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Conspiracy of Fools
- A True Story
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 30 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
From an award-winning New York Times reporter comes the full, mind-boggling true story of the lies, crimes, and ineptitude behind the Enron scandal that imperiled a presidency, destroyed a marketplace, and changed Washington and Wall Street forever.
It was the corporate collapse that appeared to come out of nowhere. In late 2001, the Enron Corporation - a darling of the financial world, a company whose executives were friends of presidents and the powerful - imploded virtually overnight, leaving vast wreckage in its wake and sparking a criminal investigation that would last for years.
Kurt Eichenwald transforms the unbelievable story of the Enron scandal into a rip-roaring narrative of epic proportions, taking readers behind every closed door - from the Oval Office to the executive suites, from the highest reaches of the Justice Department to the homes and bedrooms of the top officers. It is a tale of global reach - from Houston to Washington, from Bombay to London, from Munich to Sao Paolo - laying out the unbelievable scenes that twisted together to create this shocking true story.
Eichenwald reveals never-disclosed details of a story that features a cast including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul O’Neill, Harvey Pitt, Colin Powell, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alan Greenspan, Ken Lay, Andy Fastow, Jeff Skilling, Bill Clinton, Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone. With its you-are-there glimpse into the secretive worlds of corporate power, Conspiracy of Fools is an all-true financial and political thriller of cinematic proportions.
Critic reviews
- 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Nonfiction (Unabridged)
"As an unadorned attempt to get into the heads of some major manipulators, this book can hardly be bettered." (Publishers Weekly)
“The thriller of the year - and it’s all true!” (Dallas Morning News)
“Ranks with A Civil Action as one of the best nonfiction books of the last decade.” (New York Times Book Review)
"Conspiracy of Fools is a splendid achievement. Mr. Eichenwald has an encyclopedic grasp of a watershed business collapse, and has turned it into a gripping read, a true tale for our times." (The New York Times)
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This first real look inside Team Obama mixes political warfare and big-business shakeups in equal proportions, and comes from a uniquely informed source. Steve Rattner is not just the man brought in by the president to save the auto industry, he is a former New York Times financial reporter who also earned a place among the top tier of Wall Street's most informed investment bankers and corporate experts.
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Overhaul - A Memoir
- By Roy on 12-05-10
By: Steven Rattner
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The Bank That Lived a Little
- Barclays in the Age of the Very Free Market
- By: Philip Augar
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
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Based on unparalleled access to those involved, and told with compelling pace and drama, The Bank That Lived a Little is the story of one of the most familiar names on the British high street since Big Bang in 1986. Philip Augar describes in detail three decades of boardroom intrigue driven by ruthless ambition, grandiose dreams and a desire for wealth. It is a tale of a struggle for long-term supremacy between rival strategies and their adherents.
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Global superstar bankers under light-touch gov
- By Philo on 12-21-18
By: Philip Augar
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Red Notice
- A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice
- By: Bill Browder
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Red Notice is a searing expose of the wholesale whitewash by Russian authorities of Magnitsky's imprisonment and murder, slicing deep into the shadowy heart of the Kremlin to uncover its sordid truths.
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This is an absolute "YES" as your next read/listen
- By William on 02-07-15
By: Bill Browder
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The Greatest Trade Ever
- The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History
- By: Gregory Zuckerman
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2006, hedge fund manager John Paulson realized something few others suspected - that the housing market and the value of subprime mortgages were grossly inflated and headed for a major fall. Paulson's background was in mergers and acquisitions, however, and he knew little about real estate or how to wager against housing. He had spent a career as an also-ran on Wall Street. But Paulson was convinced this was his chance to make his mark. He just wasn't sure how to do it. Colleagues at investment banks scoffed at him and investors dismissed him.
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Better Books Now Available
- By David on 05-02-11
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Confidence Men
- Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 22 hrs
- Unabridged
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The hidden history of Wall Street and the White House comes down to a single American concept: confidence. Both centers of power, New York and Washington, learned how to manufacture it - until August 2007, when that confidence began to crumble. Ron Suskind here tells the story of what happened next, as Wall Street struggled to save itself while a man with little experience and soaring rhetoric emerged from obscurity to usher in "a new era of responsibility".
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Insightful, but...
- By Ray on 10-29-11
By: Ron Suskind
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A First-Class Catastrophe
- The Road to Black Monday, the Worst Day in Wall Street History
- By: Diana B. Henriques
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Monday, October 19, 1987, was by far the worst day in Wall Street history. The market fell 22.6% - almost twice as bad as the worst day of 1929 - equal to a one-day loss of nearly 5,000 points today. Black Monday was more than seven years in the making and threatened nearly every US financial institution. Drawing on superlative archival research and dozens of original interviews, Diana B. Henriques weaves a tale of missed opportunities, market delusions, and destructive actions.
