About the Author
Tom Bower is an investigative historian, broadcaster and journalist. A former producer and reporter for BBC Television, he is the author of twenty books, including biographies of Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Fayed, Gordon Brown and Conrad Black. Broken Dreams, his investigation into corruption in English football, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2003 and his two most recent biographies - of Bernie Ecclestone and Simon Cowell - were Sunday Times bestsellers. He lives in London.
Books by Tom Bower
Rebel Prince The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles
`The pampered, petulant, self-pitying Prince. A devastating book by Britain's top investigative author' Daily Mail `Explosive new book delves inside the bizarre, ultra luxury world of Prince Charles' The Sun Best-selling author Tom Bower reveals the power, passion and defiance of Prince Charles. Few heirs to the throne have suffered as much humiliation as Prince Charles. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, he has struggled to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana's death, his approval rating crashed to 4% and has been only rescued by his marriage to Camilla. Nevertheless, just one third of Britons now support him to be the next king. Many still fear that his accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis. That mistrust climaxed in the aftermath of the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, acquitted after the Queen's sensational `recollection'. In unearthing many secrets surrounding that and many other dramas, Bower's book, relying on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House, reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct. The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen.
Rebel Prince
Best-selling author Tom Bower reveals the power, passion and defiance of Prince Charles. Few heirs to the throne have suffered as much humiliation as Prince Charles. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, he has struggled to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana's death, his approval rating crashed to 4 percent and has been rescued only by his marriage to Camilla. Nevertheless, just one-third of Britons now support him to be the next king. Many still fear that his accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis. That mistrust climaxed in the aftermath of the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, acquitted after the Queen's sensational 'recollection'. In unearthing many secrets surrounding that and many other dramas, Bower's book, relying on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House, reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct. The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen.
Rebel Prince The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles - the Explosive Biography, as Seen in the Daily Mail
`The pampered, petulant, self-pitying Prince. A devastating book by Britain's top investigative author' Daily Mail `Explosive new book delves inside the bizarre, ultra luxury world of Prince Charles' The Sun Best-selling author Tom Bower reveals the power, passion and defiance of Prince Charles. Few heirs to the throne have suffered as much humiliation as Prince Charles. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, he has struggled to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana's death, his approval rating crashed to 4% and has been only rescued by his marriage to Camilla. Nevertheless, just one third of Britons now support him to be the next king. Many still fear that his accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis. That mistrust climaxed in the aftermath of the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, acquitted after the Queen's sensational `recollection'. In unearthing many secrets surrounding that and many other dramas, Bower's book, relying on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House, reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct. The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen.
Rebel Prince The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles - the Explosive Biography, as Seen in the Daily Mail
`The pampered, petulant, self-pitying Prince. A devastating book by Britain's top investigative author' Daily Mail `Explosive new book delves inside the bizarre, ultra luxury world of Prince Charles' The Sun Best-selling author Tom Bower reveals the power, passion and defiance of Prince Charles. Few heirs to the throne have suffered as much humiliation as Prince Charles. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, he has struggled to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana's death, his approval rating crashed to 4% and has been only rescued by his marriage to Camilla. Nevertheless, just one third of Britons now support him to be the next king. Many still fear that his accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis. That mistrust climaxed in the aftermath of the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, acquitted after the Queen's sensational `recollection'. In unearthing many secrets surrounding that and many other dramas, Bower's book, relying on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House, reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct. The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen.
Klaus Barbie
The true story of one of Hitler's most feared and brutal killers: his life and crimes, postwar atrocities, and forty-year evasion of justice. During World War II, SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Nikolaus ';Klaus' Barbie earned a reputation for sadistic cruelty unmatched by all but a handful of his contemporaries in Adolf Hitler's Gestapo. In 1942, he was dispatched to Nazi-occupied France after leaving his bloodstained mark on the Netherlands. In Lyons, Barbie was entrusted with ';cleansing' the region of Jews, French Resistance fighters, and Communists, an assignment he undertook with unparalleled enthusiasm. Thousands of people died on Barbie's orders during his time in Franceoften by his own handincluding forty-four orphaned Jewish children and captured resistance leader Jean Moulin, who was tortured and beaten to death. When the Allies were approaching Lyons in the months following the D-Day invasion, Barbie and his subordinates fled, but not before brutally slaughtering all the prisoners still being held captive. But the war's conclusion was not the end of the Klaus Barbie nightmare. With the dawning of the Cold War, the ';Butcher of Lyons' went on to find a new purpose in South America, just as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were escalating. Soon, Barbie had a different employer who valued his wartime experience and expertise as an anti-communist man hunter and murderer: the US intelligence services. In Klaus Barbie, investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Tom Bower tells the fascinating, startling, and truly disturbing story of a real-life human monster, and draws back the curtain on one of America's most shocking secrets of the Cold War.
