"Patrick Mullins tells a stunning tale of attempted murder, secrets, politics, and lies. In this extraordinary story we can read the tea leaves of the century to come: the strong forces at work in scandal, the volatile power of celebrity, and the immense damage that reckless ambition can do. This book is a serious achievement." --Sean Kelly, author of The Game "Meticulously researched and elegantly written, this is the story of poisoning, scandal, legal and political shenanigans, and the rise and fall and fall again of a deeply flawed pugilistic man and his long struggle for public vindication." --Judith Brett, emerita professor of politics at La Trobe University and author of The Enigmatic Mr Deakin and Robert Menzies' Forgotten People "Patrick Mullins is the most accomplished Australian biographer of his generation and among our most brilliant storytellers. His colorful tale of Richard Denis Meagher, one of the notorious 'wild men of Sydney' is a sparkling account of Australian society, politics, and the law in a critical period of national formation." --Frank Bongiorno, professor of history at the Australian National University, and author of Dreamers and Schemers and The Eighties "A remarkable story of moral failure, mob hysteria, misogyny, vanity, cruelty, and persistence. Beautifully written and fast paced, this rollicking tale still echoes in modern Australia.

" --Julianne Schultz, emerita professor of media and culture at Griffith University and author of The Idea of Australia.