Going For Broke

The real-life financial thriller about multi-millionaire Alan Bond, and his hidden fortunes.

'Brilliantly researched, expertly assembled and well written, Going For Broke is a masterful critique of all that's wrong with Australia's judicial system' -- Sydney Morning Herald

Everyone has a Bond story. This is the one you haven't heard ... Once upon a time Alan Bond was a hero - the man who won the America's Cup for Australia, the poor immigrant turned sign writer who became a billionaire, the Aussie battler made good.

Then came a controversial expose by investigative journalist Paul Barry on ABC's 'Four Corners'. This explosive portrait led to Barry's bestselling The Rise and Fall of Alan Bond and soon afterwards the house of cards collapsed, Bond was made bankrupt and sent to jail.

Now Bond is back, after spending less than three and a half years of his sentence for defrauding Bell resources of more than $1200 million - roughly one day in prison for every one million dollars shareholders lost.

In Going For Broke, Paul Barry does what no one else has been able to do: show how Bond stashed his fortune overseas, and prove that if your pockets are deep enough and your lawyers good enough, you can get away with almost anything - as long as you go for broke.

Going For Broke reads like a thriller, full of cloaks and daggers, car chases, courtroom dramas, larger than life villains and heroes - and it's all true. This is a story that had to be told. And no one else can tell it like Paul Barry.

About the Author

Born and educated in England, award-winning investigative reporter and bestselling author Paul Barry studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.

A journalist with the BBC for ten years, he came to Australia in 1987 to work for the ABC's 'Four Corners', where one of his hardest-hitting reports was on multi-millionaire Alan Bond. This led to his first bestseller, The Rise and Fall of Alan Bond. Since then, his books have dominated the bestseller lists. His second book, The Rise and Rise of Kerry Packer, was the top-selling biography of the 1990s. He followed up with Going For Broke, the story of how Alan Bond hid his fortune, and then revealed how the Packers and Murdochs lost $950m in One.Tel in Rich Kids.

Paul Barry's work as a journalist has won numerous awards, including a Walkley in 2001 for an expose on tax-dodging barristers. He is a former host of the ABC's 'Media Watch' and Channel 7's 'Witness'. He has also reported for Channel 9's 'A Current Affair' and '60 Minutes', written for the Sydney Morning Herald and presented 'Breakfast' on Radio National.