I think we all need to start off by giving a round of applause to Professor Jon Beasley-Murray for making this book a required reading because IT WAS FIREEEEEE. I know everyone is raving about how they loved this book and just the whole crime genre in general which I love to hear because crime, both true and fictitious, is genuinely one of my favourite genres of all time; Of course, still behind murder mystery though. The genre of crime, no matter the form it comes in (whether it be written, audible, or visual), it does not matter A BIT because I will be consuming it no matter what. And that says a lot because I am not a big reader.

Anyway, let’s actually get into the book at hand because there is so much to be talked about here!! The novel we all read this week was none other than the fabulous Money to Burn by Ricardo Piglia and WOWWWWW. The book is based on a real robbery that took place in Argentina in late 1965. After successfully carrying out a heist and securing around $7’000’000 Argentine pesos, the crew of vigilantes fled from Buenos Aires where the robbery took place, to Montevideo, Uruguay. The central characters of Money to Burn are introduced to be Dorda, Brignone (also known as “Kid” and who is also portrayed as having a relationship with Dorde and together being known as “The Twins”), Malito, and Mereles. Once in Uruguay, the crew hides out for several weeks while the police back in Buenos Aires prepare to hunt them down. This police department is led by the corrupt commissioner Silva who is VERY determined to find and identify the thieves. After receiving a tip, the police make their way to the crew of robbers hide-out, all of whom have been binging drugs since they arrived, and the shoot-out begins. Understanding their fate, the men decide to burn the stolen money as their last “fuck-you” to the obviously the police but, more broadly, the world.

In most true crime texts, the perspective and humanization of victims is prioritized, which is  needed is most cases since they are often blamed or just presented as a number or statistic. In some cases, crime fiction loves to play devils advocate a put us in the shoes of the “bad” or the “criminal”, and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting. The backstory to the crew of robbers added a new perspective and made thr story so much more than just another armoured car robbery. Although I understand the controversy surrounding it, I found it so interesting that Piglia took inspiration from a real story and invested so much time and research into it for his novel.

Question for this week: Did anyone else also get reminded of the movie Reservoir Dogs??? because He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was definitely heavily inspired by this Money to Burn or its film adaptation. I haven’t seen that movie in agesssss but, from what I remember, the vibe is very similar (almost).