100 Years of Wall Street Crooks

If this book had been written just a little later, it might have included Sam Bankman-Fried, the FTX founder recently charged with fraud. Even if he had been included, though, this book likely wouldn’t be entirely comprehensive. From what I understand of Wall Street, there must be far more than the thirty-three white-collar thieves listed in these pages.

Those thirty-three, though, are enough to make for a fascinating portrait of the monetary crimes in some of America’s most well-known financial institutions. Many of the names will be familiar, but some will be new to readers. This book makes for a good introduction and a good jumping-off point for anyone interested in financial malfeasance.

Anyone interested in learning more, though, will have to pursue that research on their own. If Hall had included recommendations for further reading or a list of his own sources, I would have given this book five stars. As it is, it feels a little unfinished, especially as the chapters move so quickly. A lot of information is thrown at the reader at once, which can be difficult to absorb on the first reading. This is an interesting, well-written book, but it could still have been improved.