Broker Dealer Banker Thief
Own Nothing. Control Everything.
A high-stakes crime thriller inspired by real-life events in the world of sovereign bond trading in London, New York, Zurich and Dubai.
Synopsis
Sample chapters of Broker Dealer Banker Thief.
A gripping story of unbridled greed and determination by one man to survive.
Charles Scibberas (Scibby) a successful bond trader in Zurich, is persuaded by his step brother to join an illicit bond trading syndicate. When a series of trades goes spectacularly wrong the scheme collapses, he’s left with nothing—except powerful enemies who want him dead.
Caught between the ruthless syndicate, violent criminals, and suspicious regulators, Scibby must find a way out before he is arrested or killed.
Think The Big Short after a line of coke, meets The Bank Job, but with the added twist of truth.
Flying high on a lifestyle of wealth and lies...
Scibby lives the high life in Zurich, with fast cars, luxury holidays, and high-stakes trading. But behind the scenes, his world is crumbling. His former wife is chasing him for more alimony. His trophy wife only cares about money and his collection of fast cars, and his business associates are only out for themselves.
The Utraco Syndicate
Manipulated by a fearsome female trader at Eidelman Brothers, his stepbrother, Harvey (her broker), introduces Scibby to an illicit bond-trading syndicate, Utreco. The money pours into Scibby’s trading accounts, but now he has to launder the proceeds of their illicit activities and get it back to the other syndicate’s members to fund their super-extravagant lifestyles. Scibby finds several ways to rinse the funds through an investment bank in Zürich and some private banks operating there, even the Swiss Post Office. But whatever he does, he can never get the money back to them quickly enough. To add to the pressure on Scibby, the newly appointed Head of Trading at the investment bank is suspicious of Scibby’s stellar trading success and tries to emulate his trades, losing millions.
The Fall
Meanwhile, Harvey’s personal life unravels following the tragic death of his son, and Noah Shapiro, an influential member of the syndicate, pushes for an even bigger share of the take. Despite all he does to cover the syndicate’s tracks, Harvey and Noah secretly conspire to cut Scibby out. Scibby sees the writing on the wall and takes a reckless gamble with the syndicate’s money, losing everything.
Unable to repay the money or go to the authorities for fear of tipping off the syndicate, Scibby is forced on the run. Learning of Scibby’s perilous situation, his mother, a nurse at a famous cancer research hospital in London, reminds him of a speculative crypto investment he made several years before. Combined with the meteoric rise in the value of cryptocurrencies and the expertise of a veteran currency trader whom she nursed back to health following cancer surgery, she has grown the holding in Bitcoin to several million dollars. Empowered by the unexpected windfall, Scibby goes on the offensive.
The Plot
Why this story matters
This isn’t just an ordinary crime thriller—it’s an exposé of financial crime in the heart of dealing rooms at investment banks in the world’s major financial centres.
The Utraco syndicate operated undetected for years inside some of the major financial institutions in London and on Wall Street.
Storytelling style
Engaging. Gritty. Darkly Humorous.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Scibby speaks directly to the audience, explaining how the syndicate syphoned off millions of dollars in a tense, immersive style.
- An exciting female-driven plot based on real-life events with shocking plot twists, embellished with dialogue from characters in real life.
Meet the characters
Scibby (Protagonist) – A charismatic people-pleaser
A talented trader, but far too trusting. He gets in too deep - then he's forced to fight back.
Harvey (Antagonist) – A manipulative cocaine snorting, high-stakes gambler
Following the sudden death of his son his grief turns to paranoia and rage, driving him to push Scibby over the edge.
Noah Shapiro (Antagonist) – The Violent Psychopath
A financial genius with no moral compass. When Scibby loses the Utraco syndicate's money, he wants blood.
Caspara (The Femme Fatale)
Scibby’s second young, attractive wife, whom he married to save her from deportation to Iran, is out for herself. She only cares about money and racing Scibby's prestige cars.
Interested in bringing Broker Dealer Banker Thief to life?
