The Unusual Suspect

by Ben Machell

The remarkable true story of a modern-day Robin Hood: a British college student who started robbing banks as the financial crisis unfolded.

When the signs of an impending global financial crisis became clear in 2007, socially isolated British college student Stephen Jackley decided to take a stand by becoming a bank robber, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Against all likelihood, his plan actually worked. Jackley used disguises, elaborate escape routes, and fake guns to hold up a string of banks, making off with thousands of pounds. He attempted ten robberies in Southwest England over a six-month period. After Jackley successfully hid his loot high up in the trees of nearby parks, bank notes marked "RH"--for Robin Hood--began finding their way into the hands of the homeless. Motivated by a belief that global capitalism was ruining lives and driving the planet towards ecological disaster, he dreamed of changing the world for the better through his crimes. The police, despite their concerted efforts, had no idea what was going on or who was responsible. That is, until Jackley's ambition got the better of him.

Eventually agreeing to return to his native Britain after an arrest on American soil, Jackley wrote of his fears for the world, humanity "standing on the brink of massive change," detailing his deeply revealing, morally complex motivations for the robberies. It was only later that psychiatric evaluation revealed that, unbeknownst to everybody, Stephen had been living with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Woven throughout the narrative are entries from Jackley's diaries, lending an intense intimacy and urgency to the story and shedding light on Stephen's mental state and the challenges he faced in his own mind and beyond.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Biography, Crime, Audiobook, Finance, Contemporary

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2020

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a very unique individual named Steve Jackley who grows up in unusual circumstances. This is another book I had to “wish” for and was lucky enough to obtain. I became engrossed in his life of growing up in a tough situation in several ways. He grows up with a strong social conscience and wants to make a difference in the injustice of the huge gap between the haves and the have nots. I found this to be quite an amazing story. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Ben Machell, and the publisher.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the saga of a modern day Robin Hood, beset by rage over the inequitable distribution of wealth during the global fiscal crisis beginning in 2007. He would rob banks, usually small provincial ones, and drop rolled up batches of £20 notes in the outstretched palms of the indigent. Stephen Jackley was a student in geography, but developed a genius not only for performing the heists, but transforming himself via well placed bags of alternative clothing in order to make his getaways. Ben Machell spent much time with Jackley, piecing his story together, which despite its flaws, still reads almost like a novel.

[Olivier Mok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth a read purely for the ridiculous (yet true) storyline - multiple themes around wealth inequality that the modern progressive can empathise with, however also a view into the developmental effects inflicted on a child growing up with two psychologically ill parents

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book about a young man who believed he was doing "good", by robbing banks, and "giving money to the poor?". I couldn't help think of the book The Feather Thief that I so enjoyed and thought I would enjoy this also. However, this was rather boring. The writing as well, was certainly not like the other author. Just didn't work for me.

[3 no 7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Unusual Suspect “is the true-crime saga of Stephen Jackley. His life and wrongdoings are definitely strange, sad, and yet somehow exhilarating. Stephen Jackley is about as far from a typical bank robber as one could get. He decided that the world was not fair and that he could make a difference by robbing banks, a modern Robin Hood. He even left behind mementoes, coins with a scratch mark or banknotes marked with “RH.” He thought robbing banks would work, so that was what he did. Jackley might have been naïve, but he was not stupid; he was confident and resourceful.

Machell takes readers into Jackley’s world via his personal journals; Jackley wrote down everything, his adolescence, his crimes, his time in jail. He documented his thoughts, his accomplishments, and his plans. This provides readers with an interesting insight into his thinking, his world, and his motivation. Jackley evolves as a complicated figure with undiagnosed Asperger syndrome. However, he was not “let down” by the system; it is not society’s fault that he committed crimes. He just decided, on his own, to rob banks.

I do not read many “true crime” accounts. Non-fiction authors are not supposed to “make stuff up” to create suspense and drama; therefore, many tend to be predictable and sometimes tedious. That is certainly not the case with “The Unusual Suspect.” I found the book interesting, thought provoking, and even compelling, as I read of Jackley’s escapades, his duty to rob banks for some greater good, and his ability to get away with it for so long. I received a review copy of “The Unusual Suspect” from Ben Machell, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books. It should definitely be on the “read next” list for all readers, fans of true crime or not.

