The Copenhagen Job

by Line Holm Nielsen

In the predawn hours of August 10, 2008, employees at a cash-distribution warehouse in suburban Copenhagen, Denmark, heard an ominous rumbling. Moments later, the shovel of a front-end loader crashed through the wall, followed by armed men in balaclavas. They quickly filled athletic bags with more than $10 million in cash, jumped into a fleet of black luxury cars, and sped away. Police trying to reach the scene were stopped by blockades of burning garbage trucks. Before the dust had even settled on the biggest robbery in Danish history, the police knew that they were dealing with the most sophisticated criminals they’d ever seen—and bringing them to justice would be an adventure in its own right.

Drawing on interviews with culprits and cops alike, as well as hundreds of pages of documents, The Copenhagen Job—published in Danish by the digital publisher Zetland and appearing here in English for the first time—tells the inside story of the heist, and of a startling crime wave that has swept Scandinavia in the past decade. Copenhagen-based journalist Line Holm Nielsen goes deep inside an epidemic of straight-out-of-Hollywood armed robberies that shocked what had previously been one of the least crime-ridden corners of the world.

Genres: Nonfiction

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Elisabeth Ahlefeldt-Laurvig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gennem researchet, velskrevet og underholdende, med eftertanke. Kan varmt anbefales.

[Stina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeg husker tydeligt den morgen hvor vi nærmest blev afskåret fra omverdenen af brændende skraldebiler og partisansøm. Vi fulgte dramaet via medierne. Det har været spændende at læse denne bog som giver et stort indblik i hele sagen

[Patrick Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and interesting. The pacing and structure are great. There is no central character, which can make it a bit challenging to follow—there are a lot of names. But it is good.

[Jason Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazon.com Review: Originally published in Danish in 2012 as Kuppet, Line Holm Nielsen's The Copenhagen Job takes readers through the preparation, execution, and investigation of the biggest heist ever committed in Denmark. Totaling more than 70 million kroner (more than $13 million), the thieves’ take was never recovered in full, despite a police effort that spanned international borders and took months to complete. Other mysteries remain, though The Copenhagen Job is no whodunit. Despite its early introduction of most of the key culprits, the story rushes from the night of the crime itself through to the trial that put most of those responsible behind bars, finishing with excerpts from interviews with the convicted that leave an intriguing sense of just how much was never discovered about this landmark theft. --Jason Kirk

[Nyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep forgetting that this book is non-fiction -- that this actually happened in 2008. It was the biggest bank robbery in Danish history. Some other reviewers complain that there isn't any character development and that it is written in a journalistic style. But that is what you get when everything is true and nobody is talking. To me, the book was as exciting as any crime novel. Of course, since most of the money was not recovered, nor all the thieves apprehended, there may still be more to come in this story.

I found the book extremely enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime dramas.

[Kasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detaljeret og spændende. Minder mig om en kondenseret udgave af "Blekingegadebanden".

[Knut Sigurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veldig fascinerande lita bok om Danmarkshistorias største ran. Særleg for deg som tykte NOKAS-filmen var spennande er dette eit medrivande stykke true crime.

[Knut Sigurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like god som den korte versjonen, berre med meir stoff. Litt featurereportasjelanghalm, men ikkje meir enn venteleg. Sterkt tilrådd til alle som let seg fascinere av Erik Skjoldbjærgs Nokasfilm.

[andrew y · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had much higher hopes for this one. It got kind of bogged down and then extremely bogged down. Great research, but could have stood just a touch more editing.

[Keano Hosokawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i want to read this