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The Palace
"Want to buy a casino?" These were words which would lead to a total revolution in the gaming industry in the United States of America...."What's the name of that casiono you have for sale?" Raffles. Danny Lehman nodded and said, "I think you might hear from me."....
313 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
2 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Paul Emil Erdman
34 books48 followersPaul Emil Erdman was one of the leading business and financial writers in the United States who became known for writing novels based on monetary trends and historical facts concerning complex matters of international finance.
Erdman was born in Ontario, Canada, to American parents. He graduated from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He received his PhD from the University of Basel (in Switzerland). In 1958 he worked as a financial analyst for the European Coal and Steel Community. Between 1959 and 1961, he worked as an economist at the Stanford Research Institute at Menlo Park.
Erdman returned to Switzerland where in 1965, he founded and was the president of a Swiss bank - the Salik Bank. In 1969, the United California Bank in California bought a majority stake and renamed it the United California Bank in Basel. The bank collapsed after taking large losses speculating in the cocoa market. Erdman and other board members were accused of fraud and Erdman spent time in jail awaiting trial.
While in jail, he wrote his first novel - The Billion Dollar Sure Thing (1973). It received a 1974 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel and was published in the UK as The Billion Dollar Killing. He was released on bail and fled from Switzerland. He was subsequently convicted in absentia. His second novel, the The Silver Bears (1974) was turned into a 1978 movie of the same name, starring Michael Caine. His books were well researched and contain convincing details. Despite the underlying complexity of his novels, his lucid writing style had enabled readers to learn complex concepts such as interest rate swaps, and his novels had often been bestsellers. The information in The Swiss Account is credited with providing a basis for helping track down the assets of Jewish victims of the holocaust.
Erdman was born in Ontario, Canada, to American parents. He graduated from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He received his PhD from the University of Basel (in Switzerland). In 1958 he worked as a financial analyst for the European Coal and Steel Community. Between 1959 and 1961, he worked as an economist at the Stanford Research Institute at Menlo Park.
Erdman returned to Switzerland where in 1965, he founded and was the president of a Swiss bank - the Salik Bank. In 1969, the United California Bank in California bought a majority stake and renamed it the United California Bank in Basel. The bank collapsed after taking large losses speculating in the cocoa market. Erdman and other board members were accused of fraud and Erdman spent time in jail awaiting trial.
While in jail, he wrote his first novel - The Billion Dollar Sure Thing (1973). It received a 1974 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel and was published in the UK as The Billion Dollar Killing. He was released on bail and fled from Switzerland. He was subsequently convicted in absentia. His second novel, the The Silver Bears (1974) was turned into a 1978 movie of the same name, starring Michael Caine. His books were well researched and contain convincing details. Despite the underlying complexity of his novels, his lucid writing style had enabled readers to learn complex concepts such as interest rate swaps, and his novels had often been bestsellers. The information in The Swiss Account is credited with providing a basis for helping track down the assets of Jewish victims of the holocaust.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 27, 2017
There were only three writers that I would buy as soon as they had published a new book. All three dead now. E.C. Tubb, John Fowles and Paul Erdman. And Erdman is special because he was recommended by a tutor of mine. (People do not recommend books to me as a rule - maybe I do not know book reading people.) I had never read thrillers before and only occasionally do now. But I am grateful to the guy. Erdman was a genius.
March 24, 2019
Paul Erdman is one of my favourite writers, in my opinion he writes the best financial novels there are and The Palace following in the footsteps of The Crash of '79, The Panic of '89 & The Silver Bears is no exception to this.
From the opening pages where we encounter a hustling guy running a coin store who becomes involved in money laundering from organised crime, the source of which, a casino that is no longer profitable. It's losing money as it's being fleeced and the protagonist just happens to be the very man laundering said money, as such he's aware that the money losing casino that's coming up for urgent sale is in fact a bargain if he's able to get control of what goes on inside the walls, and so begins the rise to power of Danny Lehman, coin store owner.
I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it.
From the opening pages where we encounter a hustling guy running a coin store who becomes involved in money laundering from organised crime, the source of which, a casino that is no longer profitable. It's losing money as it's being fleeced and the protagonist just happens to be the very man laundering said money, as such he's aware that the money losing casino that's coming up for urgent sale is in fact a bargain if he's able to get control of what goes on inside the walls, and so begins the rise to power of Danny Lehman, coin store owner.
I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it.
July 4, 2025
The Complete Guide to Making Money and Living Happily Ever After. It was a fun read, and it explained the lavish lifestyle of how to spend endless money. At the end, we are all the same, just at different levels
March 20, 2019
I enjoyed the this one less than Erdman's other books. I've always preferred gambling on Erdman's stock markets than in casino's. Okay. Good enough.
July 10, 2021
Simplistic but entertaining far fetched rise to the top of a Philly coin guy.
October 25, 2021
Really enjoyed it. Great pace super fun
February 14, 2022
Almost as good as Zero Coupon!
August 16, 2009
A fictional account of the birth of Atlantic City
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews