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The Heist
After a vicious robbery at a theme park, callous gang leader, Greg Armstrong blows up a rollercoaster to aid their escape, resulting in eighty-seven deaths. Months later, Kurt Vaughn and his family are enjoying a day out geocaching, but Kurt is about to discover that there’s more to the treasure hunt than he realises as the caches supposedly lead to the stolen money, and the crooks are on the trail. Now Kurt and his family find themselves pawns in a far more deadly game.
Novella approximately 24k words.
(For all budding sleuths or those who like puzzles, there's a puzzle at the end of the story that if you can work it out, gives you details of a webpage where you can play a mini, interactive text adventure. It ideally requires a Java enabled web browser for one part, although it will work without.)
Novella approximately 24k words.
(For all budding sleuths or those who like puzzles, there's a puzzle at the end of the story that if you can work it out, gives you details of a webpage where you can play a mini, interactive text adventure. It ideally requires a Java enabled web browser for one part, although it will work without.)
- GenresBook ClubShort Stories
Paperback
First published February 6, 2013
3 people are currently reading
436 people want to read
About the author
Shaun Jeffrey
26 books181 followersShaun Jeffrey was brought up in a house in a cemetery, so it was only natural for his prose to stray towards the dark side when he started writing. He has had five novels published, The Kult, Killers, Evilution, Fangtooth and Deadfall, and one collection of short stories, Voyeurs of Death. He has also had over 40 short stories published in places such as Dark Discoveries and Cemetery Dance. His novel The Kult was optioned for film.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 19, 2013
A thrilling short story that you will not want to put down. Kurt had planned a fun afternoon for his family but someone else is pulling the strings and the afternoon doesn't turn out quite like Kurt had planned. It is not long before Shaun has your heart rate soaring as you fervently hope that Kurt and his family make it back home.
A very fast paced short story that is absolutely worth the time to read.
A very fast paced short story that is absolutely worth the time to read.
May 5, 2013
An armed gang robs a theme park of its takings - £4m. To cover their escape the gang leader and mastermind, Greg Armstrong, blows up a rollercoaster killing and maiming many innocent bystanders.
Months later the gang are still at large. The police office leading the investigation, Kurt Vaughan, is out on a geocaching treasure hunt with his family. Suddenly the fun turns to terror as the crooks and Kurt are thrown into a deadly game.
I recently reviewed Day by Day by the same author. This is a very different story, a true thriller. It was enjoyable and, at times, adrenaline pumping. However, for me it suffered from the same issue – it’s slightly too short to properly develop the underlying premise. I’ll come back to that.
The novella opens with the heist itself. It’s well done. The protagonist Armstrong is a brutal and believable character. The gang agrees that they’ll get back together to divide up the loot at a time in the future.
Jump forward a few months and we meet Kurt Vaughan who’s in the woods with his family undertaking a leisure pastime with his family called geocaching. It’s a total change in pace and setting. Unfortunately I’d never heard of geocaching previously so didn’t know what it was – basically clues are hidden in capsules leading to an ultimate prize.
The author didn’t explain who Kurt was until the gang members turn up in the same location. It’s an interesting premise, throwing two opposing teams against each other for the ultimate benefit of the puppet master, but I struggled with an issue of show versus tell here and Kurt’s character didn’t quite mesh with him being a policeman in ‘real’ life. However once the new premise settled down it was well written with a good element of tension.
This show versus tell also occurs at the conclusion when there’s some explanation as to a character’s motivation – I’d have liked to have seen this drawn out in the narrative instead, but it works reasonably well. However this is a personal view and may not bother the vast majority of readers.
To follow the geocaching theme there’s a puzzle at the end of the novella for the reader to solve which apparently takes you to a website. A nice bit of fun.
All in all an enjoyable, well written read but would have benefited from another few thousand words.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
Months later the gang are still at large. The police office leading the investigation, Kurt Vaughan, is out on a geocaching treasure hunt with his family. Suddenly the fun turns to terror as the crooks and Kurt are thrown into a deadly game.
I recently reviewed Day by Day by the same author. This is a very different story, a true thriller. It was enjoyable and, at times, adrenaline pumping. However, for me it suffered from the same issue – it’s slightly too short to properly develop the underlying premise. I’ll come back to that.
The novella opens with the heist itself. It’s well done. The protagonist Armstrong is a brutal and believable character. The gang agrees that they’ll get back together to divide up the loot at a time in the future.
