In his book, THE USUAL SUSPECT, Ben Machell covers the life and times of a very young English bank robber who considers himself a modern day Robin Hood. Stephen Jackley was reared in a small town on the South Devon coast by a mother and father who both suffered from mental health issues. Stephen found social situations challenging at best and had few friends. He viewed large corporations and banks as the public enemy. Thus, he did not see his bank robberies as wrong, but rather as a means of justice for the common man.
Prior to reading THE USUAL SUSPECT, I had no knowledge of Stephen Jackley or his bank robbery spree. I found Ben Machell's book to be very interesting and detailed. It is obvious that Machell did a large amount of research. He does an excellent job presenting the story from Stephen’s point of view. The book read as a documentary, which works well.
The time jumps were a little awkward for me and left me confused for a few pages more than once. I also found the segments on the financial crisis occurring at the time a bit too detailed and a little mundane.
Overall, though, I found the book to be entertaining and well written. Because of the use of profanity, I would only recommend this book for adult readers. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy true crime.
No excerpt available.
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