Octopus
The Secret Market and the World's Wildest Con
One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2012
Octopus is a real-life thriller that tells the inside story of a £300 million hedge fund fraud and the wild-goose chase through Europe by its drug-fuelled manager for a lucrative “secret market” beneath the financial market we all know.
Sam Israel was a man who seemed to have it all. Born into one of World’s richest families, he founded his own hedge fund, promising his investors guaranteed profits. But, after suffering devastating losses and faking tax returns, Israel knew his real performance would soon be discovered. So when a former CIA-operative turned conman told him about a “secret market” run by the Federal Reserve, Israel bet his last $150 million of other people’s money on a chance to make it all back. Thus began his crazy year-long adventure in a world populated by clandestine bankers, conspiracy theories, and gun-toting spooks issuing cryptic warnings about a mysterious cabal known as the Octopus.
"I was riveted by Mr. Lawson’s telling of Mr. Israel’s bizarre conduct — sometimes genius and often sickening... The story is mind-boggling."
Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of Too Big to Fail: Inside the Battle to Save Wall Street
“Absolutely irresistible. It’s a hell of a book.”
Sebastian Junger, author of War and The Perfect Storm
