Publisher's Synopsis
Nothing is more brutal than the zero-sum reality of corporate restructurings. In this gripping legal thriller, the intricate world of high-stakes financial engineering collides with the cutthroat legal battles of the English Bar.
Fans of gripping legal thrillers, such as the works of John Grisham and James Patterson, will be captivated by the intense courtroom battles that unfold.
Once lifelong friends turned business partners, Caroline Beck and Jim Hersh embarked on an audacious acquisition of Adelaide Holdings, a multi-billion-pound conglomerate of real estate assets. But when the economy turns toward a recession, their dreams of success turn into a fight for survival as they slowly drown in mounting debt. In the tradition of Barbarians at the Gate and Den of Thieves comes the riveting tale based on true events played out in London boardrooms and courthouses. On one side: Caroline Beck and her financial engineering lawyers Connor Sempil and his team at the wall street heavyweight Criton Landon and Milburn and their barrister, run-down but once top-rated barrister Patrick Bogart KC. On the other: Greek shipping magnate John Tzavaras, whose ambitions for control of Adelaide are almost as consuming as his personal vendetta. In the middle, used as a pawn, is Jim Hersh. Hoping to take control of the business, Tzavaras is now the largest creditor of both Beck and Hersh. He offers each a way out: in exchange for control of Adelaide Holdings, he will forgive their debts. Only Beck refuses.Now Beck must rely on a dizzying string of financial engineering transactions devised by her lawyers Connor and Patrick in an attempt to keep her empire intact. But to accomplish each increasingly complex manoeuvre, they must control Tzavaras and his $2,000-an-hour lawyers in court. As the lawyers clash, alliances form and fracture, revealing the true nature of power and ambition.
Praise for the Insolvent"Frighteningly realistic; Gripping until the end""A true commercial law thriller"