Description
Loved the book, a real insight into the working of financiers. Couldn't put it down
Could not put this book down, a brilliant read with an unbelievable ending. The author obviously has an insight to the industrial and corporate maze of negotiation with all its ramifications.
A fascinating fast moving thriller: Blackmail, murder, intrigue, East End heavies and China Town Triads…You will never look at ’The City of London’ and Bankers the same way again. Chasing a corporate deal people hunt for information by ransacking bins, tracking people’s movements and finding anything they can use to gain an edge. People talk, partners, lovers, drunken nights, the motivators of individuals are both far reaching and self-serving but the opportunity to make a bit of money on the side by dealing in the shares of the target calls to human nature affecting bottom feeders and high rollers alike.
The inspiration behind the story
Having worked in business for many years I have been involved in numerous company purchases and sales some of which have gone smoothly and some of which have left many a frayed nerve. Generally, people are relatively open and honest but there is a significant minority who play by their own rules and use any trick in the book to get a better position for themselves or their compatriots. This is especially prevalent in the City merchant banks where morals are shall we say ‘much looser’ than you would hope and the deal is everything no matter how it is achieved. The 2008 financial collapse should be all of the evidence you need!
On the other side of the Chinese wall on the dealing side of the bank you will find young men and women under huge pressure to advise clients to buy and sell shares - ‘The Analysts’. Many that I met were honest, professional, knowledgeable and upstanding, some were out of their depth or even bare face liars. Maybe the title should be ‘Snakepit’, you will rarely see more serpents than you do in the City. I for one am glad that I no longer have to deal with the lies and attempted market manipulations. Writing this book has in many ways been cathartic.
