The Last Victim
A serial con man. The ultimate betrayal. An unbreakable woman. The full story behind the relationship made famous by the hit podcast Who the Hell is Hamish?
Published on 1. May 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-7336-5115-1 (ISBN)
Description
In 2017, Tracy Hall's life went from fact to fiction overnight when she discovered the man she'd been dating for nearly two years, Max, was actually one of Australia's most prolific con men - Hamish McLaren. Also known as Hamish Watson. Also known as Hamish Maxwell.
Suddenly 'Max' was gone, along with the $317,000 in life savings Tracy had given him to invest. As for her ability to trust? Hamish had stolen that too.
Through speaking with investigators and playing an instrumental role in The Australian's hit podcast, Who the Hell is Hamish?, Tracy would soon discover she was not Hamish's only victim - just his last. Hamish, and his Colgate-commercial-worthy smile, had been honing his confidence game for decades.
The Last Victim shares the full story of what happened before, during, and after Tracy unknowingly swiped right on a man who'd reportedly swindled people around the world out of an estimated $70 million through investment and business scams.
Fast-paced and empowering, The Last Victim is in many ways a warning siren because, as Tracy shows, it doesn't matter where you're from, how you were raised and educated, or how intuitive you think you are - anyone can fall victim to a scam. At the same time, it's searing, defiant proof that it is possible to create an even better life after experiencing the ultimate emotional and financial betrayal.
'An empowering story . . . and a timely warning about how easy it is to be scammed' CANBERRA WEEKLY
Suddenly 'Max' was gone, along with the $317,000 in life savings Tracy had given him to invest. As for her ability to trust? Hamish had stolen that too.
Through speaking with investigators and playing an instrumental role in The Australian's hit podcast, Who the Hell is Hamish?, Tracy would soon discover she was not Hamish's only victim - just his last. Hamish, and his Colgate-commercial-worthy smile, had been honing his confidence game for decades.
The Last Victim shares the full story of what happened before, during, and after Tracy unknowingly swiped right on a man who'd reportedly swindled people around the world out of an estimated $70 million through investment and business scams.
Fast-paced and empowering, The Last Victim is in many ways a warning siren because, as Tracy shows, it doesn't matter where you're from, how you were raised and educated, or how intuitive you think you are - anyone can fall victim to a scam. At the same time, it's searing, defiant proof that it is possible to create an even better life after experiencing the ultimate emotional and financial betrayal.
'An empowering story . . . and a timely warning about how easy it is to be scammed' CANBERRA WEEKLY
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Sydney
Australia
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7336-5115-1 (9780733651151)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Tracy Hall | Summer Land
The Last Victim
A serial con man. The ultimate betrayal. An unbreakable woman. The full story behind the relationship made famous by the hit podcast Who the Hell is Hamish?
E-Book
05/2024
Hachette Australia
€3.99
Available for download
Persons
Tracy Hall (Author)
Tracy Hall is an author, keynote speaker and senior marketing executive. Over the last 25 years, Tracy has had extensive exposure to start-ups, large corporations and global tech brands including Virgin Mobile, eBay, GoDaddy and Afterpay. She frequently consults for smaller companies, volunteers as a teen mentor for the Raise Foundation and is a board director for the men's mental health charity, Mongrels Men.
In 2019, Tracy became known as Hamish McLaren's famous 'last victim' thanks to her role in The Australian's podcast, Who the Hell is Hamish? Today, Tracy writes and speaks publicly about financial empowerment, intimate fraud, and the shame that often comes with being a victim of a scam. Tracy is also passionate about discussing situational vulnerability, the true meaning of resilience and society's need to rethink how we trust.
The Last Victim is her first book.
Summer Land (Author)
Summer Land is an author, writer, keynote speaker and one-time nude model for a figure drawing class. Born in West Virginia and raised in Florida, Summer graduated magna cum laude from Emerson College (Boston, MA) in 2008 where she studied marketing. After embarking on a working holiday in Australia and spending two ski seasons in Park City, Utah, Summer moved to Australia in 2010 and began writing. Summer's first book, Summerlandish: Do as I Say, Not as I Did, was published in 2013 and garnered praise from 2014 Stella Prize winner, Clare Wright, who wrote, 'Summer Land is Gen Y's answer to Bill Bryson.' Her second book, I Now Pronounce You Husband and Expat, was published in 2019. Summer has also co-authored and ghostwritten over ten books, including Acting Up (Lynne McGranger), A Joyful Life (Rosemary Kariuki), and Aussie Ark (Tim Faulkner). Known for her sharp wit, intense curiosity and deeply empathetic nature, Summer is passionate about helping tell stories that inspire a more connected, compassionate and creative world.
Tracy Hall is an author, keynote speaker and senior marketing executive. Over the last 25 years, Tracy has had extensive exposure to start-ups, large corporations and global tech brands including Virgin Mobile, eBay, GoDaddy and Afterpay. She frequently consults for smaller companies, volunteers as a teen mentor for the Raise Foundation and is a board director for the men's mental health charity, Mongrels Men.
In 2019, Tracy became known as Hamish McLaren's famous 'last victim' thanks to her role in The Australian's podcast, Who the Hell is Hamish? Today, Tracy writes and speaks publicly about financial empowerment, intimate fraud, and the shame that often comes with being a victim of a scam. Tracy is also passionate about discussing situational vulnerability, the true meaning of resilience and society's need to rethink how we trust.
The Last Victim is her first book.
Summer Land (Author)
Summer Land is an author, writer, keynote speaker and one-time nude model for a figure drawing class. Born in West Virginia and raised in Florida, Summer graduated magna cum laude from Emerson College (Boston, MA) in 2008 where she studied marketing. After embarking on a working holiday in Australia and spending two ski seasons in Park City, Utah, Summer moved to Australia in 2010 and began writing. Summer's first book, Summerlandish: Do as I Say, Not as I Did, was published in 2013 and garnered praise from 2014 Stella Prize winner, Clare Wright, who wrote, 'Summer Land is Gen Y's answer to Bill Bryson.' Her second book, I Now Pronounce You Husband and Expat, was published in 2019. Summer has also co-authored and ghostwritten over ten books, including Acting Up (Lynne McGranger), A Joyful Life (Rosemary Kariuki), and Aussie Ark (Tim Faulkner). Known for her sharp wit, intense curiosity and deeply empathetic nature, Summer is passionate about helping tell stories that inspire a more connected, compassionate and creative world.