The Rise and Fall of Squizzy Taylor

1920s’ Melbourne was a crime-ridden city in which no one was completely safe. Gangs operated in hotels and brothels, Fitzroy vendettas were resolved with guns, police were killed in armed robberies, and there were sly grog shops, protection rackets and armed robbery.

Through it all strode the notoriously ambitious crook ‘Squizzy’ Taylor, a celebrity gangster with a massive ego. Always one step ahead of the law with his foolproof alibis, Squizzy’s daring crimes were reported in the daily press to a public fascinated by his blatant contempt for the law and larrikin wit.

In this classic portrait of one of Australia’s most infamous criminal masterminds, Hugh Anderson provides a vivid portrait of a Melbourne underworld rife with gangland murder and greed.

Such is the ongoing fascination with Squizzy Taylor that he is now the subject of the latest Underbelly series.