The True Crime behind 11 MINUTES
As featured in
THE AGE
Weekend NAKED CITY Crime Feature by John Silvester
“A cracking read and a cunning blend of inside information, fact and imagination.” - John Silvester, The Age
Gregory M Carroll
11 Minutes
A Crime Novel of Melbourne’s 1976 Great Bookie Robbery
Six men. Eleven minutes. The perfect crime.
11 MINUTES tells the untold story behind Melbourne’s 1976 Great Bookie Robbery—Australia’s greatest armed heist. On an ordinary Wednesday morning, six masked men stormed the Victoria Club and vanished with what would now be worth $80 million. No one was convicted. The money was never found. Within a decade, every man was dead.
Told by someone who knew the men involved—including his own brother—this Australian noir crime novel blends meticulous research with cinematic prose. It explores loyalty, betrayal, and the human cost of ambition in Melbourne’s gritty underworld.
The crew is forged in the Painters & Dockers Waterfront War that leaves more than forty dead. After the robbery, enemies close in: not just the police Task Force, but Sydney’s Toecutters and Australia’s Krays, the Kane brothers. Everyone wants a piece. The old warning rings true—be careful what you wish for.
This book is not straight true crime. It's something deeper. Facts tell you what happened. A novel lets you feel it. 11 MINUTES reaches past police reports and courtrooms into quiet fears, the slow unravelling of loyalty, and the weight of choices made. It shows not just what people did, but why.
Why crime readers love 11 MINUTES
- Based on the real 1976 Great Bookie Robbery, Australia’s most audacious armed heist.
- Written by the younger brother of one of the real-life crew, bringing a rare insider perspective.
- Blends the pace of a thriller with the moral weight of true crime.
- Immerses you in the Painters & Dockers Waterfront War, crooked cops, and a city on the edge.
- Perfect for readers who like their crime stories dark, authentic, and emotionally honest.
For readers of George V. Higgins, Andrew Nette, Underbelly-era true crime, and gritty Australian noir where the line between fact and fiction is razor thin.
About the Author
Gregory M. Carroll is not just the author of 11 Minutes—he lived it. Born and raised in the same tough world as the men in his story, he was more than a witness. He was a brother. Ian Carroll was his brother, his best man, and the man whose body he had to identify. Now retired, he writes from the Gold Coast, Australia, bringing lived experience to the page with sharp insight and unflinching honesty. Just like the lives that shaped it.