First published 2005
Kurt Eichenwald reconstructs the complete Enron scandal from its origins to its catastrophic end. The New York Times reporter traces how a company beloved by Wall Street and connected to presidents disintegrated in late 2001, leaving financial devastation across multiple continents. Eichenwald takes readers inside closed-door meetings from the Oval Office to executive boardrooms, revealing previously undisclosed details about the lies and crimes that fueled the collapse. His investigation spans from Houston to Washington, from Bombay to London, following the global reach of Enron's operations and influence. The narrative features major political figures including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Colin Powell alongside corporate players like Ken Lay, Andy Fastow, and Jeff Skilling. Eichenwald transforms years of criminal investigation findings into a fast-paced account that reads like a thriller while maintaining journalistic accuracy. The book offers readers an inside view of how corporate power operates in secret and how one company's implosion changed both Wall Street and Washington forever.
Genres: history, business, crime, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: true-crime
Setting: Bombay, Houston, London, Washington
Period: 2001
768 pages · Hardcover · Broadway