Founded in 1823, Cazenove & Co. was the most prestigious stockbroking firm in the City of London, celebrated for its fabled placing power and for its unrivalled network of client relationships. Fiercely independent, the firm had always maintained a low profile, shunning the press and refusing to disclose details of its own affairs or those of its clients.

When Big Bang revolutionised the City in 1986, Cazenove was the only one of the major stockbroking partnerships to stand apart from the merger frenzy which followed, rejecting the conventional wisdom of the day and resolutely following its own path. So the City was stunned when, in November 2000, Cazenove announced that it would abandon its partnership structure, raise external capital and list its shares on the London Stock Exchange.

Working closely with Chairman and City legend David Mayhew, Robert Pickering led the firm as Chief Executive throughout this period, as the pair sought to define Cazenove's future in an industry which was becoming increasingly dominated by huge international banks.

Blue Blood is a first-hand account of what it was like to manage an investment bank through a period of tumultuous change, and how Cazenove evolved from a private partnership into a modern investment bank as part of the hard-charging American giant J.P. Morgan.