#TrueCrime #BenMachell #ModernRobinHood

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine someone who has no criminal history deciding after a trip to Thailand and Cambodia and seeing what it really means to be poor. Stephen Jackley decides he will start an NGO to fund hospitals, schools and scholarships for the global poor. He plans on starting this with seed money from robbing banks. Stephen Jackley is an early 20's English gentleman who comes from a difficult household his mother was suffering from schizophrenia and was in and out of institutions and a father who suffered from depression. Stephen will find out later in life that he probably suffers from Asperger Syndrome. Is family does not socialize with people and Stephen has very few friends and he does deal well with people in general. He loses hope in society and figures mankind and capitalism are going to leads to mans ruin and destroying the environment . Stephen himself came from a poor family but until his trips to Thailand and Cambodia did not understand what poor really was. This also coincided and reinforced his thoughts in 2007 and 2008 when the housing bubble burst and financial systems around the world where starting to collapse all because of the subprime lending. Stephen justifies his action by figuring that if the banks were taking money from people that he could be a modern day Robin Hood and steal money from the banks. But to understand what kind of bank robber he was consider that he got nervous talking to people so he had to wrap a piece of paper around his gun to remind himself of phrases to tell people during the robberies. This is an interesting read. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

[Brian Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very interesting story marred by bad storytelling. Rather than lay out the story, rhe author spent too much time on flashbacks, flashforwards and I think even a flash sideways at a few points. The entire in depth anylsis of the economic crisis was way too deep... No matter how much it effected the main story. Such little time was given to actual events I was left wondering if the author knew the facts or just heard about them from someone else. (though he does write about interviewing Stephen Jackley often, and having access to his journels.

In the epiloge (why not another chapter since the story is still going on?) the author spends so much time on the wrongness of Jackleys jail time due to his Aspergers that I openly chuckled when he stated "this isn't intended as a book with a messge."

I hope I can find a good documentary to fill in a lot of gaps in this tale.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Jackley had a difficult start in life. His parents met on a psychiatric ward and probably both through inherited genes and his parents Bizarre behaviour patterns he grew up on the fringes of society. He becomes obsessed with the gap between rich and poor and the political injustices of banks creating money from thin air, whilst people were homeless and begging on the streets. He sees this in the town where he lives, but is really pushed over the edge when he starts to travel the world and sees extreme poverty in places like Thailand and witnesses Western holiday makers touring these areas with little interest or compassion. It is hardly surprising then, that in his mind he justifies taking money from the haves to give to the have-nots. However his empathy is single minded and he does not consider the consequences to the people he holds at knife and gunpoint whilst robbing banks and betting shops. This really was a fascinating look into a very disturbed and misunderstood young man.

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book description would have you believe that this was the story of a modern day Robin Hood that somehow involved the ’08 financial crisis, yet the audiobook really just boils down to a story of a lost asocial and autistic young man brought up by equally damaged parents who concocted a paranoid narrative about right and wrong and acted on these mistaken beliefs by scaring the wits out of some small town bank tellers. I kept waiting for Mitchell’s story to have some more significance but it was just a sad tale all the way through.

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really thought I would have liked this book but I didn’t. I found it rather dull and boring. The story itself is pretty interesting but the way it’s written drags it out and makes what should be a riveting read a bit of a snooze fest.

[Alba Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is the strokes of a keyboard which dictates society. From the regulation of power to the electronic translating of funds, money is the idol of modern society, the god that constricts each person and the prison which prevents human advancement. Humans constantly strive against one another and furthermore domineer over the rest of nature. A species of such power will ultimately use it unwisely, to the extent that it destroys itself.” - from the journal of Stephen Jackley, while sitting in Lake Tahoe in NZ.

Four days later, he made his first entry proposing stealing money from a bank or some other financial institution….it does not mean it was inevitable, but the seed was planted.”

The Unusual Suspect is an interesting but sad read. It is the story of Stephen Jackley, a young and misguided British student who came from a broken and troubled home, who later adopted a Robin Hood persona in order to justify his bank robbing. Stephen’s parents met on the psych ward. Both of them had serious mental illness and were simply not adapted to raising a child. As a result, Stephen grew up in almost total isolation in a council flat in a small town.

Later diagnosed with Asberger’s, he changed schools often and only really ever had one long-term friend. He developed certain ideas about the world, focussing on the injustices of it, in particular, how corporations and banks were ruining everything. This was exacerbated after a trip to East Asia. Struggling to connect or sympathise with others and often becoming obsessive about his ideas, he started a series of small time “note job” bank robberies and robbing betting shops in small British towns, with the idea that he’d steal 100k in order to start a charity to help poor people.

