Santa Claus Bank Robbery Cover

Santa Claus Bank Robbery

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SANTA CLAUS
BANK ROBBERY
A True-Crime Saga in Texas
by
TUI SNIDER
Genre: Nonfiction / Texana / Texas History
Publisher: Castle Azle Press
Date of Publication: December 8, 2019
Number of Pages: 146 pages + black & white photos
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Santa Claus Bank Robbery book cover

When Marshall Ratliff dressed like Santa Claus to pull a Christmas-time heist, he thought it would be easy. Unfortunately for him, when the citizens of Cisco heard Santa was robbing a bank, they came running – with loaded guns in hand!

But can you blame them? In 1927, the only way to earn the $5000 Dead Bank Robber Reward was to kill a bandit while the crime was in progress.

This bungled bank robbery led to a wild shootout and a getaway with two little girls as hostages. And that is only the beginning!

Tui Snider’s true-crime tale reads like a comedy of errors as the consequences of the Santa Claus Bank Robber’s actions escalate to include a botched car-jacking, one of the biggest manhunts in Texas history, and a jailbreak leading to a deadly conclusion.

Meanwhile, it’s up to readers to decide whether or not a mysterious blonde helped these gangsters escape. And if so, did she get away with murder?

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Book Promo: Think you know all about the Santa Claus Bank Robbery? THINK AGAIN! Read the book to learn the truth behind a bank robbery that caused the biggest manhunt the Lone Star State had ever seen. Only then can you decide whether or not a mysterious blonde was involved - and if so, did she get away with murder? Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Tui Snider.
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Clueless Gent’s Rating

4 star rating

My two main takeaways from Santa Claus Bank Robbery are that Tui Snider is a very readable writer and she is a thorough researcher. This was my first read by this candid author, and I came away knowing that I’d like to read more of her work.

This book is nonfiction, which means it actually happened. Snider is not the first writer to tell this story, but I get the impression that her telling is the most accurate. No names were changed, and she was very good about disclosing her source material.

Santa Claus Bank Robbery Methodology

I think one of the challenges an author faces in telling a story like this is that the reader likely already knows what the story is about, and maybe even how it ends, before opening the book. However, it was clear to me that Tui Snider was up to this challenge.

Beginning with some backstory, Tui introduces us to the main players. It doesn’t take long, however, before she gets into the robbery. Not all, but most of the story takes place on that single day. Snider is very thorough and detailed when she reveals the events of that day.

Throughout the book, Tui points out any differences between her research and a previously published book by A.C. Green.  I was surprised with the significance of the differences. I have not read the other book – nor will I – but I suspect that Tui’s version of that event is the most accurate.

Technically Speaking

The book is well edited. There were only a few very minor SPAG issues.

The pacing of this story is surprisingly good. Once the action starts, the pace is quick enough to keep everything moving, keeping the reader engaged, yet still allowing the story to be told with sufficient detail.

If you are unfamiliar with this story, as I was, I think it’s a piece of Texas history worth knowing, particularly if you’re a Texan! I highly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
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Tui Snider Author Photo

Tui Snider is an award-winning writer, speaker, photographer, and musician specializing in offbeat sites, overlooked history, cemetery symbolism, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction, but then I moved to Texas!”
Tui lectures frequently at universities, libraries, conferences, and bookstores.This fall, she will speak about the Great Airship Mystery of 1897 at this year’s UFO Congress and teach a course on Understanding Cemetery Symbols at Texas Christian University. She also shares weekly info-videos based on her research at her YouTube channel.
Snider’s writing and photography have been featured in a variety of media outlets, including WFAA TV, Coast to Coast AM, LifeHack, Langdon Review, the City of Plano, Wild Woman Waking, Shades of Angels and many more. She has several more books in progress.
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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
GRAND PRIZE (US Only):
Signed Paperback + $10 Amazon Gift Card + Thank You Post Card
2nd PRIZE (US Only):
Signed Copy + Thank You Post Card
3rd PRIZE (International):
Kindle eBook
December 12-22, 2019
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