15/01/13

Spreadex hosts book launch

A St Albans-based former City high-flyer is launching his debut novel at the offices of spread betting company Spreadex, with proceeds going to support Joanna Lumley’s Nepalese charity Hands Together.

Mike Crawshaw, 49, former Head of European Equity Research at a global Investment Bank, has penned ‘To Make a Killing’, a financial thriller based in the City of London.

The novel follows Detective Inspector Frank Brighouse as he investigates the deaths of a circle of senior bankers and faces a race against time to stop a killer with a bizarre modus operandi.

Mike, of Woodstock Road, Fleetville, is holding his launch event at financial trading firm Spreadex, based in the Ziggurat, Grosvenor Road, St Albans from 6pm onwards on Tuesday, January 29th.

He said: “I left the City more than a decade ago and I’ve always wanted to write a fictional thriller focused on City excesses.

“The great thing about the book is that I’m able to hand over any money made to Hands Together. None of it ends up in pin-striped pockets.”

Mike, who now teaches science to children, is a trustee of Hands Together and visited Tiplyang in Nepal in October.

“What amazed me was how poorly-equipped the school in the village was,” he said.

“I asked to see the science equipment. What they had fitted into one shoe box and included a broken microscope and a sheep’s skull.

“The teacher asked me if I had any ideas for science lessons. I said ‘yes, we’ll get you some proper science equipment.’

“If I only sell ten books, it will transform the educational prospects of kids in the school – though I’m hoping to sell many more.”

He added: “The cost of this book is less than the cost of an amuse bouche at a flashy City restaurant. The same money would fund school meals for a Tiplyang kid for a term.”

The book launch, at Spreadex’s St Albans offices at the Ziggurat, Grosvenor Road, from 6pm onwards on Tuesday, January 29th, will include complimentary canapés and drinks as well as more information on the Hands Together project. Books will be available to buy for £7.99.

The night will also include a tour of Spreadex’s financial and sports trading floors and visitors will be able to view the evening’s Premier League football being traded live in the company’s sports room.