However in the end, he wasn't a terribly adept bank robber as only about half of his attempts ended in successes. He was even worse at budgeting - he ended up spending his money on travel and equipment instead of the intended charitable organisation. He was good at getting away, but not so good at figuring out what would actually work (he thought tin foil would disguise a gun in an airport scanner, and thought a great red beard would be a good disguise and help him blend in; neither did).

It might sound like the unlikely plot of a modern thriller but it’s all true. Stephen was an obsessive diary writer, and he kept extensive notes on almost everything he ever thought, did, visited, met and robbed. Journalist Ben Machell grew interested in Stephen’s tale and intended to interview him for a story which later developed into a true crime book.

I think the story is fascinating and in some ways, I actually could follow Stephen’s logic. I even could admit that some of the things he thought, some of the things that frustrated him, were things that frustrate me too. It seems like a stretch to then start robbing banks, but then, I guess that is what a combination of social isolation, poor parenting, and undiagnosed Asperger’s can do.

The childhood section, particularly his parents, was a bit hard to read. His father was a particularly bad influence and really should not have been a parent. He was violent, manipulative, controlling and enjoyed taking advantage of the fact that his wife was mentally ill to further control her. His mother seems like a nice person but her severe mental illness, regular psych ward stays and heavy medication made her unable to offer what most people would consider the “normal” maternal care. In actual fact, these two people should probably not have embarked on parenthood as neither was really suited to it.

What I liked:
- The story was really fascinating, and the fact that it is true made it even more compelling. I couldn’t get enough of the details of how he robbed the banks, how he got away, what his thought processes were, how the police searched for him in Project Gandalf (actual code name for him!). I was so interested in learning about it, and was shocked (and not shocked at the same time) at his experience in the US penitentiary. Esp compared to European jails.
- The behind-the-scenes detailed look at what it means to live (and often struggle) with the various forces Stephen grappled with, including Aspergers and social exclusion. This is not a subject I know much about and it was tragic but also interesting to learn more about what living with Asbergers means, esp for a young lad with no real support system. Thew welfare system failed him and his family - he clearly had issues, but though he was seen by state mental health “experts,” it wasn’t until his capture and he saw another expert that he was diagnosed. He seemed relieved by the diagnosis as it helped explain to him why he was how he was - perhaps an earlier diagnosis might have helped bring him some catharsis earlier on and he might have avoided crime.
- The excerpts from Stephen’s diaries that helped bring the man into his own story. I didn’t like the poems as much (they weren’t to my taste) but still nice to include them. I liked the word for word diary copies as it felt truer to what Stephen’s thought processes actually were.

What I didn’t like:
- Ben Machell is very preachy. At the end, he says “he isn’t telling a story with an agenda” but then goes on a 10 minute long rant about how Stephen might have avoided a life of crime if he’d had more social exposure and was less excluded.
- The bias. I think Machell thought he was being unbiased, and tacked on a few “and sure yes Stephen did some bad things, he knows that now, plus society I s bad and lots of people know that now too” at the end. But throughout the book, the tone and voice used really tried (maybe unconsciously) to make Stephen sound like a misguided hero wrongly outcased by society. He said a few times he wasn’t excusing Stephen’s behaviour, but the bulk of the book feels very much on Stephen’s side, taking away the blame, and in some cases, justifying his actions. At least the tone always felt a bit justifying his actions.
- The voice used for Stephen’s interviews always made him seem confused about his past actions, as if he didn’t understand them then, but he does now that he’s in jail.
- The epilogue. It wasn’t an epilogue! It was just the last chapter, talking about Stephen’s sentencing, appeals and eventual release.
- The audiobook wasn’t well recorded. First time this has happened to me, but it was like they recorded the book using 2 different microphones or maybe in 2 different rooms. It kept going back and forth between how the recording sounded, sometimes switched after a few lines, sometimes several minutes. I got used to it, but it was a little jarring at first. Maybe it was done on a budget? Or part of the recordings were lost and had to be re-recorded later on? Dunno. Like I said, first time this happened to me. Still enjoyed it though!
-

What I’m not sure about:
- The nonlinear way of telling the tale. He starts in media res with Stephen escaping a robbery and giving money to a homeless man. Throughout the book, he goes back and forth in time. And it’s not even a system where he goes back and forth between his crimes and interviews in jail upon capture, with the dual timelines then going in a linear fashion. Nah, Machell jumps around in the story, making it difficult to remember in what order things happened. I enjoyed listening to the book at the time, but looking back, maybe a linear or dual-timeline-linear option would’ve been better.

