While visiting his ailing father in Sydney, the author discovers an old suitcase thrown out on the street. Curiosity gets the better of him and he opens it. Inside are hundreds of photographs, newspaper clippings and letters, all addressed to Mr Blank. And so the process of discovery begins: Who is Mr Blank? A maverick entrepreneur with the Midas touch, a convicted criminal with impeccable tastes, a publican and theatre impresario, a gap-toothed lover of beautiful women from all over the world. Mr Blank flew above the law and mainly below the radar of twentieth century Australia. And not everyone wants his past, or their part in it, to be revealed.

About the author. Dean Manning is a musician and visual artist. His catalogue of over a hundred songs includes the APRA Song of the Year ‘Even When I'm Sleeping’ by Leonardo’s Bride. Manning regularly exhibits his paintings and Super 8 films and has been a finalist in the Archibald, Sulman and Moran Portrait prizes.

About the narrator. Geoff Morrell is one of Australia’s leading stage and screen actors in a career spanning 45 years. Nominated for both the Silver Logie and AACTA Awards for best leading actor on 10 different occasions, he has also worked on numerous productions with Australia’s leading theatre companies. He was awarded the 2001 AACTA for his work in Grassroots, and in 2024 received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Wollongong University for his contribution to the arts.