'The Excitements' is a prime example of a novel wherein the author has so many ideas but complete paralysis in choosing any above others, so they just throw them all in together. What emerges is a slog of a novel that is not what was promised on the blurb / cover (there is little 'heist' to speak of and it really only involves one sister), jumping wildly between timelines and giving one sister far more page time than the other, whilst beating to death the 'don't discount old ladies' trope as it goes. In the third act, it decides to go completely off the rails, dragging out and losing any attempt at suspense a hostage situation that ends with a thud, rather than a bang. This novel felt infuriating at the best of times because it swerved wildly, languising in monotony - even in moments that were clearly supposed to be exciting - and also, for some reason, discounting huge sections of the war? There's a suspension of disbelief one has to have for these WWII books - but this was laughable. A rather misleading title.