Overall, it was a very interesting story, I just think it might have benefited from perhaps a different (more experienced true crime?) writer or stricter editing. But I still couldn’t get enough of the tale, and would recommend the book for the story alone!

TW: Lots about mental illness - Asbergers, depression, and schizophrenia - violence including armed bank robbery and prison violence

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen is an extremely unique person with a wild life-story, it was fascinating to read about how he grappled with his crippling loneliness, mental illness and desire to change the world. I'm unsure how to feel about him as his crimes are reprehensible but the combination of aspergers and being so alone that he disconnected himself from the world and it's expectations go some way to explaining his behaviour.

Especially after a tough childhood with two unstable parents that were unable to help him develop into a normal and functioning adult. You feel if Stephen had someone he could have turned to like a reliable parent then maybe his life would have gone down a much different path.

Read this in 1 day and couldn't put it down. I rated this 5* and I'm realising that I'm maybe too generous with my reviews but if I read a book in a day, can't put it down and hugely enjoy it then 5* feels justified?

[Dan Dundon · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Unusual Suspect” is definitely unusual. I’m not exactly sure what prompted Ben Machell to write this book. Near the end he admits “this is not a book with a message.” After telling the story of a modern-day Robin Hood – Stephen Jackley and his Asperger’s Syndrome - the author tells readers that we all have a responsibility to understand and accept the reality of the different conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and social phobias. That sounds a bit like a message to me, one that the book should more boldly proclaim.
Nevertheless, this is a compelling book about someone struggling with Asperger’s and illustrates just how little we know about the condition or how to treat it.
One other recommendation I would make, would be to tell the story chronologically. I found it distracting when the author shifted back and forth between Stephen’s time robbing banks and his treatment in various jails and prisons after he was caught.

[Carolyn Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Ben Machell interviewed unlikely bank robber Stephen Mackley for a feature and knew within minutes that he had to write this book about him. Stephen, the son of parents who met in a psychiatric ward, and who himself had Aspergers (which remained undiagnosed until he was in prison), is a interesting and complicated character, with obsessive moral codes that make logical sense to him but don't stand up to strict scrutiny. A lonely, skinny, geography student, with poor social skills, he believed himself to be a modern-day Robin Hood, holding up banks and betting shops and 'giving' (some) of the proceeds to the poor. He's partly an incredibly organised and clever criminal, and part a bumbling amateur who was bound to be caught. How he got to be incarcerated - and some of the places he was locked up in - is an incredible story, told here with skill.

[Matt Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had all the promise, and had some great reviews... but I just felt a little let down with the story.

A book like this - you would expect some serious highs and serious lows. A whirlwind of the life of the main character/person. But it just fell so short of fantastic that it became somewhat mundane. The constant rehashing of the mental illness of the main character and his family overwhelmed the 'juicy' bits that I would assume most people would be buying this book for.

Whilst the story had serious undertones, and should be talked about, the constant going over the same subject probably could have been cut to 50%.

Ben is a great writer however, and all in all it's an ok read if you have the time. But do not expect the fanfair of other true crime books.

[Possum Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite book I’ve ever read.

Beyond the title and what you would expect from the book, I found this book to be very multi-dimensional. There are so many different sub-plots and other ideas that you get wrapped up in before the author brings you back to Earth and you continue with your main story. This book forced me to look inward, it can be very relatable to anyone who identifies as neurodivergent.

I’ve always been obsessed with bank robberies, which is why I grabbed the book, but I’m not even sure if that is the main thing I take away with me after reading.

Just a wonderful book about life, society, social interaction, nature, compassion, and much more!!

Fantastic book.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raised by parents who met in a psych ward, Stephen’s life was destined to be anything but normal. But who would have thought that Stephen, a shy, mild-mannered university geography student, would become a modern-day Robin Hood? Robbing banks internationally to help the homeless? He was truly The Unusual Suspect.

The book reads like a fictional thriller. And I mean that in the best way. By the end, the reader empathizes with Stephen’s ideas about changing the world though, of course, not with his methods. The Unusual Suspect is an unusual book well worth reading. 4 stars!

Thanks to Ballantine Books, Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way this book is written it really feels like a fiction story and not a true crime story. It was interesting to read the style with back and forth and a less technical feel than most nonfiction books have. The author does a great job of setting the stage and then creating a story around that basic plot point. I thought it was interesting not to have a bibliography or similar notes.

One ironic aspect was having the local county correctional facility mentioned as one of the locations that the outlaw was held in for a few months. I knew that the correctional facility did accept Federal criminals as a way to feel space, but it was just interesting to read.

