Peter Houlahan

Peter Houlahan should design rollercoasters because that is exactly what reading Norco ’80 felt like in the best way possible. The pacing of the story was at times a slow build and at others a fast-paced dive and barrel roll through the events of this insane bank robbery gone wrong. Now, I freely admit that I may be a little biased in my review because I grew up around the Norco area and am very familiar with the streets and local businesses (granted, I wasn’t alive in 1980, but so many show more of the same businesses are still there today—looking at you, Carl’s Jr.—that it almost feels like this could have happened in the last 10 years instead of 40 years ago), but even without a local’s knowledge of the area, Norco ’80 grabs the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go until the very end. That said, I wouldn’t recommend the audio version unless you are listening with a pen and paper as I just think that there are too many names and details to remember, but Houlahan does a fantastic job of recounting this little piece of history in an unbiased manner. I will never look at Hamner and Fourth St. the same. show less

I recently expressed the opinion that most true crime books can be divided into 2 categories, either a straightforward retelling, generally with additional detail, of a contemporary criminal event, or books that delve more deeply into the particulars of a time, place or subject, where that background is necessary to understand the crime under examination.

This analysis of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong could be placed in the first category, since it is definitely a retelling of a specific show more event, with a boatload of detail. I'd suggest, however, that the historical moment, 1980, and the location, Southern California, were key elements in how this violent story played out.

The brief summary: five guys, down on their luck and obsessed with apocalyptic religious fervor, decide to rob a bank in the small city of Norco, California. Their objective was to obtain the funds they need to purchase a remote property on which they could build an armed hideout where they could live during the cataclysm they anticipated. Several of them were veterans whose personalities were affected by the experience of being in the military during the Vietnam war era. A couple were not physically well and easily led by one who was especially disturbed and manipulative.

They acquired an extensive armory of automatic weapons, to which they added home-made explosives, and proceeded with their plan even when the wheels started falling off early on the day designated for the heist. Things went from bad to worse, with the botched robbery followed by a bizarre car chase that ended with their arrest in the San Gabriel mountains. They were pursued by police from several jurisdictions, all of them significantly less well armed than the group of five.

So what made this event so connected to the time and place, as reflected in this book?

*Southern California was knee deep in extremist religious groups in the late 70's, such that this group did not stand out as unique, did not call attention to themselves.
*1980 was only five years after the end of the Vietnam war and many returning servicemen carried scars visible and otherwise.
*The state did not have especially strict gun control laws, and nothing stood in the way of the group purchasing their arsenal, again not calling attention to themselves.
*By contrast, it was not normal in 1980 for state or local law enforcement officers to be armed with assault weapons. These circumstances set up the lengthy car chase and the ultimate outcome of the robbery.

In fact, the discrepancy in weaponry in Norco led directly to changes in police departments across the nation. it was clear that the time had arrived when criminals could be, and were happy to be, in a position to outgun law enforcement.

The aftermath of the event also unfolded in ways that reflected time and place. The California judiciary tended to be liberal, although capital punishment was available as a sentence. Both of these elements had an affect on the trial. (The lengthy trial had far too many extraordinary elements to recount here.)

The most pronounced after effect of the event, in my opinion (formed solely by reading this book, I will confess), was the way in which the post traumatic stress suffered by so many of the law enforcement officers wasn't immediately recognized or addressed. PTSD was only added to the Diagnostic and Manual of Psychiatric Disorders in that year, so that's understandable, if unfortunate.

So, enough philosophizing. The book held my interest all the way through. My one problem with it was something over which the author had no control: too many similar names, especially for a listener. It took me an entire chapter to figure out that there was a Manny Delgado and an Andy Delgado, one on each side. BTW, the narrator, Joe Bennett, is a good match for the material.

Not quite as good as the true crime books I've rated most highly, but a very solid 4. show less

On May 9, 1980, what usually only happens in action-thriller movies came to life in Orange County, California. I don’t usually read true-crime, but Houlahan’s writing pulled me in. While reading this meticulous researched and documented account, I could almost smell the gun powder, hear the cacophony of gunfire making my ears ring and see the dust clear as the largest crime scene in American history came into view.
Documented here is how an attempted bank robbery and its subsequent trial show more would forever change a town, its people and law enforcement nation-wide. The crime and court case may have been an unbelievable catastrophe, but this book is pitch-perfect. show less

On May 9, 1980, what usually only happens in action-thriller movies came to life in Orange County, California. I don’t usually read true-crime, but Houlahan’s writing pulled me in. While reading this meticulous researched and documented account, I could almost smell the gun powder, hear the cacophony of gunfire making my ears ring and see the dust clear as the largest crime scene in American history came into view.
Documented here is how an attempted bank robbery and its subsequent trial show more would forever change a town, its people and law enforcement nation-wide. The crime and court case may have been an unbelievable catastrophe, but this book is pitch-perfect. show less