This book is a remarkable achievement.  It is as gripping as a thriller, yet it manages to explain the financial innovation that triggered the 2007-8 financial crisis straightforward terms.  It provides a lucid introduction to the world of sub-prime mortgages, asset backed securities and credit default swaps through the eyes of personalities who understood what was going on – and profited handsomely in consequence.

       From Liar’s Poker on, Lewis has demonstrated the capacity to illuminate a complex issue with a telling observation that is the hallmark of the best non-fiction prose.  This is the only book on the financial crisis that you can read on the beach or poolside.  Whether you knew nothing about the industry or a great deal, you will find much of interest and much to learn.