Jump forward a few months and we meet Kurt Vaughan who’s in the woods with his family undertaking a leisure pastime with his family called geocaching. It’s a total change in pace and setting. Unfortunately I’d never heard of geocaching previously so didn’t know what it was – basically clues are hidden in capsules leading to an ultimate prize.
The author didn’t explain who Kurt was until the gang members turn up in the same location. It’s an interesting premise, throwing two opposing teams against each other for the ultimate benefit of the puppet master, but I struggled with an issue of show versus tell here and Kurt’s character didn’t quite mesh with him being a policeman in ‘real’ life. However once the new premise settled down it was well written with a good element of tension.
This show versus tell also occurs at the conclusion when there’s some explanation as to a character’s motivation – I’d have liked to have seen this drawn out in the narrative instead, but it works reasonably well. However this is a personal view and may not bother the vast majority of readers.
To follow the geocaching theme there’s a puzzle at the end of the novella for the reader to solve which apparently takes you to a website. A nice bit of fun.
All in all an enjoyable, well written read but would have benefited from another few thousand words.
**Originally reviewed for Books and Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
March 3, 2013
Armstrong is the leader of a gang; criminals who rob an amusement park of its weekend takings. The plan is executed to perfection, right down to the distraction--blowing up a rollercoaster ride that results in the deaths of 87 men, women, and children. Armstrong has hidden the loot but he's not telling his gang where it is. They have to find it, and now they're treasure hunting. Kurt Vaughn is out with his wife and young son, geocaching, using clues to find hidden treasure. Only the treasure he's hunting today isn't what he normally looks for. It's no longer a game, things have become deadly, and Armstrong is making the rules. His gang and Vaughn's family have become the pawns in his game, and there can only be one winner.
The Heist, by Shaun Jeffrey, is a fast-paced crime thriller, filled with clues that lead everyone on a wild goose chase. The prose is tight yet flowing, as one would expect from Jeffrey, and although the novella is a quick read it doesn't leave any stone unturned. There are a few minor twists along the way, and as the chase nears its climax Vaughn must decide who he can and cannot trust. With your life on the line risks have to be taken.
A writer of horror and gore, Jeffrey has taken to writing crime thrillers like a duck to water, as is emphasized by his Prosper Snow novels, and The Heist is no exception. A worthy read.
But the game doesn't stop with the final turn of the page. There is a clue at the end of The Heist that will lead the reader on a further hunt for clues.
The Heist, by Shaun Jeffrey, is a fast-paced crime thriller, filled with clues that lead everyone on a wild goose chase. The prose is tight yet flowing, as one would expect from Jeffrey, and although the novella is a quick read it doesn't leave any stone unturned. There are a few minor twists along the way, and as the chase nears its climax Vaughn must decide who he can and cannot trust. With your life on the line risks have to be taken.
A writer of horror and gore, Jeffrey has taken to writing crime thrillers like a duck to water, as is emphasized by his Prosper Snow novels, and The Heist is no exception. A worthy read.
But the game doesn't stop with the final turn of the page. There is a clue at the end of The Heist that will lead the reader on a further hunt for clues.
September 5, 2013
Remember, “It’s all in the planing” and The Heist proved to be just the right pace and and length for a tense, quick read. Starts with a bang – check. Introduces you to a world you might not know about (that of Geocacheing) – check. Protagonists and their plight that you don’t have trouble relating to – check. Puzzles and a twist or two (and not exactly where you’d expect) – check.
I believe that this was a good introduction to Mr. Jeffery and would liken it to him singing a Capella, in that he seems to mostly write paranormal. But I am heartened to read what he can do with normal down to earth stresses on a good family and The Heist proves to me that he doesn’t need smoke and mirrors. I’ll move on to his book of shorts ‘The Mutilation Machination’ soon and tell you about it soon.
All in all a clever play on keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.
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What does Pappa Think?Image of Shaun Jeffrey
Pappa gives The Heist 3 cookies and a glass of milk.
February 22, 2013
I just started geocaching myself - that is, I just started the hobby of geocaching, not putting myself into a geocache - anyway, I just started geocaching when I got a great book recommendation featuring geocaching as a major plot point so I thought I'd give it a whirl.
This was a fun story of a robbery that goes not quite as planned, and leads the partners-in-crime on a geocaching trek to recover their ill-gotten gains. The book has fun cyphers that are not too terribly hard, and which the characters must work through to move on. At the end of the book, there is another puzzle that apparently continues the story in a non-narrative fashion.
