Bøker av Chris Hutchins

The incredibly elaborate but all-true story of the psychopathic international fraudster, who charmed his victims to deathThe twisted true story of Alexandre DespallieresAlexandre Despalli res bewitched many people with his poisonous charm. A popstar in France during the 80s, one of his hits was fittingly entitled L'Amour Mort... Posing as a billionaire businessman dying of cancer, Despalli res seduced and married former Warner Music boss Peter Ikin in 2008. Just one month later, Ikin died of an overdose of paracetamol, and Despalli res inherited his estate through a forged will. Around the same time, he was also involved with one of the most powerful lawyers in France, Olivier Metzner. Metzner committed suicide in 2014; police believe he was being blackmailed by a 'former long-time lover'. Other suspected victims include both of Despalli res' own parents and the Hollywood heiress Marcelle Becker, who formally adopted Despalli res in 2005. Despalli res died of Covid in 2022, just before he was due to stand trial for Peter Ikin's murder. In Love until Death, Chris Hutchins - who knew the accused personally - explores the life and suspected crimes of the darkly charismatic Alexandre Despalli res.

Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, was a penniless orphan who rose from the ashes of Soviet Russia to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. His fascinating life story has been shrouded in mystery - until now.Journalists Dominic Midgley and Chris Hutchins get to grips with the Russian boss of Chelsea FC, who has revolutionised English football since he bought the club in the summer of 2003, since when it has won two Premiership titles. Every aspect of his past, present and future is examined - his upbringing, including his Jewish background, the friendships that helped him break into the top ranks of the Kremlin, his leading role in the rise of the oligarchs in Russia, the business deals that made him a fortune in less than ten years, and the ambition that promises to make him as big a name in the West as in his homeland. Using exhaustive primary research, the authors uncover the exclusive stories behind the billions Ambramovich made in Russia as Western-style capitalism was introduced by President Putin. They also investigate his reasons for investing part of it in a fashionable London football club.The rise of Roman Abramovich from provincial orphan to one of the most powerful men in Russia is a story that has all the ingredients of a thriller: risk-taking, courage, shrewdness, ruthlessness and, above all, a subtle and manipulative charm. An incredible story' - Mail on Sunday'Well researched and fluently written' - The Times'Draws a picture of a man of immense ruthlessness, nerve and charm . . . offers a Vanity Fair of Russian oligarchy' - The SpectatorA superb insight into the Chelsea boss . . . a must read for both football fans and business tycoons' - Sunday Business Post'A well-researched investigation into the life and times of Chelsea's owner' - World Soccer'The first sustained effort to uncover the making of Chelsea's oligarch' - Guardian'Authors Dominic Midgley and Chris Hutchins go to commendable lengths to tell the story' - Sunday Times'Where this book sets itself apart is in its quest to discover Abramovich's true identity. Interviews with his childhood friends, neighbours and teachers in Russia offer an original perspective on the man while access to the informed such as Boris Berezovsky, his one-time mentor, provides a picture of a canny dealmaker and consummate politician' - The Times'Most fascinating account . . . should be read by anyone not just with an interest in sport but also in business and in politics' - Press and Journal

AT LAST the full story of Diana, Princess of Wales with moving accounts of her life from those who knew her best - what made her laugh, what made her cry. Princes William and Harry say that not a day goes by without them thinking of their beloved mother as they do their best to draw a veil over her acrimonious marriage to their father, Charles, Prince of Wales, England's next king. Even before Lady Diana Spencer married into the most revered family on earth, she had her suspicions that the kith and kin of Prince Charles were not all they seemed-to-be. No sooner had she become the Princess of Wales and moved into Kensington Palace than her fears were confirmed: the House of Windsor constituted a flawed dynasty. She found herself trapped in a world of scandal, deceit and treachery.Diana Always There reveals the previously untold secrets Diana discovered about her royal relatives. This book exposes how intensely Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles contrived to exclude her, it reveals the Queen was angry and bitter at her family's indiscretions, how the Queen Mother's indifference was matched only by Prince Philip's blind range over Diana's determination to find her own path, what really went on between the Duke and Duchess of York and how Prince Edward witnessed Diana's tantrums at Balmoral.In short, this is Diana's own secret life told in intimate detail.Parts of this book were included in an earlier edition - Diana' Nightmare: The Family

ELVIS Presley and the author Chris Hutchins got to know each other through a common mentor - Colonel Tom Parker. The man who managed the King of rock 'n roll treated the writer as a confidant. And that's what makes this book unique.Right from the earliest pages, the Colonel reveals his true feeling about Elvis and the unusual relationship they had. In one of the many letters he wrote to Hutchins he explains for the first time why it wasn't his fault that Elvis never travelled to perform outside the United States.Moving as freely within the Presley circle as he was able to, the author came into close contact not only with Elvis himself but also his family, friends and staff: everybody from Elvis's wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa, father Vernon, tour manager and closest companion Joe Esposito, show business buddies like Tom Jones - even his cook Mary Jenkins knew and talked to Chris Hutchins who even took the Beatles to party at his home.That's what makes this book A Personal Memoir.

