From Publishers Weekly
This story of a bank robber who captured a nation's sympathy in post-Communist Hungary is a rollicking tale told with glee and flair. Attila Ambrus sneaked over the border from Romania into Hungary in the waning days of Communist rule. After talking his way onto a Hungarian hockey team, he turned to robbery to make some cash in the Wild West atmosphere of the early 1990s in Eastern Europe. As journalist Rubinstein shows, Ambrus was quite good at it. Taking advantage of poor police work, he took in millions in Hungarian currency and became a headline-grabber. He managed to stay at large for several years while continuing in his role as a back-up goalie on the ice. Rubinstein has a knack for telling a good story, and he captures well both Ambrus's appeal and the atmosphere of the first few years of capitalism in Hungary. Along the way, he introduces readers to memorable characters in addition to the appealing, alcoholic protagonist: the women Ambrus attracts and a Budapest detective driven out of office by the crime spree. While Rubinstein (whose work has been collected in Best American Crime Writing) overwrites at times, he has a rootin'-tootin' style that's a perfect fit for this Jesse James–like tale, which has the chance to be a sleeper that transcends nonfiction categories. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Bookmarks Magazine
Hungarians loved Attila Ambrus; from Rubinstein’s appealing biography, it’s easy to see why. Rubinstein tells the story of this goalie-gone-bad with style and wit. He also maintains a historian’s impartiality, however, supported by a wealth of meticulous research. One reviewer complained that Rubinstein glossed over the misery of life in 1990s Hungary, but this was his only criticism of an engaging and informative tale. Readers of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber may not fall in love with Attila Ambrus as the Hungarians did, but his story will surely entertain them.Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.


From Booklist
It was in October 1988 that 21-year-old Transylvanian Attila Ambrus found himself on the streets of Budapest with nothing but a glint of cleverness, which quickly landed him a position as third-string goalie for Hungary's best hockey team. However, failing to supplement his nonpaying job with janitorial work, or sales of Parker pens and illegal pelts, Ambrus began a series of 29 armed robberies that lasted seven years and captured the imagination of ordinary Hungarians. The robberies were distinguished by their outrageous success, of course, but also by Ambrus' "fortification" of choice (hence the moniker Whiskey Robber). Rubenstein offers a well-detailed narrative of Ambrus' robbery spree and the efforts of earnest but underfinanced policeman Lajos Varju to catch him. Readers may agree with the author's implication that Ambrus' journey was quixotic, or they may look at these desperate acts and the sad conditions in Hungary that spawned them and say it was all just a crime. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Arthur Phillips, best-selling author of Prague
Julian Rubinstein deserves to be read, and Attila Ambrus deserves to be America’s favorite gangster-goalkeeper.


Gary Shteyngart, best-selling author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook
Punchy, hilarious and apparently even true….Mr. Rubinstein has committed a high-wire, bravado act of journalism.


Andrei Codrescu, Author of Wakefield
The vivid and riveting story of Attila Ambrus, Transylvanian-born immigrant, outlaw, and gentleman….


Book Description
Elmore Leonard meets Franz Kafka in the wild, improbably true story of the legendary outlaw of Budapest. Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant--if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. Arrayed against him was perhaps the most incompetent team of crime investigators the Eastern Bloc had ever seen: a robbery chief who had learned how to be a detective by watching dubbed Columbo episodes; a forensics man who wore top hat and tails on the job; and a driver so inept he was known only by a Hungarian word that translates to Mound of Ass-Head. BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is the completely bizarre and hysterical story of the crime spree that made a nobody into a somebody, and told a forlorn nation that sometimes the brightest stars come from the blackest holes. Like The Professor and the Madman and The Orchid Thief, Julian Rubinstein's bizarre crime story is so odd and so wicked that it is completely irresistible.