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Financial History Rhymes
- By David Larson on 10-07-17
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The Money Culture
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The 1980s was the most outrageous and turbulent era in the financial market since the crash of ’29, not only on Wall Street but around the world. Michael Lewis, as a trainee at Salomon Brothers in New York and as an investment banker and later financial journalist, was uniquely positioned to chronicle the ambition and folly that fueled the decade. In these trenchant, often hilarious true tales we meet the colorful movers and shakers who commanded the headlines and rewrote the rules.
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Not the normal great Michael Lewis
- By Me on 05-12-12
By: Michael Lewis
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Exposure
- Inside the Olympus Scandal: How I Went from CEO to Whistleblower
- By: Michael Woodford
- Narrated by: Michael Woodford
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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When Michael Woodford was made president of Olympus - the company to which he had dedicated thirty years of his career - he became the first Westerner ever to climb the ranks of one of Japan’s corporate giants. Some wondered at the appointment - how could a gaijin who didn’t even speak Japanese understand how to run a Japanese company? But within months Woodford had gained the confidence of most of his colleagues and shareholders.
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Starts off great, then gets stupid
- By Happy Mountain on 10-21-21
By: Michael Woodford
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The Zeroes
- My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane
- By: Randall Lane
- Narrated by: Randall Lane
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Magazine entrepreneur Randall Lane had a prime seat at Wall Street's biggest greed fest. The Zeroes is a memoir about the excesses and bad behavior of an outsider who got pulled into a crazy, self-contained world.
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A very entertaining tale
- By andy on 11-03-13
By: Randall Lane
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Boss Life
- Surviving My Own Small Business
- By: Paul Downs
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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In 1986, fresh out of college, Paul Downs opened his first and last business: a small company that built custom furniture. With no idea how to run a business or how to build custom furniture, Downs spent a year teaching himself the business, and in 1987 he hired his first employee. That was when things got complicated.
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Just a story
- By Marsha on 12-31-15
By: Paul Downs
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The Wizard of Lies
- Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust
- By: Diana B. Henriques
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Who is Bernie Madoff, and how did he pull off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history? These questions have fascinated people ever since the news broke about the respected New York financier who swindled his friends, relatives, and other investors out of $65 billion. Many have speculated about what must have happened, but no reporter has been able to get the full story - until now. Diana B. Henriques of the New York Times has written the definitive book on the man and his scheme.
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The best of 3 madoff books
- By Angela willis on 03-18-13
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DisneyWar
- By: James B. Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 25 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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DisneyWar is an enthralling tale of one of America's most powerful media and entertainment companies, the people who control it, and those trying to overthrow them. It tells a story that - in its sudden twists, vivid, larger-than-life characters, and thrilling climax - might itself have been the subject of a Disney classic - except that it's all true.
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Really interesting story... No ending.
- By rotinaj on 12-18-17
By: James B. Stewart
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Much better than other GE books
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The definitive volume on Enron's amazing rise and scandalous fall, from an award-winning team of Fortune investigative reporters.
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An excellent book, but with a missing chapter
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Awesome book
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Much better than other GE books
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Timeless.
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In 2006, hedge fund manager John Paulson realized something few others suspected - that the housing market and the value of subprime mortgages were grossly inflated and headed for a major fall. Paulson's background was in mergers and acquisitions, however, and he knew little about real estate or how to wager against housing. He had spent a career as an also-ran on Wall Street. But Paulson was convinced this was his chance to make his mark. He just wasn't sure how to do it. Colleagues at investment banks scoffed at him and investors dismissed him.
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Better Books Now Available
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What listeners say about Conspiracy of Fools
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Adam M Pokorski
- 06-06-06
Great Story
Great listen! Couldn't put it down, all 4 volumes and 30+ hours. I was sceptical however read like a story, felt close to the characters like no other non fiction. Movie "Smartest guys..." paled in comparison. Highly recommend especially if intrigued by the scandal. The narration was also exceptional and added to my enjoyment.
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37 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Thomas
- 01-20-06
In Depth
Outstanding book that takes you through the whole story of Enron and Arthur Andersen. It allows you to know the personalities involved and make your own judgements. Very informative and enjoyable. Excellent reader also. It is a long book with lots of detail. I am very glad I listened to this book.
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28 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Kim
- 05-16-08
Highly recommended
I was hestitant about downloading this book at first, my only real knowledge of the Enron story was from the DVD, "Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room." To be honest, I found the DVD lacking in the detail I needed to understand what happened; I was bored quickly.