PRINCE HARRY is the most interesting - indeed the most exciting - member of the Royal Family and this no-holds-barred biography tells his story for the first time. Son of the late Princess Diana - the most famous woman on Earth - and Prince Charles, the next king, and brother of William, the king after that, he is determined to live by his mantra: 'I am what I am'. From a childhood overshadowed by his parents' troubled marriage and scarred by the tragic death of his mother, to his brilliant public performances at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the London Olympics and his brother's wedding, this book charts the remarkable journey of a young man with an extraordinary destiny. It also reveals details of his extraordinary love life, telling for the first time what caused his affair with Cressida Bonas to collapse. The author has enjoyed unparalleled access to a wide variety of people whose lives Harry has touched: senior aides, humble members of palace staff, aristocrats, bodyguards, school friends, comrades-in-arms . . . and old flames. They piece together the tale of a young man who admirably has created a life so different from the one set out for him by what he describes as 'an accident of birth'.

Even before Lady Diana Spencer married into the most revered family on earth, she hadher suspicions that the kith and kin of Prince Charles were not all they seemed-to-be. Nosooner had she become the Princess of Wales and moved into Kensington Palace thanher fears were confirmed: the House of Windsor constituted a flawed dynasty. Diana'sNightmare reveals the previously untold secrets Diana discovered about her royal relatives.This book exposes how intensely Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles contrived to excludeher, it reveals the Queen was angry and bitter at her family's indiscretions, how theQueen Mother's indifference was matched only by Prince Philip's blind range over Diana'sdetermination to find her own path, what really went on between the Duke and Duchessof York and how Prince Edward witnessed Diana's tantrums at Balmoral . . . Diana'sown secret life. And much much more . . .

Sir James Goldsmith was one of the most intriguing figures of the twentieth century but as a billionaire with a taste for litigation he successfully ensured that, for much of his life, his background, methods and ambitions escaped far-reaching investigation. This is the first unauthorised biography of Goldsmith and it deals with every aspect of his complex life. This is a book for anyone interested in how great fortunes are built, the future of Europe, the ongoing controversy over environmental issues and - of course - how a charismatic man can juggle a succession of wives and mistresses. Has he equipped his children to exploit the fortune he has left to build a vast business empire or has he condemned them to gilded obscurity? Goldsmith tells the incredible story of an extraordinary man and the legacy he has left his family and the world.

THE postcard on the cover of this book says it all. The card was written by John Lennon and sent to his friend Chris Hutchins. On the card's photograph of the Beatles, John had drawn a fifth member - the founder of the group Stuart Sutcliffe who John went on to describe as the best friend he ever had. This is the kind of confidence John, Paul George and Ringo shared with writer Hutchins who they befriended in their days as 'unknowns' in Hamburg. He shared their adventures during the heady days of Beatlemania; he was with them during their American tours in the 60s, sharing their euphoria and their sad moments. It was, for example, at Hutchins' Chelsea apartment that Paul met the actress Jane Asher, who he later became engaged to. And it was Hutchins who arranged a party with Elvis Presley, the man they had always wanted to meet - alas, a meeting which was to cause a cataclysmic feud between Presley and Lennon which the author explains in detail along with how President Nixon and J Edgar Hoover got involved. This is the Beatles story from the inside . . .

IT SEEMS that almost every week Sarah Ferguson - the Duchess of York, known to one and all as Fergie - makes headlines with her efforts to re-brand herself and explain her troubles. There are the weight-loss problems, the ongoing differences with the Royal Family and her financial difficulties. But how did it all start? It seemed like a fairy-tale come true when Sarah married the Queen's favourite son, Prince Andrew, and became one of the best-known women in the world. She was feted wherever she went - and she went everywhere. But the Duchess's world was to come crashing down in spectacular fashion.We all heard the rumours, now here's a book that sets out the facts about all the scandals. Finally, the explosive truth from two experts - CHRIS HUTCHINS, the writer who broke the palace-rocking story of Fergie's risqué liaison with handsome Texan Steve Wyatt, and PETER THOMPSON, a former editor of London's Daily Mirror, the paper that ran the sexy St. Tropez stories of Fergie and her "financial advisor" Johnny Bryan. The book also details her often-tempestuous relationship with Princess Diana and how both women decided to end their marriages.