From the Inside Flap
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Attila Ambrus, the Robin Hood of Eastern Europe. He’s the one-time pelt smugger, goalkeeper (possibly the worst in the history of professional hockey), pen salesman, Zamboni driver, grave digger, church painter, roulette addict, building superintendent, whiskey drinker, and native of Transylvania who’s decided that the best thing to do with his time is to rob as many banks as possible. His rival: Lajos Varju, the Inspector Clouseau of the Iron Curtain, whose knowledge of police work comes from Hungarian-dubbed episodes of "Colombo." His deputy is nicknamed "Mound of Asshead" due to his propensity for crashing police cars. His forensics expert, known as "Dance Instructor" for his lucrative side career teaching ballet, wears top hat and tails on the job. Welcome to Julian Rubinstein’s uproariously funny and unforgettable account of crime in the heart of the new Europe. With a cast of characters that includes car wash owners, exotic dancers, drunk Army generals, cocaine-snorting Hungarian rappers, the Johnnie Cochrane of Budapest, and a hockey team that seems to spend as much time breaking the law as they do practicing, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER gives us the most charming outlaw-hero since the Sundance Kid—and the Sundance Kid didn’t play hockey. As the Eastern Bloc slips off its communist skin and replaces it with leopard-skin hot pants, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is here to screw in the pink lightbulbs. Part UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, part PINK PANTHER, and part SLAP SHOT, Julian Rubinstein’s tale is a spectacular literary debut—and a story so outrageous that it could only be true.


About the Author
Julian Rubinstein has written for the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Details, Sports Illustrated, Salon, The Washington Post and others. His work has been selected for THE BEST AMERICAN CRIME WRITING anthology and twice cited by THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING. Raised in Denver, he lives in New York. This is his first book.

FROM OUR EDITORS

It was apparent to all onlookers that Attila Ambrus was not a brilliant hockey goalkeeper. Sensing that his future lay elsewhere, young Attila searched for a new career. He found it in armed robbery. With a personal flair that would have impressed John Dillinger, the dapper Transylvanian robbed dozens of Hungarian banks, bestowing flowers on every female bank employee and thoughtfully leaving champagne for harried police investigators. In the post-Communist thaw, this articulate, well-dressed gentleman thief became a folk hero, inspiring songs and newspaper tributes. After being finally captured, he gave televised interviews from his prison cell, confessing, "I always liked fast money, women, and cars." He remained in custody only half a year, escaping soon after he realized that the officials who he had outwitted intended to make an example of him. Julian Rubinstein's narrative of Central Europe's Whiskey Robber is one of the most endearing true crime stories in years.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Attila Ambrus, the Robin Hood of Eastern Europe.  He￯﾿ﾽs the one-time pelt smugger, goalkeeper (possibly the worst in the history of professional hockey), pen salesman, Zamboni driver, grave digger, church painter, roulette addict, building superintendent, whiskey drinker, and native of Transylvania who￯﾿ﾽs decided that the best thing to do with his time is to rob as many banks as possible.    His rival: Lajos Varju, the Inspector Clouseau of the Iron Curtain, whose knowledge of police work comes from Hungarian-dubbed episodes of ￯﾿ﾽColombo.￯﾿ﾽ His deputy is nicknamed ￯﾿ﾽMound of Asshead￯﾿ﾽ due to his propensity for crashing police cars. His forensics expert, known as ￯﾿ﾽDance Instructor￯﾿ﾽ for his lucrative side career teaching ballet, wears top hat and tails on the job.   Welcome to Julian Rubinstein￯﾿ﾽs uproariously funny and unforgettable account of crime in the heart of the new Europe. With a cast of characters that includes car wash owners, exotic dancers, drunk Army generals, cocaine-snorting Hungarian rappers, the Johnnie Cochrane of Budapest, and a hockey team that seems to spend as much time breaking the law as they do practicing, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER gives us the most charming outlaw-hero since the Sundance Kid￯﾿ﾽand the Sundance Kid didn￯﾿ﾽt play hockey.   As the Eastern Bloc slips off its communist skin and replaces it with leopard-skin hot pants, BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is here to screw in the pink lightbulbs.  Part UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, part PINK PANTHER, and part SLAP SHOT, Julian Rubinstein￯﾿ﾽs tale is a spectacular literary debut￯﾿ﾽand a story so outrageous that it could only be true.       About the Author:Julian Rubinstein has written for the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Details, Sports Illustrated, Salon, The Washington Post and others. His work has been selected for THE BEST AMERICAN CRIME WRITING anthology and twice cited by THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING. Raised in Denver, he lives in New York. This is his first book.

SYNOPSIS

Elmore Leonard meets Franz Kafka in the wild, improbably true story of the legendary outlaw of Budapest.

Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant--if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. Arrayed against him was perhaps the most incompetent team of crime investigators the Eastern Bloc had ever seen: a robbery chief who had learned how to be a detective by watching dubbed Columbo episodes; a forensics man who wore top hat and tails on the job; and a driver so inept he was known only by a Hungarian word that translates to Mound of Ass-Head.

Ballad Of The Whiskey Robber is the completely bizarre and hysterical story of the crime spree that made a nobody into a somebody, and told a forlorn nation that sometimes the brightest stars come from the blackest holes. Like The Professor and the Madman and The Orchid Thief, Julian Rubinstein's bizarre crime story is so odd and so wicked that it is completely irresistible.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This story of a bank robber who captured a nation's sympathy in post-Communist Hungary is a rollicking tale told with glee and flair. Attila Ambrus sneaked over the border from Romania into Hungary in the waning days of Communist rule. After talking his way onto a Hungarian hockey team, he turned to robbery to make some cash in the Wild West atmosphere of the early 1990s in Eastern Europe. As journalist Rubinstein shows, Ambrus was quite good at it. Taking advantage of poor police work, he took in millions in Hungarian currency and became a headline-grabber. He managed to stay at large for several years while continuing in his role as a back-up goalie on the ice. Rubinstein has a knack for telling a good story, and he captures well both Ambrus's appeal and the atmosphere of the first few years of capitalism in Hungary. Along the way, he introduces readers to memorable characters in addition to the appealing, alcoholic protagonist: the women Ambrus attracts and a Budapest detective driven out of office by the crime spree. While Rubinstein (whose work has been collected in Best American Crime Writing) overwrites at times, he has a rootin'-tootin' style that's a perfect fit for this Jesse James-like tale, which has the chance to be a sleeper that transcends nonfiction categories. (Sept. 16) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This terrific first effort by journalist Rubinstein (Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone) details the life and crimes of Attila Ambrus. After a rough childhood in Ceausescu's Romania, Ambrus made a perilous escape into post-Communist Hungary, seeking a better life. He struggled to make his way as a hockey goalie, office-supply salesman, and janitor, but his ambition, proud nature, and fondness for whiskey ultimately led him to become a bank robber. His successful run as the "Whiskey Robber" had more to do with the political climate than any innate skill. The police force was underfunded and untrained, and financial institutions had inadequate security. Ambrus became a folk hero by stealing from banks (never customers), wearing clownlike disguises, and being as polite as a bank robber can be. Rubinstein ably provides the historical and political backdrop to this saga. Ambrus comes across as a fascinating character, and readers will find themselves trying to figure out who should play him on the big screen. Recommended. Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research, Philadelphia Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Journalist Rubenstein debuts with a wild tale of true-life folk hero Attila Ambrus, who lost his innocence in post-communist Hungary as he and the nation grappled with the demands of capitalism. The evolution of Attila Ambrus from janitor to the beloved "Whiskey Robber" (so called due to his penchant for getting stinking drunk before carrying out his capers) was slow, but in hindsight practically inevitable. Raised in Romania, where discrimination against ethnic Hungarians like himself was widespread, Ambrus at age 21 risked his life to cross the border into Hungary, clinging to the underside of a train car, only to be treated as a hopeless country bumpkin by his new fellow citizens. The Hungarians were mostly occupied, however, in figuring out how to negotiate the new economy as their country raced toward Western-style capitalism while corrupt officials and business people found new ways to embezzle millions at the expense of the common man. In this unwelcoming climate, Ambrus somehow had to land a job. A disastrous but gutsy tryout led to his employment as a janitor for the hockey team UTE (Ujpest Gym Assocation), but it didn't pay quite enough to make ends meet. Legitimate opportunities were scarce, so when the chance arose to smuggle some pelts from Transylvania, Ambrus made it work. From there it was no great leap to robbing a post office, and once that was done, it was easy to do it again. By the time he was finally apprehended, the nonviolent, unfailingly polite bandit had captured the Hungarian public's heart as a gentleman crook in a country where corrupt captains of industry who had stolen far more than he went unpunished. The author makes abundantly clear his delight inAmbrus's odd history, energy, and circle of friends; never was there a more entertaining case history of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Breezy, informative, and wholly enjoyable. Agent: Dan Mandel/Sanford Greenburger

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Andrei Codrescu

The vivid and riveting story of Attila Ambrus, Transylvanian-born immigrant, outlaw, and gentleman￯﾿ﾽ.This is a grand thriller, perhaps the first of a genre. — Author of Wakefield

Arthur Phillips

Julian Rubinstein deserves to be read, and Attila Ambrus deserves to be America's favorite gangster-goalkeeper. — best-selling author of Prague

Gary Shteyngart