Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff

“Accurate and highly readable.”

—Wall Street Journal

Emmy award-winning journalist Andrew Kirtzman, explores “The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff” in Betrayal—an in-depth, personal look at the architect of the biggest financial fraud in history. The New York Times calls Betrayal, “a novelistic, you-are-there sort of narrative,” and the shocking story of the King of the Swindlers—and his hundreds of celebrity and corporation victims, and the everyday people who tragically invested their life savings with him—does indeed read like a page-turning thriller. But it’s all amazingly, disturbingly true.

This is the story of the greatest con in financial history-it has commanded the attention of the entire world from the day the news broke on December 11, 2008, and continues to do so! Virtually every day there is another story about Madoff, his victims, his enablers, the world-wide financial institutions that have been crippled by his ponzi scheme. People who should have known better, didn′t-because of greed and complacency.

There are thousands of victims who range from the bold-faced names-Steven Spielberg, Jeff Katzenberg, Mort Zuckerman, Kevin Bacon, Elie Wiesel-titans of business, two of whom committed suicide-to people like us who were left nest eggs by parents and spouses and have seen their money disappear in a smoke and mirrors debacle. Then there are the stories behind his "enablers" who gambled with billions entrusted to them by their clients-without doing any due diligence. And of course the religious institutions who lost their entire endowments because of their naïve trust in this con man. The Enron machinations pale beside the havoc that Madoff has wrecked around the world! And then there is the SEC-asleep at the wheel. There is enough drama and mystery here to fill a dozen books.

Despite all the articles that dissect every aspect of the case, there are four basic questions that keep being asked:

1. Who is this guy, Bernie Madoff? Evil? A sociopath? Genius? WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

2. Who was in on it with him? His sons? Wife? Brother? Nieces and nephews?

3. How did he do it? Was it a complex process or was it a simple ponzi scheme like others differing only in magnitude?

4. WHERE IS THE MONEY?

Andrew Kirtzman′s analysis of the man and the deed is filled with solid research and suspensful storytelling-he has established himself as THE expert on the Madoff case, appearing on WCBS, Fox News, CNN, and in numerous print medias.

“Andrew Kirtzman’s Betrayal offers the biggest payoff of the three [Madoff] books. It’s a perfect meld of business details and personalities. . . . He has perfect pitch when it comes to the agony and shame of the Jewish community.” - Time magazine

“Kirtzman’s book is the more engaging read, focusing much more on Madoff himself and on the anger and shame his crimes provoked, whether in the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York or the confines of the Palm Beach Country Club in Florida.” - Reuters

“Accurate and highly readable.” - Wall Street Journal