This account delivers! Another reviewer stated that all of the blame was placed on Fastow, I have to disagree. Fastow took advantage of an environment that allowed his actions to go unchecked and capitalized on that advantage. We've all worked for people like that (although not to this extreme, I would hope.)
The account is even-handed; there is plenty of blame to go around and the telling of the story is completely engrossing.
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25 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Scott
- 08-06-06
I could not put my iPOD away
This book is a page-turner from beginning to end. Like other very engaging books, I was swept into another world -- this one a world of corporate greed and human foibles -- and I was upset when it was over. I highly recommend this book. The subject matter might seem dry but Eichenwald cuts through the complications and weaves a fantastic story. The story is all the more chilling in its truth. Well researched and wonderfully written, I give this book my highest recommendation. I only hope that Eichenwald writes a follow-up. The subsequent conviction and death of Ken Lay reminds the reader of the very real toll this true story took on people's lives.
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22 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Roy
- 04-06-09
Take a Second Look
Remember Enron? Well, Kurt Eichenwald gives a blow-by-blow account of what happened and why. This is a good book to read as we are distanced from that disgraceful period in our financial history. The characters drawn by Eichenwald are vivid, their actions are unbelievable, and the results of their audacity are greater than we will know.
The unabridged version is the way to go so far as this audio version is concerned. Just when you think you have heard it all, something new jumps out and says "boo!" Don't be put off by the length of the audio version.
The underbelly of greed is all here. To understand what people are capable of, listen to Conspiracy of Fools. Well written and well read.
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19 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Lonewolf
- 11-01-08
Brilliant Approach!
I loved the way this book was written. The author made me feel like I was getting the inside scoop on how this disaster unfolded. I enjoyed it so much, that I listened to the entire audio twice!! I want to find more from this writer!!
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Overall
- Stanley
- 06-11-06
Fascinating doings at Enron
Although I followed the debacle at Enron as it was unfolding in the press, I was astounded by the scope of the scandal as detailed in Conspiracy. The narration is crisp, the story troubling and nearly disorienting and the detail fascinating. Most disturbing of all was the palpable absence of integrity at the highest levels of corporate enterprise and those institutions the public relied upon to check greed and mismanagement. This was a great tale, well presented and highly informative. The recently reported jury verdict convicting Lay and Skilling is the icing on the cake.
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15 people found this helpful
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- E. Hagan
- 10-14-06
Very enlightening
I really enjoyed this book, but could not help thinking that it could be slanted. It makes Fastow and Copper look extremely guilty and Skilling and Lay as just unknowing involvement. While reading it, Fastow's prison sentence was unexpectedly reduced from 10 to 6 years. Who is to know why. The courts found Skilling and Lay guilty. I would really like to ask the author how he came up with some of his information. It sounds very personal at times.
In spite of all my questions, it was very engrossing. A great listen.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Kevin
- 06-20-11
Excellent
We have all heard bits and pieces or what we thought was the whole story, but the detail in this book is incredible. This is the best audiobook I have ever listened to. Dean Robertson does a great job in subtly changing inflection for the important character voices and captures mood very well. Excellent!
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10 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn
- 11-22-13
Engrossing
I went into this not sure if a 30-hour book about Enron would really be all that interesting. However, I ended up really enjoying it. It was very, very detailed and thorough, and the author did a great job of making the financials easy to understand. I could follow what was happening with the money with no problems and I have no financial or accounting background. The book is very much a narrative, and in spite of the large cast of characters and the detailed series of events, you get so that you are really engrossed in the story. It was hard at times to remember that this all really happened! The author obviously went to a lot of trouble (as he discusses in the interesting interview with him at the end of the book) to tell the story based on facts and not demonize anyone. The people come across as authentic and complex, just like they should. Even the corrupt people can be sympathetic (or at least pathetic) at times. I was a teenager when Enron went bankrupt so I really didn't know anything about the story going in, but that didn't affect my ability to follow the book - the author didn't make any assumptions about what people already knew about Enron.
I really enjoyed the narration. It engaged me in the book and was neither over-dramatic nor monotone. There were only two or three mispronounced words that I caught, which is honestly pretty impressive in 30+ hours of reading.
My only complaint is that there wasn't another 10 hours about the trials and the aftermath. I understand why - because the trials were ongoing when the book was written - but I still wanted it to continue! In general, the ending wasn't that satisfying, but it is real life, so obviously it couldn't all get neatly wrapped up. Overall, I would recommend the book to people interested in history books, actually, since it reads like a good history book, with a clear narrative and interesting in-depth coverage of the whole history of Enron as well as its demise.
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7 people found this helpful