Description

Long before modern financial crashes and corporate scandals, there was John Sadleir. In Prince of Swindlers, historian James O’Shea uncovers the extraordinary, devastating true story of a charismatic Tipperary man who rose to the heights of political power only to architect one of the greatest financial frauds of the 19th century.

A prominent Member of Parliament, founder of the Tipperary Joint Stock Bank, and a junior Lord of the Treasury, Sadleir used his impeccable reputation to forge deeds, embezzle massive funds, and ruin thousands of working-class depositors and wealthy investors alike. O’Shea tracks his meteoric rise in post-Famine Ireland, his desperate attempts to cover up his crumbling financial empire, and his shocking, mysterious suicide on Hampstead Heath that sent shockwaves across Europe. This is Victorian true crime at its absolute finest.

Why readers will love this true crime history:

• Gripping Narrative: Reads with the fast-paced suspense of a modern financial thriller.

• Dickensian Connection: Sadleir was the real-life inspiration for Mr. Merdle in Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit.

• Fascinating Social History: Highlights the deep corruption and political maneuvering in Victorian Ireland and London.