Gregory M. Carroll, the younger brother of Ian "Fingers" Carroll—a figure involved in Melbourne's violent underworld—has released a new novel titled 11 MINUTES, inspired by the infamous 1976 Great Bookie Robbery. The book, described as a dark Australian noir heist novel, draws from Carroll's personal memories, court records, and the brutal Waterfront Organized Crime War that left dozens dead.
On April 21, 1976, a crew of masked gunmen stormed Melbourne's Victoria Club and vanished with a fortune. No one was convicted, the money was never recovered, and within a decade, every man involved was dead. Carroll's novel reconstructs the rapid 11-minute heist, the rise of the crew through Melbourne's violent docklands, and the unforgiving aftermath involving corrupt police and underworld rivals. "I didn't hear these stories second-hand," Carroll said. "I grew up inside them."
The novel is a timely release, appealing to fans of true crime, historical crime fiction, and Australian noir. It offers a first-hand family perspective never before published, providing a deeply researched narrative that captures the fractured loyalties and brutal cost of Melbourne's 1976 crime landscape. For more on The Great Bookie Robbery, readers can explore the history behind the story.
11 MINUTES is available for pre-order now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Booktopia, and Dymocks, and releases globally on 1 December 2025.
Gregory M. Carroll grew up immersed in the same world as the men in his story. His brother, Ian "Fingers" Carroll, was his best man—and the man whose body he had to identify. Now retired and living on the Gold Coast, Carroll writes with the clarity of someone who lived through the chaos, the violence, and the human cost of Melbourne's underworld. This novel stands as a testament to that experience, offering readers an authentic glimpse into a crime story only an insider could tell.