Nazi Gold
A ';compelling [and] carefully researched' account of greed, duplicity, and an unholy partnership between Switzerland and the Third Reich (The Washington Times). In the third and fourth decades of the twentieth century, the European continent fell, nation by nation, to Nazi Germany's invincible war machine. But Switzerland remained neutral during World War II, taking no side and bowing to no master. For a long time after, that was the accepted historybut it was a lie. Respected British investigative journalist Tom Bower reveals the shocking truth about how the government of Switzerland and the Swiss banking industry knowingly collaborated with the Reich during the darkest era in modern history. With the knowledge and acquiescence of the Swiss government, hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from Jewish Holocaust victimsincluding gold teeth extracted from the mouths of those murderedwere systematically hidden away in Swiss bank accounts. But these crimes did not end with the defeat of Hitler. For the next half century, Swiss authorities engaged in a covert campaign of lies, subterfuge, and corruption to hide the wealth from its rightful ownersconcentration camp survivors and the families of the slainwhile freely dispensing the illegally obtained funds to fugitive Nazis. Written by ';one of the finest investigative journalists in the English-speaking world,' Nazi Gold is an explosive true account of state-endorsed crimes and atrocities; of former victims fighting courageously for their due in the face of prejudice, hatred, and indifference; and of the dedicated US Treasury agents who worked tirelessly for decades to right an unconscionable wrong (The Washington Times).
Broken Vows Tony Blair The Tragedy of Power
The political thriller of the year - UPDATED WITH A DEVASTATING NEW CHAPTER ON THE CHILCOT INQUIRY 'Excellent' Sunday Times 'Devastating' Daily Mail When Tony Blair became prime minister in 1997, he was, at forty-three, the youngest to hold that office since 1812. With a landslide majority, his approval rating was 93 per cent and he went on to become Labour's longest-serving premier. So what went wrong? With unprecedented access to more than 180 Whitehall officials, military officers and politicians, Tom Bower has uncovered the full story of Blair's decade in power. He has followed Blair's trail from his resignation, since which he has built a remarkable empire advising tycoons and tyrants. The result is the political thriller of the year, illuminating the mystery of an extraordinary politician who continues to fascinate to this day.
Branson Behind the Mask
The image remains pristine: a charismatic high-school dropout turned billionaire, whose stratospheric rise and daring exploits have won him millions of enduring admirers and made him a model for aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the world. But is this story still credible? Over the last decade, has Branson matched the expectations perpetuated by Virgin's relentless publicity machine? Or have we all been seduced by a brilliant showman? In his most explosive book to date, Tom Bower, bestselling biographer of Simon Cowell, Bernie Ecclestone, Conrad Black and Robert Maxwell, dares to explore the reality of the Branson empire. In doing so, he unravels the gripping story of his recent activities - from the astonishing success of mobile phones to his troubled airlines and his long delayed plan to send multimillionaires into space - and asks whether he really remains Britain's heroic buccaneer.
Sweet Revenge The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell
Illuminating the life of Simon Cowell and delving into backstage scandal, tabloid rumour and the cut-throat worlds of music and television, Tom Bower leaves no stone unturned in this must-read biography. This is a detailed insider's account of entertainment mogul Simon Cowell's rise to meteoric fame and all of the controversial highs and lows along the way. Packed with juicy details, exclusive interviews and sensational revelations, Sweet Revenge is an incredible portrait of Simon Cowell which also uncovers the real stories behind The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol. Tom Bower is the author of nineteen books, including biographies of Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Fayed, Gordon Brown, Richard Branson, Conrad Black and, more recently, Bernie Ecclestone.
No Angel The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone
'I'm no angel.' Bernie Ecclestone Born into poverty, Bernie Ecclestone has made himself a billionaire by developing the world's second most popular sport - Formula One racing. Private, mysterious and some say sinister, the eighty-year-old criss-crosses the globe in his private jet, mixing with celebrities, statesmen and sporting heroes. His success is not just in creating a multibillion-pound global business but in resisting repeated attempts to snatch the glittering prize from his control. Ecclestone has never before revealed how he graduated from selling second-hand cars in London's notorious Warren Street to become the major player he is today. He has finally decided to reveal his secrets: the deals, the marriages, the disasters and the successes in Formula One racing, in Downing Street, in casinos, on yachts and in the air. Surprisingly, he has granted access to his inner circle to Tom Bower, described by Ecclestone as 'The Undertaker' - the man who buries reputations - and has given him access to all his friends and enemies. All have been told by Ecclestone, 'Tell him the truth, good or bad.' No Angel is a classic rags-to-riches story, the unique portrayal of a unique man and an intriguing insight into Formula One racing, business and the human spirit. Tom Bower is the author of nineteen books, including biographies of Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Fayed, Gordon Brown, Richard Branson, Conrad Black and more recently, Simon Cowell.
