Edward Pierce is the main protagonist of The Great Train Robbery and the architect of the gold heist. Loosely based on the historical William Pierce who planned the Great Gold Robbery of May 1855, the fictional Edward Pierce is a consummate con man and criminal mastermind. As is befitting someone who lives by his confidence schemes and criminal behavior, much of his background is murky, although the narrative suggests that he owns several public houses (bars) and a fleet of cabs in addition to running his crime ring.

As Crichton’s narrative demonstrates, Edward Pierce is something of a chameleon. He has extensive contacts among the upper classes, as he comports himself like “a gentleman, and well-to-do” (5). In this way, he uses the Victorian assumptions that upper-class individuals cannot be criminals, and under this guise of respectability, he gathers an array of information that proves useful for his criminal enterprise, such as befriending bank managers Henry Fowler and Mr. Trent. However, he is also capable of speaking Cockney English as fluently as any member of the lower- or working-class, as demonstrated when he talks to members of his criminal outfit, such as Robert Agar.