Abe Saffron was The King Of The Cross, a nickname he relished. Some also called him Mr Sin, and he sued for defamation (successfully). From his early days at the Roosevelt to his imprisonment for dodgy tax returns, Abe was a controversial and intriguing figure – for some a rogue, for some a benefactor and others, the devil incarnate. An interesting life for a young bloke who started his life working in his father’s drapery in Annandale.
With mate Sammy Lee he brought Las Vegas headline acts like Sinatra to Australia, along with the art of strip tease at his Staccato club. When R&R soldiers hit the Cross, Abe was perfectly positioned to make millions from the winning combination of food, booze and titillation – with the ample serves the latter pair.
Abe was no angel – a parent of indifferent skills; a philanderer of gold medal proportions; a bloke who could screw every last dollar out of every square metre of property he controlled. But was he a criminal kingpin and corrupter of coppers, the judiciary and politicians. And did his son Alan really have the goods on him?
Join Brandy and Duncan McNab; one of the few people to investigate Abe, interview him and write a book ‘The Usual Suspect’ on the first King of the Cross.
Duncan McNab is a former police detective, private investigator, investigative journalist and media adviser to government and the private sector. He is the author of 12 books with the latest, on the Ruby Princess, due out this summer. His previous work includes the phenomenally bestselling DEAD MAN RUNNING (with Ross Coulthart), OUTLAW BIKERS IN AUSTRALIA, and WATERFRONT. Duncan was a producer on the Kennedy and Clarion award-winning MURDER UNCOVERED series (7 Network) in 2017. In 2017 his book GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER won the Ned Kelly Award for Best True Crime. In the same year, his bestselling book on disgraced former detective and convicted murderer ROGER ROGERSON was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best True Crime.
Tickers include a special event cocktail. $20.
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