24, 2025
I must admit I only listened to this one because, as part of a book challenge, I needed to read a book which includes a heist. I'm so glad I chose this one. Lynda La Plante is a superb storyteller. This is a long audiobook (more than 20 hours) but I flew through it. The book is superbly plotted and Edward de Jersey is a great character, and despite him being a baddie, I really wanted him to succeed. The ending didn't disappoint either
The book was brilliantly narrated by Paul Thornley, who made the book come to life
The book was brilliantly narrated by Paul Thornley, who made the book come to life
January 19, 2009
I actually started reading this book with a mind to make my way through it slowly. But once you've taken a gamble on Edward de Jersey anything can happen!
Royal Flush, as the name implies, is a gamble as well as the highest card you can play in Poker. In addition to being the title of the book, it's a horse's name and maybe even a play on the Royal's flush once they had a brush with Edward de Jersey. The story is weaved in such an intricate, artistic way the reader cannot help break out in a sweat as s/he's placed on the wrong side of the law. Most of La Plante's narratives are told from the side of the police - not this time! The mastermind of a crime that shook the UK to its foundations might seem an enigma to some, but La Plante manages to show you that criminals have feelings too. In fact, you start making excuses for what happened, like if it wasn't for David Lyons' bad judgement ... or if Sylvia Hewitt had just ... then the robbery/murder would never have taken place. At one point the reader's hopes are all piled against the odds and you bet they'll all get away with it. Sadly, crime writers have the unique and disturbing ability to build up something admirable only to break it all down again. You can predict that you will be thrown out of Eden, even before you taste the fruit. So don't put your money on a "happy ending" as most actions have reactions that could leave you bankrupt.
One lesson that comes out of all of this is that people should not be keeping secrets. They could mean the death of your dearest relationships, maybe even keep you captive for life.
Royal Flush, as the name implies, is a gamble as well as the highest card you can play in Poker. In addition to being the title of the book, it's a horse's name and maybe even a play on the Royal's flush once they had a brush with Edward de Jersey. The story is weaved in such an intricate, artistic way the reader cannot help break out in a sweat as s/he's placed on the wrong side of the law. Most of La Plante's narratives are told from the side of the police - not this time! The mastermind of a crime that shook the UK to its foundations might seem an enigma to some, but La Plante manages to show you that criminals have feelings too. In fact, you start making excuses for what happened, like if it wasn't for David Lyons' bad judgement ... or if Sylvia Hewitt had just ... then the robbery/murder would never have taken place. At one point the reader's hopes are all piled against the odds and you bet they'll all get away with it. Sadly, crime writers have the unique and disturbing ability to build up something admirable only to break it all down again. You can predict that you will be thrown out of Eden, even before you taste the fruit. So don't put your money on a "happy ending" as most actions have reactions that could leave you bankrupt.
One lesson that comes out of all of this is that people should not be keeping secrets. They could mean the death of your dearest relationships, maybe even keep you captive for life.
July 23, 2011
Blurb from goodreads
High adventure, furious plotting, blackmail and betrayal...'The Colonel' is rumoured to have masterminded several of the most successful robberies in the UK over the last forty years. But who is he? Edward de Jersey, now a wealthy man, owns a very successful racing yard and stud farm and his pride and joy is his horse, Royal Flush, who he has always dreamed will one day win the Derby. But de Jersey's luck runs out when his trusted financial advisor invests his fortune in a fledgling internet company which goes bust, leaving de Jersey with no capital and mounting debts. In danger of losing everything, De Jersey resurrects his criminal past, turning to the internet to find a team of specialists who will help him pull off the most audacious heist in history.
My Review
The book starts by introducing us to Edward de Jersey (the main character) at the Royal Ascot and builds up our character who loves, lives and breaths for his horses. He has a huge racing yard and stud farm which houses his prized horse Royal Flush. In one fail swoop Edwards world is threatened when he faces financial ruin and everything he has achieved he is about to loose. There is nothing else for it but to go back to his criminal roots for one last job to get back in the black.
I didn't think I was going to like this book too much as there is quite a bit of focus on the horse aspect of it but once it got going I loved it. I felt it lagged a wee bit but picked up and became a page turner.
Once it got to a quarter to the end and the big finale had happened I thought it had nowhere else to go but I loved it right up to the last line. Really good read 4/5 for me.
High adventure, furious plotting, blackmail and betrayal...'The Colonel' is rumoured to have masterminded several of the most successful robberies in the UK over the last forty years. But who is he? Edward de Jersey, now a wealthy man, owns a very successful racing yard and stud farm and his pride and joy is his horse, Royal Flush, who he has always dreamed will one day win the Derby. But de Jersey's luck runs out when his trusted financial advisor invests his fortune in a fledgling internet company which goes bust, leaving de Jersey with no capital and mounting debts. In danger of losing everything, De Jersey resurrects his criminal past, turning to the internet to find a team of specialists who will help him pull off the most audacious heist in history.
My Review
The book starts by introducing us to Edward de Jersey (the main character) at the Royal Ascot and builds up our character who loves, lives and breaths for his horses. He has a huge racing yard and stud farm which houses his prized horse Royal Flush. In one fail swoop Edwards world is threatened when he faces financial ruin and everything he has achieved he is about to loose. There is nothing else for it but to go back to his criminal roots for one last job to get back in the black.
