The Birth of the Financial Thriller : Making a Killing in the 1970s

Illustrates how the financial thriller is deeply intertwined with the economic transformation of the 1970s and considers the genre’s enduring legacy in today's financialised world.

Discover the untold story of the financial thriller, a genre pioneered by Canadian banker-turned-author Paul Erdman from a Swiss prison cell. Starting with the publication of The Billion Dollar Sure Thing in 1973, this book explores the genre’s evolution as a popular and even vulgar genre of financialisation, characterised by volatile plots centred on currency speculation where the central mystery is money, not murder. By contextualising the rise of financial thrillers within the dramatic events of the 1970s, such as the abolition of the Bretton Woods system and the oil crises, this book illustrates how a genre found the world of finance during a particular historical moment, but also how the world of finance found its genre. This compelling narrative connects the past to our present financial landscape, making it essential for anyone interested in the intersection of economic, literary and cultural history.