Illegal Tender

This is a fast-paced tale that centres around a British cash-in-transit (armoured car) company whose Slough operation becomes the target of a gang of skilled robbers. The story opens with a very violent armed robbery against a cash-in-transit van that is returning to base after a routine Monday morning schedule. The planning and execution are vividly described and provide an insight into the two primary criminals, their personalities, backgrounds, and modus operandi.

Six months later, the same gang carries off a very clever and professional robbery of a cash-in-transit branch in Slough managed by the same company. They escape with a record amount of British pounds, US dollars and euros as well as a consignment of diamonds.

As in the case of the first attack, the second robbery appears to have been pulled off with exemplary planning, precision and inside knowledge. Evidence and leads with which the police can pursue their investigation are almost non-existent, but the probability of an "insider" within the CIT company's hierarchy emerges and everyone involved believes they are dealing with an organised crime syndicate.

The responsibility for the criminal investigation into both attacks, lands in the lap of the Slough police and the CIO and his team pursue numerous leads and sub-stories throughout the tale that ultimately lead to the arrest and conviction of the two main conspirators but not without the delayed assistance of an insurance investigator, Samantha Kelly.

Sam is an attractive and wily insurance underwriter working for a Lloyds syndicate in London who oversees the CIT company's risk portfolio. The magnitude of the loss places undue pressure on the insurance syndicate and Sam decides that an extraordinary effort needs to be made to recover as much of the loss as possible. The best chance of her recovering the stolen goods lies in her ability to befriend the suspected "insider" and she keeps her activities secret from the police until much later when it suits her ultimate objective to divulge all.

She takes advantage of a romantic opportunity that takes her on a dangerous journey of events that unfold in the Netherlands, France and Jersey.

The story ends with considerable success on the part of the police with the final arrest of the remaining criminals at large, at which point a twist in the tale provides for an unexpected ending.