I'm not sure this counts as a trans-media book, but it kinda felt like it. I only wish the story were a little bit longer. It did feel hurried in some places, but it's a very fast-paced story that takes place over a couple of hours. This was a really fun read.
This was a fun story of a robbery that goes not quite as planned, and leads the partners-in-crime on a geocaching trek to recover their ill-gotten gains. The book has fun cyphers that are not too terribly hard, and which the characters must work through to move on. At the end of the book, there is another puzzle that apparently continues the story in a non-narrative fashion.
I'm not sure this counts as a trans-media book, but it kinda felt like it. I only wish the story were a little bit longer. It did feel hurried in some places, but it's a very fast-paced story that takes place over a couple of hours. This was a really fun read.
February 18, 2013
I'm not usually one to buy novellas, but I bought this as soon as I heard it had been released, after thoroughly enjoying other work by this author.
I originally planned to read this in a couple of weeks, as I already have a huge "to be read" list, but I just couldn't wait! Especially with knowing the high quality of writing that the author has produced in all his other work.
I wasn't disappointed! With an explosive start, a fast-paced story line, believable and nicely rounded characters, and a little geocaching thrown into the mix, this is one novella I couldn't put down!
Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a piece of good quality writing, but who don't have much time to read. Impossible to put down!
Also, the web-based puzzles featured online (the link is at the end of the novella) was brilliant! Hard enough to keep you interested, but not so hard that they are impossible! Fantastic!
I originally planned to read this in a couple of weeks, as I already have a huge "to be read" list, but I just couldn't wait! Especially with knowing the high quality of writing that the author has produced in all his other work.
I wasn't disappointed! With an explosive start, a fast-paced story line, believable and nicely rounded characters, and a little geocaching thrown into the mix, this is one novella I couldn't put down!
Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a piece of good quality writing, but who don't have much time to read. Impossible to put down!
Also, the web-based puzzles featured online (the link is at the end of the novella) was brilliant! Hard enough to keep you interested, but not so hard that they are impossible! Fantastic!
February 22, 2013
Shaun has the great ability to make whatever he writes come alive on the page, almost making it into a visual experience. In this respect, The Heist was like watching a really good drama program. The characters seemed very real, and my heart went out to the protagonist and his family as a fun day out geocaching soon had them embroiled in a sinister plot that had them running for their lives.
As the story concerns geocaching, which is like a treasure hunting game with GPS, it comes as no surprise that Shaun has incorporated a number of puzzles in the story that the reader can work out, but then when you think it’s all over, he added an extra twist at the end of the book in the form of a puzzle that leads to a webpage. From there you can follow the clues to continue the story via an interactive text based adventure. The puzzles are hard enough to keep you guessing, but not so hard that you can’t work them out. Brilliant fun.
As the story concerns geocaching, which is like a treasure hunting game with GPS, it comes as no surprise that Shaun has incorporated a number of puzzles in the story that the reader can work out, but then when you think it’s all over, he added an extra twist at the end of the book in the form of a puzzle that leads to a webpage. From there you can follow the clues to continue the story via an interactive text based adventure. The puzzles are hard enough to keep you guessing, but not so hard that you can’t work them out. Brilliant fun.
March 5, 2013
I am not really a fan of shorter stories myself, but I do like this author's style so I thought I'd give it a go. It is a quick easy read, plenty of action and adventure and quite a few "ooo" moments! There are puzzles throughout the book for the characters to solve but they also worth having a go at yourself too. I found that trying them myself (with variable success!) brought me closer to the action and characters.
The characterisation is good too, something that is often lacking in shorter stories, but here you do get a good feel for them and they certainly made me care/angry/dislike etc etc..
There is also a fair bit of description in the book too, as well as an explanation of the whole geocaching thing but again, this slips in seamlessly alongside the story.
And then, when you have finished the story, the fun doesn't stop. There is a series of puzzles for you to solve yourself... can't get better than that!
The characterisation is good too, something that is often lacking in shorter stories, but here you do get a good feel for them and they certainly made me care/angry/dislike etc etc..
There is also a fair bit of description in the book too, as well as an explanation of the whole geocaching thing but again, this slips in seamlessly alongside the story.
And then, when you have finished the story, the fun doesn't stop. There is a series of puzzles for you to solve yourself... can't get better than that!
