Synopses & Reviews
Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? is the story of James Packer's desperate battle to win his father's love and respect. It's also a tale of billion-dollar bets gone disastrously wrong. But above all it's the portrait of a troubled relationship between a dominant father and dutiful son. In this powerful sequel to his number one bestseller, The Rise and Rise of Kerry Packer, Paul Barry shows how James's father kept his grip on the empire even as he lay close to death. And he reveals what drives his heir. As a child James was derided by Kerry as too soft, too close to his mother, or simply "a loser." Since then he has struggled to make his father proudin the only way the Packers knowby making money. Having seen Kerry lose hundreds of millions in the world's casinos, James chose to bet billions of dollars on buying them instead. Then came the global financial crisis and he almost lost the lot. As markets hit rock bottom in early 2009, Australia's richest man was $4 billion poorer and no longer on top of the heap. He was smoking again, putting on weight, and shutting himself off from friends. Years earlier, far smaller losses in One. Tel had pushed him to the brink of a nervous breakdown and made him seek salvation in Scientology. Can James survive this time? Will he bounce back? Or was his father right?
Review
"I knew the story well enough, in outline. But when you see it all laid out in devastating, chronological detail, the sheer scale of News International's lawbreaking, and the effrontery of its bald-faced and serial lying over half a decade, takes the breath away." —Age
Synopsis
Murdoch's empire is declining, none of his children are both able and willing to take over, and scandal wracks his life, yet he still manages to thrive despite it all. This is the definitive account of Rupert Murdoch's empire--now in paperback.
Now in his 80s, Rupert Murdoch is gearing up for the toughest challenge of his life: to hand his empire over to his children. But is this the end of the Murdoch dynasty? Lachlan doesn't want to succeed him. James is in disgrace. And Elisabeth is not a serious contender. His grip on the group has also been weakened by scandal. His British tabloids have been caught hacking phones and bribing officials on an industrial scale. At least 20 journalists have been accused of hacking and corruption. But Rupert thrives on crisis. He has recently split News Corp in two, doubled his fortune to nine billion, and is bouncing around like a man in his prime. So can he win this one last battle and keep it all in the family?
About the Author
Paul Barry has won numerous awards for his work as an investigative journalist. He is a TV host and a regular contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sunday Telegraph.