Part 1, Preparations: Chapters 1-8 Summary

This book is a fictionalized telling of a true story. In 1855, gold intended to pay soldiers fighting in the Crimean War was stolen while in route to France. After some confusion, it was decided the gold had been stolen while locked in two safes on a train. Two years later, three men were tried for the crime. The robbery was a sensational news story at the time because the train was a relatively new mode of travel and the crime one of the most daring of the age.

In Chapter 1, a man wrestles with a guard on a train until the man falls to his death on the side of the train tracks. A gentleman watches from a distance before calmly leaving the area.

In Chapter 2, Edward Pierce appears to be a gentleman, but no one knows...