February 14, 2013
The police hadn’t got a clue and neither will you...
The head of an armed gang leads his former accomplices and the investigating detective and his family in a game of treasure hunting to find the missing money. What starts out as family day out geocaching sets up a bloody confrontation.
This crime novella had plenty of twists. Shaun has used a number of puzzles in the book; substitution cipher, crossword puzzle and Windings for the protagonists to solve. At the end of the book is a picture puzzle for you to solve that goes to a web page, where there are further clues. Great fun!
p.s. if you are interested in cryptography I would strongly recommend The Code Book: The History of Codes and Code-breaking by Simon Singh
The head of an armed gang leads his former accomplices and the investigating detective and his family in a game of treasure hunting to find the missing money. What starts out as family day out geocaching sets up a bloody confrontation.
This crime novella had plenty of twists. Shaun has used a number of puzzles in the book; substitution cipher, crossword puzzle and Windings for the protagonists to solve. At the end of the book is a picture puzzle for you to solve that goes to a web page, where there are further clues. Great fun!
p.s. if you are interested in cryptography I would strongly recommend The Code Book: The History of Codes and Code-breaking by Simon Singh
May 22, 2013
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a review.
I totally loved this book, loved the theme, especially as I'm a huge geocaching fan and really enjoyed the interactivity within the story. Despite this being short I was interested right away and kept wanting to turn the pages.
I also didn't notice a single mistake anywhere which has got to be something quite spectacular these days, in both traditional and indie books. I think it's been well over a year since I read a book and didn't notice anything wrong.
One of my favourites this year and definitely one I will be telling my friends about, especially the ones who also like to geocache.
I totally loved this book, loved the theme, especially as I'm a huge geocaching fan and really enjoyed the interactivity within the story. Despite this being short I was interested right away and kept wanting to turn the pages.
I also didn't notice a single mistake anywhere which has got to be something quite spectacular these days, in both traditional and indie books. I think it's been well over a year since I read a book and didn't notice anything wrong.
One of my favourites this year and definitely one I will be telling my friends about, especially the ones who also like to geocache.
March 10, 2013
I will not review til I complete the puzzle. On another note I want to go geocaching now I know what it is. Fortunately no one wants to kill me (I don't think) so I will be safe.
Ok, ok, the answer to the puzzle was given to me, so I failed: no money for me.
Now the novella; it was a page-turner and a plot for a short that I wouldn't have thought could be used as a short, but it worked really well. This shows what a good writer can do. Just enough characters, and twists, and a unique end. Well done!
Ok, ok, the answer to the puzzle was given to me, so I failed: no money for me.
Now the novella; it was a page-turner and a plot for a short that I wouldn't have thought could be used as a short, but it worked really well. This shows what a good writer can do. Just enough characters, and twists, and a unique end. Well done!
June 1, 2013
I won this book from Momma Says Read...It was good, a little hard to get used to the writing style, and the author does not describe any of the characters in detail...which was not a good thing.
I didn't think the bomb would actually go off ! and Armstrong kills a hell of a lot of people, for no good reason ?! The story was good and the characters were strong, no breakdowns, even from the little boy ! I guessed the info about Frank ;)
The code at the end is funny...are you going to find the loot ??
Neca eos omnes.
I didn't think the bomb would actually go off ! and Armstrong kills a hell of a lot of people, for no good reason ?! The story was good and the characters were strong, no breakdowns, even from the little boy ! I guessed the info about Frank ;)
The code at the end is funny...are you going to find the loot ??
Neca eos omnes.
May 25, 2013
Just finished it and I is a happy Shaun Jeffrey fan ! This novella totally packs a punch !
Talk about fast pace, I got all sweaty even though I never lifted my backside from my chair ! It's a great novella, straight to the point with no wandering off, lots of action, twists, and Mr. Armstrong is a VERY bad man (just like I love them) !
I had a great time. Now I'm going geocaching. With a knife in my pocket.
Talk about fast pace, I got all sweaty even though I never lifted my backside from my chair ! It's a great novella, straight to the point with no wandering off, lots of action, twists, and Mr. Armstrong is a VERY bad man (just like I love them) !
I had a great time. Now I'm going geocaching. With a knife in my pocket.
April 13, 2013
A well thought-out storyline and interesting working of modern technology into the story. I would have enjoyed it had it been a little longer, with maybe a bit more character development, and as there were so many good NEW ideas in here I feel they could have been padded out a bit more. But that's a small quibble, it was a very good read.
