Shelf Life

After the Brink's robbery, in the North End, reporters and detectives examined the pilfered vault and talked to witnesses. (Boston Public Library)

Spree and sympathy
The petty criminals who robbed the Brink's garage in Boston's North End nearly 60 years ago are among the city's favorite folk heroes.

"This was a crime that Boston just fell in love with," says Stephanie Schorow, author of the newly published "The Crime of the Century: How the Brink's Robbers Stole Millions and the Hearts of Boston" (Commonwealth).

The 1950 theft of more than $2.5 million remained unsolved until one of the robbers confessed six years later. In the meantime, Bostonians quietly rooted for the robbers, and amateur detectives worldwide offered their theories to the police.

In the late 1970s, the filming in Boston of "The Brink's Job," starring Peter Falk, brought the heist to the attention of a new generation and added to the lore. Mayor Kevin White declared Brink's week in Boston, and the convicted robbers lectured at Harvard. Schorow, formerly a reporter at The Boston Herald, enlivens her book with new material from police archives and her own hunt for the money still missing.

Middle school, for real
Jeff Kinney, who lives in Plainville, riffs on girls, bullies, and status in his popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams). "Rodrick Rules," the second book in the series, written and drawn by Kinney, debuted last month at No. 1 on The New York Times children's chapter book bestseller list. The "wimpy kid" is wisecracking pre-teen Greg Heffley, who draws stick figures on the lined pages of his diary.

'Mockingbird' to fly again
The folks at WUMB Radio are hosting a songwriting contest to foster interest in "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee. Amateurs and professionals are invited to submit songs inspired by the novel. Finalists will perform "American-Idol"-style at the Mockingbird Festival at UMass Boston on May 10.

WUMB is hosting dozens of "Mockingbird" events around Eastern Massachusetts, touching on the music of the 1930s, the history of race relations in America, and Southern cooking, among other subjects. The station's "Big Read" campaign is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Details at WUMB.org.

Introducing . . .
In an annual tradition since 1980, established writers will offer a public forum for writers breaking in. At PEN New England's Discovery Evening on March 3, Boston poet laureate Sam Cornish, short story writer and essayist Edith Pearlman, and novelist Julian Houston will introduce Zvi Sesling, Debbie Danielpour Chapel, and Kim Adrian. A champagne reception will follow the readings at 7 p.m. at University Hall at Lesley University, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.

Coming out

Pick of the week
Bobbi Brewer of Maine Coast Book Shop and Café, in Damariscotta, Maine, recommends "High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed" (Hyperion), by Michael Kodas: "The author, a reporter for the Hartford Courant, shines a light on the dark side of Mount Everest and its desecration at the hands of many corrupt, greedy, and self-serving climbers. This well-written book should open the eyes of many to what is really happening on Everest."

Jan Gardner can be reached at JanLGardner@yahoo.com.

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