The Wizard of Lies

Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust

By: Diana B. Henriques

Narrated by: Pam Ward

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 through a fraud that lasted for decades. Many have speculated about what might have happened or what must have happened, but no reporter has been able to get the full story - until now.

In The Wizard of Lies, Diana B. Henriques of the New York Times - who has led the paper's coverage of the Madoff scandal since the day the story broke - has written the definitive book on the man and his scheme, drawing on unprecedented access and more than 100 interviews with people at all levels and on all sides of the crime, including Madoff's first interviews for publication since his arrest. Henriques also provides vivid details from the various lawsuits, government investigations, and court filings that will explode the myths that have come to surround the story.

A true-life financial thriller, The Wizard of Lies contrasts Madoff's remarkable rise on Wall Street, where he became one of the country's most trusted and respected traders, with dramatic scenes from his accelerating slide toward self-destruction. It is also the most complete account of the heartbreaking personal disasters and landmark legal battles triggered by Madoff's downfall - the suicides, business failures, fractured families, shuttered charities - and the clear lessons this timeless scandal offers to Washington, Wall Street, and Main Street.

©2011 Diana B. Henriques (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Henriques offers an impressive, meticulously reported postmortem not only of the Ponzi scheme but also of Madoff's entire career.... The Wizard of Lies is the definitive book on what Madoff did and how he did it." ( Bloomberg Businessweek)

"In The Wizard of Lies, Diana Henriques, who covered the Madoff scandal for the New York Times, offers a riveting history of Mr Madoff’s shady dealings and the shattering consequences of his theft.... She offers a raw and surprisingly moving portrait about the toll that Mr Madoff’s deceit took on his family." ( The Economist)

"Entertaining.... Cogent and well researched, The Wizard of Lies is an engaging narrative…. [The book] reveals many moments where Madoff might have been stopped. But his investors were too trusting or too greedy to ask the right questions, and US regulators were too cowed and too disorganised." ( Financial Times)

Fascinating story, very well read

Everyone knows of the Madoff Ponzi scheme but when you are told the shocking details, you really have to wonder about human nature. This is a very human tale of greed, ego, and vanity. Ms.Ward is a great narrator. My only beef was Ms. Henriques was too easy on the Madoff family, I am guessing this is how she was granted access to Bernie. How could his brother and sons not know?

Great book, if you're interested

This book is very well researched and written, and the narrator did a good job. It was written in 2011, before all the legal proceedings played out for Madoff's accomplices, and I listened to it in 2020, so I had to go research what happened after the book was written. That's not a criticism of the book, of course, but just keep it in mind. I am interested in things like finance, markets and white collar crime, so I found it interesting. I do see where someone not interested in those things would get bored with some of the intricate descriptions of the details of various financial instruments and accounts. And sometimes she goes into unnecessary detail about the personal and family history of some of the "fringe" players, so that bogs it down a little. But overall, very well done, and I recommend it for anyone interested in the subject matter.

Epilouge is amazing!

The narrator is awesome! The story is bittersweet. But the epi is a gut check! Great read.

Good, but tedious at times

The book is good overall because it is well researched and a fascinating story. But it could have been shortened by several hours without leaving out any relevant information. She goes off on tangents from time to time that can leave you pleading for her to get back to the story. The performance was average.

One of best Madoff books

Really not a fan of the voice of the audiobook narrator but the story is so rich with detail. No pun intended. The movie “The Wizard of Lies” is based on this book. 2017 movie starring Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer

The audio was horrible

I quit listening after about 15 minutes because I couldn’t stand the narrator’s voice. Ended up just buying a printed copy of the book and reading it.

Shocking

It’s important to note: there is nothing new under the sun. This Ponzi scheme was like any other, this book proves how we as humans bow to money, power and social positions. An astounding commentary on greed.
I wonder who was greedier the people who endorsed Bernie, or Bernie himself.
The answer might surprise.
We all have the capacity to be Bernie, what’s more? We are all; given the opportunity greedy.

Distracting Narration

Not trying to be unkind but the narration is so awful that it’s distracting. Many words are mispronounced and unfortunately some of the worst ones are repeated over and over. For instance, brokerage is brokereege, Jewish is jeweesh, even basic is mispronounced. This occurs constantly throughout the entire book and became from irritating to maddening quickly. I couldn’t finish the book.

Narration needs praised

I like the way it was narrated also. Hello jack thanks for asking me what you have been working on

Thee best in depth studies of the Madoff scandal

This was an outstanding study of how Madoff pulled off his scam and the effects of that scam worldwide.