The investigative journalist and author who tracked down a notorious fraudster, who almost bankrupted Notts County, is set to reveal the inside story of how he did it.

In 2009, the Magpies were taken over by a mysterious consortium, which pledged to pump vast sums of money into the club, with the promise of taking them all the way to the Premier League. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was hired as director of football, along with the eye-catching signings of Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel – with the promise of more to come.

But the club had unwittingly become the centrepiece of one of the most outlandish fraud plots in sporting history – involving fast cars, fake sheikhs and vast mineral wealth in North Korea.

Journalist Ben Robinson has spent years investigating the life and crimes of Russell King, which is all detailed in his new book The Trillion Dollar Conman, published by Icon Books. Based on a podcast he produced for the BBC, it investigates Russell King’s criminal enterprises spanning more than three decades, and reveals how and why King inveigled his way into Notts County.

Now Robinson, who is himself a Notts supporter, will appear on the opening night of the Lowdham Book Festival in June, where he’ll discuss his years long battle to hold Russell King to account. Robinson, who will be in conversation with Marcus Alton, will reveal never-before heard details from inside King’s frauds.

He said: “I’m thrilled with how the book has been received so far. At the heart of the story is the craziest season in Notts County’s history but there’s so much more to it than that. I’ve tracked Russell King’s malign activities all around the world, from destroying the country’s largest toy retailer at the beginning of the 1990s, to attempting to buy a Formula One team and running a fake publishing empire – and that’s just for starters. At the heart of everything King attempted, was a well-sold dream and usually just enough of a kernel of truth, to make him appear plausible. This book should serve as a cautionary tale to all of us.”

The event  will take place on Friday June 20^th at Lowdham Village Hall, from 7.30pm and there will be a book signing and a bar. Tickets are available from the Bookcase in Lowdham and cost £10, with £9 concessions and £8 for Bookcase friends. Call 0115 966 3219.

Purchase the Trillion Dollar Conman HERE

Lowdham Book Festival 2025 programme

*Main image @BenRobinson Ben is the investigative journalist who wrote the Million Dollar Conman.