August 10, 2013
It was a very good book. Quick to read and gripping from the start. The puzzles in it were good and if you like to read quickly the answers are on the next page of the read, but you could solve it yourself and take your time reading and solving the puzzles. The final clue leads you to a web page where you can find more puzzles to complete.
February 16, 2013
A gripping, fast paced story with great characters. Follow along as a husband and father is forced to solve puzzles in a race for his and his family's life. But the story doesn't end with the final page. Carry on to solve the final puzzle on-line. A five star must read!
September 26, 2013
This book had been suggested to me a while back, it has taken me a fair few books to read before I have finally got around to reading it, I wasn't disappointed, definitely worth reading and a story i managed to read in one night as it was very gripping.
June 8, 2013
A fantastic little read whilst on holiday. Covered the theme of geocaching really well too.
March 9, 2014
I wanted to make this book last a couple of days and couldn't put it down. The best way to describe this book is it was a fast paced action movie in print form. Despicable characters that you can dislike as the story weaves its way through to its conclusion. I think an author always takes a chance when they develop a character that they know the reader will dislike, and Jeffrey has created a monster in Armstrong. Some people may find the violence too much but I felt it was well balanced. (Didn't people complain about Norman Bates originally, and now look how tame his character is by modern day standards).
A very interesting angle developed throughout the plot, and the flip of hunter v hunted was a clever device as was the use of geocaching. The balance between the bad guys and the family; who could by any less experienced writer come over as saccharine was well worked into the story.
The characterisation was well developed and even the minor characters were fleshed out enough to be believable. Jeffrey teases the reader with Frank, who we all know is Armstrong, but we blindly go along with the deception. The climax was unexpected and gave the story a punchy ending.
My only criticism was that Armstrong was so organised I'd have expected him to have known Kurt's shift patterns and therefore would know he was working at the time of the heist, this said it didn't detract in anyway from what is essentially a brilliant read.
A very interesting angle developed throughout the plot, and the flip of hunter v hunted was a clever device as was the use of geocaching. The balance between the bad guys and the family; who could by any less experienced writer come over as saccharine was well worked into the story.
The characterisation was well developed and even the minor characters were fleshed out enough to be believable. Jeffrey teases the reader with Frank, who we all know is Armstrong, but we blindly go along with the deception. The climax was unexpected and gave the story a punchy ending.
My only criticism was that Armstrong was so organised I'd have expected him to have known Kurt's shift patterns and therefore would know he was working at the time of the heist, this said it didn't detract in anyway from what is essentially a brilliant read.
February 4, 2015
The Heist opens with a high stakes robbery at a theme park, resulting in the deaths of 87 innocents when the gang leader blows up a roller coaster as the robbers escape. Months later the lead investigator in the robbery/murder case Kurt Vaughn is out for a nice family day in the park with son and wife when they are all unwillingly thrust into the gang leader’s newest plan.
I picked up this novel because it involved geocaching and I wasn’t disappointed. There was a multi-cache with some cool puzzles and interesting hiding places. The author used some of the more clever points of geocaching, although technically only one geocache was involved. This story was like the geocache version of Dan Brown’s clever clues in The Da Vinci Code.
For such a simple story, at approximately 24k words, it was quite intriguing and the author kept the tension throughout, climaxing in an exciting hold-your-breath way and ending just the way I wanted. There were a few plot holes and inconsistencies, but they didn’t detract from the thrilling plotline. This could have been a longer story had the author filled in details between the heist and the time we meet Kurt and his family, but I thought the novel worked quite well just as it was.
I picked up this novel because it involved geocaching and I wasn’t disappointed. There was a multi-cache with some cool puzzles and interesting hiding places. The author used some of the more clever points of geocaching, although technically only one geocache was involved. This story was like the geocache version of Dan Brown’s clever clues in The Da Vinci Code.
For such a simple story, at approximately 24k words, it was quite intriguing and the author kept the tension throughout, climaxing in an exciting hold-your-breath way and ending just the way I wanted. There were a few plot holes and inconsistencies, but they didn’t detract from the thrilling plotline. This could have been a longer story had the author filled in details between the heist and the time we meet Kurt and his family, but I thought the novel worked quite well just as it was.
June 5, 2016
Sort of fun books about art authority who is also Mossad agent
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