The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery

By Thomas Goodman

Description:

When Santa Claus enters a Texas bank just before Christmas in 1927, no one expects him to pull a gun.

The fake white beard hides his identity from his neighbors while he and three others take everything. But their easy heist goes sideways fast when armed lawmen and citizens assemble to claim a new reward for dead bank robbers.

Taking hostages, the gang forces a path through a frenzied and bloody shootout, setting the whole Lone Star state on their trail.

One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it.

Why the author wrote this book:

The story of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery has been recounted for almost 100 years, but the reports always end with the deaths of 3 of the bandits. There was a surviving bandit, and his story of redemption is as exciting as the grim deaths of the other 3 men.