[Kate (kate_reads_)]

DNF at 16%. I was so drawn in by the synopsis - how had I not heard of this before? A college student in England started robbing banks to become a modern day Robin Hood - stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. And he was getting away with it - ten robberies over 6 months and when he was finally caught it took multiple investigative agencies.

This is really interesting to me and I think I would have loved reading a long article about it but in the book it’s more detail than I need.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

[Jessica Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating moral tale. This book truly made me think - with each page I understood exactly Stephens though process and his motives, as Matchell so elegantly wove the discontent with the banking system in the tale , but also felt the pull of morality, especially with the victim statements included. I felt deeply sorry for Stephen and with each one of his robberies I was more and more on the edge of my seat wondering is this the one where he’ll get caught? It’s an interesting read which I flew though in a couple of days and would recommend anybody who enjoys thrillers or real life crime stories.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little hesitant to read this book. True crime is not really a genre I normally like to read. However, due to a challenge to read a true crime novel during the month of October I picked up this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself very interested in the background and psychology behind why Stephen Jackley felt he needed to do the things he did. The book itself was well written and an intelligent coverage of Stephen Jackley's life and crime. That being said, the way the author chose to jump back and forth within the main character's timeline was somewhat confusing at times.

[Cathy Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a record of the criminal activities of a young man, Stephen Jackley. It reads like an extended piece of investigative journalism. I rhought the blurb and cover of the book somewhat overstated Jackley’s criminality. I started off the book thinking I was going to read about some daring, high stakes heists carried out by an ordinary young British student. In reality he robbed a couple of banks and a couple of bookmakers, not particularly successfully. However, that doesn’t make it any of a less interesting read, just slightly different from what I was expecting.

[Rachna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a true crime book which takes a more psychological and biographical look at the person who committed the crime rather than a book about the crime itself. The book details the life of Stephen Jackley, who decided to become a modern-day Robin Hood. He stole from banks and gave the money to the poor. His plan worked for a while till a simple mistake put him behind bars. It also gives a peek at prison conditions and is a good reminder of how mental health needs to be taken more seriously by society as a whole.

[Hildie Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was slow, plodding, repetitive at times, and moralizing. Toward the end of the book, he literally writes "This is not a book with a message." And then proceeds to present messages about Autism, Climate change, and injustice. This was not needed as the book fully covered all of those thoughts. I was expecting a more exciting book, but if you're looking for a thriller, skip this - it was boring and really not a story of the crimes committed, but the "crimes" against the perpetrator because of his upbringing and condition. Not worth my time or yours to read this!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is well written, easy to read, and quite empathic. I found the story behind Stephen Jackley's motivation rather inspirational. I was concerned about how Asperger's was spoken about a couple of times, and would be interested in further opinion on that from the autistic community. Regardless, to me personally it was very good to see representation of an autistic working class person, which I see very little of.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read of you like nonfiction and character studies. It's a deep dive into an interesting and complicated college student who wanted to be the next Robim Hood. But don't expect it to be a true crime book. The crime is a small part. In fact, my one complaint with the book is that the character isn't important enough for am entire book -- he only robbed five places for a total of £13,000, all in about a year. Still, it kept me entertained and turning the pages.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting story! I often have mixed feelings about hearing the perspective of criminals - especially when it is by them and designed to almost justify their decisions. This is not one of those books. This is a critical but empathetic examination of a really atypical crook. A college kid that wanted to be Robin Hood, but ended up in a bit of a mess.

Not a bad read and a great pick for our April virtual book club theme of true crime.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a true story about a British youth who commits a string of bank robberies as part of a misguided belief that he was taking from the rich financial system and aimed to put it into the hands of everyday people impacted by those social systems.

Something I did find interesting was the explanation of how the global financial crisis happened. There was a lot of information in there that I was unaware of.

I did struggle a bit with how the book jumped around.

[Imogen Hodges · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars
Was an interesting read and Stephen was an unlikely criminal and had flawed thinking - the author acknowledged at the end that some aspects are only from Stephens knowledge so it cannot all be confirmed as the truth. Good insight into how someone diagnosed with Asperger felt in the prison systems and how the USA prison system viewed it. The timeline did jump around and was not always linear.

[James R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but an interesting story about a unique type of criminal. Rather than a fun investigation into a quirky criminal, its more an exploration of how undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome combined with other factors to push a man towards attempting to become a modern-day Robin Hood. My only quibble is that the timeline jumped about too much, which broke up the flow.