Review

‘Extraordinary… a hell of a story.’ Sunday Times

‘The most rollicking, trippy yarn to emerge from the 2008 financial collapse so far.’ Financial Times

“Extraordinary… A hell of a story.” Sunday Times

“The most rollicking, trippy yarn to emerge from the 2008 financial collapse so far.” Financial Times

“Lawson [has] found gold… This is a fantastic story, in both senses of the word, with a freshness that recalls Liar’s Poker.” New York Times

“Brings to life one of the most colorful, and often engaging, con men of this or any other century… an entertaining, well-told tale.” Washington Times

“Riveting – sometimes genius and often sickening… Mind-boggling.” Andrew Ross Sorkin – bestselling author of Too Big to Fail

“Absolutely irresistible. It’s a hell of a book.” Sebastian Junger – author of War

“Fascinating. Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more brutal, adrenaline-charged, and dangerous. Sam Israel makes Gordon Gecko and Madoff look like provincial bank managers.” Cameron Addicott – author of The Interceptor: The Inside Story of the Ultra-Secret Unit that Hunted Down Britain’s Deadliest Drug Lords

“A fantastic story that delivers shocking insights into the greed and corruption at the heart of the financial system.” Geraint Anderson – author of Cityboy: Beer and Loathing in the Square Mile

“One of the best crime books I’ve read. Really enjoyable – it made me glad that I haven’t got a pension.” Graham Johnson – author of The Devil: Britain’s Most Feared Underworld Taxman and other true crime bestsellers

About the Author

Guy Lawson is a true-crime journalist who has written for the Observer, GQ, Rolling Stone and the New York Times. His Rolling Stone piece "Arms and the Dudes" is currently shooting with Warner Brothers. For Octopus he interviewed Sam Israel in prison for three years and travelled extensively through London, Berlin, Washington, and New York to corroborate Israel's story. The book is currently in a bidding war to be optioned for a Hollywood movie.