The Outfit by David Tallerman

I would like to thank Jess from Rebellion for an advance copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Rebellion

Published – Out Now

Price - £8.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook

Lies and double-crosses, secret police and explosions, a carriage chase, a mattress stuffed with cash and a one-eyed master of disguise…

In 1907, the revolutionary Joseph Djugashvili – who would later take the name Joseph Stalin – met with an old friend, a clerk at the Tiflis branch of the State Bank of the Russian Empire, for a glass of milk. Over talk of national pride, the spirit of the new century and Djugashvili’s poetry, they agreed the beginnings of a plan.

With the aid of the Outfit, Djugashvili’s hardened crew of “expropriators,” they would pull off the biggest, bloodiest and most daring robbery in Georgia’s history, and ruthlessly change the direction of the Bolshevik revolution forever...

Does history repeat itself? Humans as a famous Doctor once said love to see patterns that are not here but in reality, you can see certain repetitions not just in counties but those who play key roles. You may spot a certain Prime Minister has a long history of telling lies in their job that lead to their downfall perhaps or national tensions that lead to tragedies again and again. Reading David Tallerman’s fascinating novella The Outfit or more accurately The Outfit: The Absolutely True Story of the Time Joseph Stalin Robbed A Bank we get to witness a lesser-known piece of history, but we also just possibly see the signs that definitely explain what was to come.

Its 1907 in pre-revolutionary Russia. Lenin works hard to keep the flame of change growing but as many political parties find this requires money and even as we know today some parties won’t ask too many questions where the money will come from…A young man known for enjoying the fighting side of being a revolutionary while also some cunning has a plan – Joseph Djugashvili aka Koba and one day will be known as Stalin. In Georgia there will be a large amount of money entering the town of Tiflis that could fund the revolution and may further cement Koba’s reputation and place in the wider command. He assembles an unusual mix of revolutionaries which will involve to various degrees poetry, double-crossing, bombs, and a mattress.

In many ways this is reading a heist story. We soon get to know the revolutionaries that are nicknamed the outfit and very quickly we get Koba but also bomb-maker Kamo. Kamo is the larger-than-life character happier making bombs, going for glory with an imperviousness to pain and perhaps a lack of common sense that makes him feel on the edge of dangerousness. Koba in contrast is a disquieting lead. We soon find everything from relationships, politics and his own Outfit really serve only one purpose - his own. He’s not yet sure of what he will ultimately become but he clearly wants to be on the top table with Lenin and nothing and no one will stand in his way. He will happily remove weak Outfit members, lie to the secret police; and yet also create cunning strategies for a heist that make you soon see the shadow of what he will become. Tallerman uses these two as nice counterweights to each other one the very over the top characters who jumps off the page and in contrast the sinister shadow that you start to feel nervous about exactly what he will do next. As most of us don’t know what actually happens in this robbery that means we are unsure who will survive and how ruthless Koba will get.

The heist is neatly done we get to meet the team and watch the manoeuvring to set things up and then everything kicks off in the finale. What I really appreciate is how Tallerman gives us a feel for the time. Secret police everywhere, harsh poverty under the Tsars and then throws in lots of colour. Did you know Stalin write poetry for example? We have this pre-car time where horse and carriages carry money but with mounted guns; secret societies and a feeling of the world getting ready to explode. High stakes but also the Outfit is more super enthusiastic people wanting a change but not necessarily skilled professionals. Kamo is more a loose cannon in situations than a professional soldier. But what I did like is the foreshadowing of the future. We see there is always a secret police knowing everyone and ready to descend and take people away. We also see the revolutionaries while focus on the prize won’t necessarily avoid innocent people getting caught in the bloodshed. There is a finally a neat coda exploring Koba and Kato’s futures that in many ways just reaffirms what we always suspected about both character’s natures.

Historical fiction fans who enjoy lots of action should find this novella well worth a look. Unusual; full of true facts about the time and a neat snapshot of someone who will become a huge dark figure of history means it’s a short but chewy read that may make you consider exactly how far the seeds of any event are planted