I didn't think I was going to like this book too much as there is quite a bit of focus on the horse aspect of it but once it got going I loved it. I felt it lagged a wee bit but picked up and became a page turner.
Once it got to a quarter to the end and the big finale had happened I thought it had nowhere else to go but I loved it right up to the last line. Really good read 4/5 for me.
July 17, 2021
I bought this book for 25 cents at an op shop. It is a bit of a pot boiler with unbelievable characters but I can't put the thing down, it has me hooked.
I haven't read many La Plante books but I would not pay full price for this one.
I haven't read many La Plante books but I would not pay full price for this one.
May 17, 2017
I have heard of Lynda La Plante but never actually read anything by her. This started out a bit slowly but soon picked to a point I struggled to put it down. Im not going to lie, it's a bit cheesy in places and I did groan a few times, however I liked the fact this was written following the bad guys point of view, rather than the normal detective or cops point of view that seems more common. The three main bad guys are bit of a motley bunch, the rest of the crew they put together also have their issues, and although Edward was cold and calculating, I did find myself routing for them to succeed. It was so nearly a four a star, but for me I'd of liked a different ending.
December 20, 2018
I found some of La Plante's detective series very average but improving significantly in her subsequent ones. And unlike many reviewers who disliked this book, I found it to be well thought out, fast-paced and thoroughly absorbing. In fact, I found it hard to put down. There were no long drawn out passages, no endless list of names making it hard to remember who is who, and none of those annoyingly frustrating situations where we have to wait for many chapters before the matter is dealt with. If you like crime, mystery, and intrigue, give this a go.
January 20, 2021
So absurdly improbably unlikely...so filled with amazingly unbelievable serendipity...so willing to make an anti-hero and then throw him under the bus...so rife with unlikable characters... I was shaking my head throughout, but I will admit that this book was an entertaining ride. I think I just wanted to see what bizarre unreality would get thrown at the reader next. Can't say I'd want to read more by this writer, though.
October 1, 2024
Royal Flush by Lynda La Plante tells the story of Edward de Jersey, a wealthy and successful racehorse owner of the horse Royal Flush, who after seeing his fortune plummet, masterminds the theft of the crown jewels. An interesting story but rather long and moved too slow for me. Not really much of a mystery and I found it difficult to keep reading. It seemed to lack the excitement and action that I prefer.
August 8, 2024
I go for a 4star for the easy read. Sometimes the author made it sometimes very easy on her self as for something to just appear out of thin air when it is necessary. This doesn’t mean it is not a nice book. Well written, pace is ok, even after so many years it is already on the market. Another proof that even a fifth hand book can be a classic first one.
February 13, 2021
I found the scene setting in the first half of the book a little drawn out but once the plan was set and the unlikely team pulled together for the heist it was a page turner for me. Enjoyed the ending and found myself rooting for the bad guys. All in all a good read.
July 28, 2021
Disappointed. Expected more from Ms. La Plante……of Prime Suspect series. So unimaginative to rob The Crown Jewels; dead giveaway he’d get caught so skipped to last 10 pages and didn’t miss anything. Not quite a waste of time but not the best use either.
January 29, 2023
This was so unlike her normal story telling, and i was not a fan. Took ages for the story to take off Almost gave up on it, he story was dull nad fkat till the robbery happened it got a bit more exciting.
Not a fan of this book at all
Not a fan of this book at all
August 12, 2025
Royal Flush
This book is one of the best I have read. The tension builds and I struggled to put it down. I have read a thousand books and this book I will never forget. Well done Lynda
This book is one of the best I have read. The tension builds and I struggled to put it down. I have read a thousand books and this book I will never forget. Well done Lynda
June 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this story. I couldn't put it down
October 4, 2017
Urgh....thought would have been interesting, but the main caracter was a dissapointment! ending really dull, had an exciting feeling and then it just went poof....
January 5, 2019
I loved this book. There is no suspense in who did it but lots of suspense in determining if they are going to get away with it. I fell in love with Edward De Jersey even though he was a bad guy.
February 8, 2019
3 stats because the ending was abysmal. Otherwise not a bad book to read
June 28, 2020
This is enjoyable, efficiently written nonsense. It is nowhere near Prime Suspect turf in terms of quality, though, but it was fun.
February 28, 2021
Not up to her usual standard
May 26, 2021
This book was a slow starter for me but it improved as the plot thickened(so to speak). Overall it was an enjoyable caper.
May 27, 2022
The author does not seem to be able to write with an authentic voice for the era: 2002.
June 30, 2022
A robbery months and months in planning. A large group of players with one charming man in charge..
Want to read
October 3, 2022Not as good as the first two.
February 14, 2023
Excellent thriller which is easy to read. Of course crime doesn't pay in the end!
June 21, 2023
One of the best books I read for a long time.
August 14, 2023
Holiday Read 23
Very interesting story, whether all fiction or more based on facts, very good read,
Another great novel by LLP,
ABA
Very interesting story, whether all fiction or more based on facts, very good read,
Another great novel by LLP,
ABA
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews