This is The Guardian.

Hello, my name is Claire Longerick, and I'm the deputy editor of the Guardian Longreed.

This summer, we want to bring you our top picks of the year so far on the audio long read.

Today I'd like to introduce a piece by Hetty O'Brien called

An English Gentleman, A Crooked Lawyer, The Secrets of Stephen David Jones.

Jones, a solicitor, is introduced as a master at whittling down tax bills,

but quickly builds a large and profitable practice involving offshore accounts in tax havens.

He plays on the image of English probity, appearing plausible and charming,

the epitome of an urbane, chivalrous

Englishman and wearer of waistcoats.

From the minute Jones sets up an offshore trust for a client with his own company as the

sole trustee, alarm bells go off in the reader's mind.

As his brazen dealings engulf more and more people, the story

has you jumping out of your seat. Hedy managed to speak to former associates and even his brother,

who provide fascinating insights into his character and motivations, including Jones's Christian faith,

which is sort of a shock considering he was engaged in high-level tax

avoidance and fraud. The details of Jones's increasingly convoluted deals get stranger and stranger,

like a £120,000 commission collected in cash from a money transfer shop in Strattum in small

plastic bags. But the people involved are too far gone, too invested and too trusting, to say, wait a minute.

The man at the centre of this trail of debt, fraud and betrayal, meanwhile, appears untethered from reality,

out of his depth and fighting to keep his head above water, deluded about his own skills and

control of his assets. It's a gripping tale, brilliantly told, as entertaining and enraging

...