Author Description

Invitations to John Aspinall and John Burke's illegal gambling parties were the most sought after in 1950s London, as only the wealthy and well-connected were allowed past their door. When the police finally arrested them, Aspinall and Burke challenged the law and won. The subsequent legalizing of gambling interested crime boss Billy Hill and his lieutenant Bobby McKew, as Billy had a foolproof way of fixing the cards. He also had his eye on the ultimate prize, Aspinall's exclusive new club, The Clermont. Revealing for the first time how Aspinall and Hill plotted to steal a fortune, this intriguing study is a riotous journey back to 1950s and 1960s London. With a cast of characters that ranges from safecracker Eddie Chapman to the reckless Earl of Derby, from croupier Louis the Rat to unlucky Lord Lucan, it vividly recreates the exploits of the gamblers and gangsters whose lives collided in the clubs and pubs of Mayfair.