The Billionaire Boys Club [Paperback]

Sue Horton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Joe Hunt, 23-year-old failed commodities broker, and some L.A. prep-school classmates formed a business and social club. They raised vast sums of money--and lost millions, whereupon they turned to kidnapping and murder. "Horton suspensefully relates this shocking story from Hunt's boyhood through the 1987 trial at which he and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment," said PW. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Billionaire Boy's Club (BBC), an investment group, was in reality a cult-like group led by Joe Hunt, a charismatic sociopath who preached the Paradox Philosophy, a Machiavellian approach to life. After losing millions in investment scams gone awry, Hunt turned to kidnapping and murder as a way to solve the BBC's and his growing financial problems. Ultimately, Hunt and three other members of the BBC were sentenced to life without parole; another member lives under an assumed name. This well-written book describes a tragedy--bright, well-educated, privileged young men led astray by their greed and weakness of character into a life of crime. Already the subject of a 60 Minutes segment and a TV miniseries (the script of which was based on Horton's Los Angeles magazine article), this fascinating story of rich kids, money, and murder will be very popular. Recommended.
- Sandra K. Lindheimer, Middlesex Law Lib., Cambridge, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312922329
• ISBN-13: 978-0312922320
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,404,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evil Incarnate, June 4, 2007

By 

jazzgirl (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billionaire Boys Club (Hardcover)

I am amazed that there are not more reviews of this book, especially given the fact that this case was so highly publicized. There was also a t.v. movie of the same name and it has been documented that Lyle and Eric Menendez were "inspired" by the movie to commit the horrific murders of their parents.

This is the true story of Joe Hunt, a brilliant psychopath who, several years after graduating from the exclusive Harvard School in Los Angeles, formed a club he named the BBC. This club was made up of other young men from affluent families who wanted to make big money fast. The club was to be part investment and part social. The boys would live together, pool their resources and live by Joe's creed of "Paradox Philisophy", which was simply Joe's way of exercising control and manipulation over the other members.

Joe's investments soon go awry and he ends up loosing the money that other people have trusted him to invest for them. When things get out of control, Joe plots murder and kidnapping and that is when the book really takes off. I could not put it down!

This is an excellent true crime story which focuses on Joe Hunt's ruthless anti-social personality. It is an excellent portrait of an evil sociopath.

True crime fans will love this book! I highly recommend it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Young men on the fast track to making big bucks by murder., March 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Billionaire Boys Club (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book and the television movie. These young men, led by Joe Hunt, wanted to live the good life. They wanted to make huge sums of money, drive flashy, fast cars, go out with debutantes and girls of high society and live the good life. They thought they could accomplish this by becoming whiz kid stock market investors. This plan went did not succeed. Instead of making money for themselves and their clients, they lost it. All of it. As a result they resorted to murder. They killed the father of one of their kiddie group and another person who had tricked them by making them think they had successfully invested a large sum of money, only to find out it was a phony investment scheme on paper. The murder of this man was to cover the extortion of a million plus dollars from him and payback for tricking them.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible story...and it's true!! keeps you reading., August 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Billionaire Boys Club (Audio Cassette)

i have read this book 2x. when i saw the movie i had to get the book, which came out after the movie. what spoiled rich kids will do for money! what joe hunt will do for power and control. it was quite a story... and it was told well! a page turner.