The Squeeze Oil, Money and Greed in the 21st Century
`The Squeeze' is an invaluable account of the modern oil industry and vital to understanding the awful truth about the current disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. With unprecedented access to their engineers and executives in London and Houston, Tom Bower tells the inside story of BP's history of alleged negligence. Over the last 20 years, oil prices have soared from $7 a barrel to $147 and down to $37. Amid economic boom and bust, speculators, traders, politicians and monarchs have plotted to earn fortunes from oil, and prayed for salvation from unpredictable natural and man-made disasters. Behind the headlines are the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil prices. Success or failure for all those extraordinary personalities depends on squeezing their rivals and squeezing the crude out of the rocks. Overweening vanity and greed absorb those titans whose ambitions are forging the world's quest for oil. Exploiting unprecedented close access to the lives of irrepressible traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, corporate chieftains in Dallas and London and wily politicians floating in jets across the globe, Tom Bower presents the untold story of the most important quandary of our times: why, if there is plentiful oil in the earth, does mankind face a dire shortage threatening our lives? Self-interest is propelling the squeeze and there seems to be no salvation.
Branson
The sensational critical biography of this phenomenal entrepreneur and his business practices - fully updated to cover Branson's recent ventures. No British tycoon is more popular, few claim to be richer and none has masterminded a more recognisable brand than Richard Branson. What is behind the success of the buccaneering balloonist, the tabloids' favourite celebrity nude, the `grinning jumper' and the scourge of corporate goliaths? Helped by eyewitness accounts of more than 250 people with direct experience of Branson, Tom Bower has a uncovered a different tale to the one so eagerly promoted by Virgin's publicists. Here is the full story of Branson: his businesses, his friendships, his ambition, his law-breaking, his drug-taking, his bullying. From the cockpit of a balloon in the clouds to the centre of Branson's operations in his Holland Park home this book is an intimate scrutiny of exactly how Richard Branson created himself and sold himself. Tom Bower's biography reveals Branson to be a single-minded profiteer who, while occasionally generous to others, has a fixed purpose to enhance his family's wealth in secret off-shore trust funds. Instead of a glittering saint, Branson emerges as a devious actor, proud of plucking for his own profit the good ideas of others. From his quest to acquire the license for the National Lottery to his plans to launch space tourism with Virgin Galactic, this fully updated edition follows Branson's enterprises and investments up to the recent, failed bid for Northern Rock.
Maxwell The Final Verdict
The Book the Brothers tried to stop Robert Maxwell was one of the most flamboyant, complex and - seemingly - the richest self-made men in post-war Britain. The tentacles of his power stretched from newspapers to football, from the boardrooms of his many companies and into the thoughts of the world at large. Maxwell: The Final Verdict is a story of greed and corruption on a truly mammoth scale. Revealing, for the first time, how Maxwell hurtled tumultuously towards disaster, it draws upon an exceptional resource of inside knowledge, such as could only have been assembled by the leading investigative journalist of his generation. Including intimate accounts of Maxwell's lifestyle and personality from his closest associates - from world politicians to girlfriends - answering all the questions surrounding his death and the investigations which followed it, and with full details of the trial of Kevin and Ian Maxwell, this is the most explosive expose of the decade.
Broken Dreams Vanity, Greed And The Souring of British Football
Greedy, vain and ambitious personalities dominate English football. From the author of devastating exposes of Mohamed Fayed, Richard Branson and, most recently, Geoffrey Robinson, BROKEN DREAMS is a superbly incisive account of how self-interested individuals, adopting questionable and predatory business methods, are exploiting the sport of football to earn billions of pounds and huge glory. Focusing on key figures including Terry Venables, Ken Bates, David Dein, Harry Redknapp, Rio Ferdinand and other famous agents, chairmen and managers, Tom Bower exposes the money, the politics, and the vicious battles behind the beautiful game. For the first time a non-sports writer reveals the vanity and greed which endanger the national sport.
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