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Chameleon is a contemporary thriller about big money, high ambition, and low morals. Only an insider could tell a story exposing the financial world’s vanity and greed in a way both thought-provoking and eye opening.
 
Financial adventurer Jon Phillips has worked his way up to the very top of one of Wall Street’s largest investment banks as its head bond trader. He is living the American dream in the heart of New York’s decadent banking community, but after years of selfishness and extravagance he begins to yearn for a change that will help him rediscover his roots and lost identity. He is planning his exit through an unprecedented, complex and ultimately fraudulent deal in the US government bond market that will financially secure his future. The trade is one of the largest ever seen on Wall Street. Unbeknownst to Jon, a high-ranking colleague, who sits on the bank’s main board, has teamed up with a Russian financier in order to provide Jon with one of the key elements vital to the success of his ingenious scheme. 
 
The deal goes spectacularly wrong and Jon’s world subsequently collapses. As the Russians desperately attempt to recover their lost millions, Jon is thrown into a deadly game of cat and mouse. From the seedy nightspots of downtown New York City to the plush yacht clubs of the Hamptons, the venerable country houses of England, and the endless beaches of Southern Australia, past lovers, new menaces, and a number of apparently accidental deaths line his trail. Jon’s survival now depends on his ability to put the past behind him and become a calculated predator instead of the vulnerable prey.

Film rights to Chameleon have been optioned by internationally acclaimed producer Izidore Codron (Codron's recent credits include the Academy Award nominated Hotel Rwanda).

Richard Hains has just completed the final draft of the screenplay and the development of the film, "Chameleon," is currently in pre-production. The formal pre-production launch will take place at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival in France."

A Scorpio born in the Chinese year of the Tiger, Hains has blazed a unique and mysterious trail leading from Australia's outback to Mongolia's dangerous gold mining industry, and on to London's trendiest nightspots and stately manors. Now he's taken the literary world by storm with his first novel, Chameleon, a sexy financial thriller that leads his hero on a flight for his life across the continents.

 

No wonder Tatler calls him the Australian Bruce Almighty.

Hains' polish, humor and slight air of arrogance are part of his charm and, unmistakably, traits he's spent some time cultivating. But spend more time with him and you'll find someone who is reluctant to throw himself into the spotlight

Although he loves to play hard, he also believes in hard work, simple ethics, and often considers himself to be an under-achiever, despite his success in the financial, mining and literary worlds. He reluctantly admits that a sense of contentment is not something easily found, but whether it's opening a goldmine in Mongolia, running a large private hedge fund or writing his first novel. This man is always on the move.

Hains appears a tad eccentric. He keeps wallabies on his property in the UK, is superstitious and admits to being a little obsessive, "without which, I would have never finished this novel," he laughs. He has a strong a commercial streak, leaves very little to chance and admits to a keen sense of responsibility.

It's no surprise that the Tatler compared this first-time novelist (with the handsome leading man looks) to an intriguing combination of James Bond, Jay Gatsby, and Thomas Crown – a blend that seems oddly to fit, but with unique Hains overtones.

It would also surprise most to find out that this modern-day playboy is a hands-on dad to his three children. His private life is guarded closely but he admits it has changed significantly over the last few years. It is now scattered with glamorous parties and dates with some of the most beautiful women in Europe. Richard would seem to have it all, but he is quick to remind you that a sense of well being comes from within and he adds that his priorities are firmly his children and his commercial commitments, one of which is his book, Chameleon. "The book begun as an interest, became a distraction and developed into an obsession," he laughs, but such behavior is typical of Hains. "I believe to do things really well requires a degree of obsession . . . in anything you do."

Born in Australia, Richard currently divides his time between London and New York.

Read More about Richard Hains in
The Tatler and The Financial Times.


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