This book is dedicated to the Members of Lloyd's, to the hundreds of investors who died from suicide, stress and despair, to the thousands who faced bankruptcy or ruin and the few who fought to the bitter end and survived – against all odds, against a conspiracy of the British political Establishment, in order to preserve the name and earnings of Lloyd's of London, at any cost – for the greater good of the City of London and the Exchequer of Britain as a whole. These who were literally sacrificed, may they live on in their defiance.
In the past years, Lloyd's of London has been beset by enormous conflicts of interest, both financial and others which have almost brought this world-famous insurance market to its knees. I have endeavoured in this book to write a novel which shows such conflict in fictional terms. Although this story is loosely based upon several true episodes including an unexplained murder of a few years' ago.
In this fictionalised account, David Seaton, a director of the Lloyd's insurance brokerage firm of Wallis Fleurey, is murdered by a professional hitman. The official police enquiry finds for a case of 'Mistaken Identity'. However, Justin DeVille, the Chief Executive at Wallis's carries out a personal investigation, which takes him from London to Buenos Aires, Miami and Zurich unravelling a web of intrigue, conflict and deception. He teams up with Cat Townend, a British Intelligence operative and their relationship steams between the sheets.
