Michael Robotham’s The Wreckage (June 2011) ties in a bombing in Baghdad, a robbery in London and the kidnapping of an international businessman to a massive bank heist. Noting that a great robbery has the ability to turn “an ordinary criminal into a folk hero,” Robotham mined some of the greatest—and costliest—heists in history to create a definitive list of the most spectacular robberies ever.

$980m - Central Bank Of Iraq: March 2003

For the sheer amount stolen no robbery in history compares to this one. Just hours before the first American air assault began the invasion, Saddam Hussein’s son Qusay and TK arrived at the bank at 4 a.m. with a letter from the president. The sheer volume of the cash was so great that three tractor-trailers were needed to cart it off.

$282m – Dar al-Salam Bank in Baghdad 2007

Employees arrived in the morning to find the front door open and the U.S. dollars gone. Three security guards who normally slept at the bank were thought to be responsible. The money has never been recovered.

$98m-$111m (estimated) – Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre, London 1987

Two men entered the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre and requested to rent a safe deposit box. After being shown into the vault, they produced guns and subdued the manager and security guards. The true value of the haul can only be estimated because some owners of boxes refused to cooperate.

$94.3m – Banco Central, Fortaleza, Brazil 2005

A gang of burglars tunnelled into the bank, disabled the alarms and removed five containers of 50-real notes weighing 3.5 tons. The bills were not numbered sequentially making them almost impossible to trace.

$92.5m – Securitas Cash Management Depot. England. 2006

At least six men posing as police officers abducted and threatened the family of the manager, including his son, aged eight. Fourteen staff members were tied up in the largest cash robbery in British history.

$70m - The Great Train Robbery, Buckinghamshire, England 1963.

A gang of 14 career criminals held up the Royal Mail’s Glasgow to London post office train, stealing £2.3 million in used notes — the equivalent of US$70 million in today’s terms. The thieves were treated like folk heroes by the press and public.

$65m - Graff Diamonds, London, 2009

Two men posing as customers entered the exclusive central London jewellers and held staff at gunpoint before escaping with 43 pieces, including rings, bracelets, necklaces and wristwatches. It is regarded as the most valuable gem heist in history.

$46m - The Brink's-MAT Warehouse, Heathrow Airport 1983

Six men broke into the warehouse expecting to steal $4million in cash, but instead found three tonnes of gold bullion. The gold was melted down and sold. It is claimed that anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the U.K. after 1983, is probably wearing Brinks Mat.

$19m - Dunbar Armoured Car, California. 1997

Thought to be the largest cash robbery in U.S. history. A regional safety inspector masterminded the robbery, using his keys to help five accomplices gain admittance before they rushed vault guards and loaded a waiting van. Although the gang were eventually arrested, some $10 million has never been found.

Michael Robotham’s new novel THE WRECKAGE will be published by Mulholland Books in June 2011