Total Risk: Nick Leeson and the Fall of Barings Bank

Rating:
Summary: Pretty dull really
Review: This is an account which does not delve enough into the psychology of Nick Leeson personally (as opposed to traders generally) to be interesting, and is too apologetic for the management debacle that was Barings. Skip it. Nick's disingenous account is better. Lefevre's story of about stock operators is better still

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Unlike the previous reviewer, I found the book to be a captivating and educational read! The plot held my attention throughout the book, even through the technical descriptions of how investment futures work. I felt that the book was a balanced blend of story and analysis. If you want more than a superficial account of the Barings debacle, this is a good book for you.

It is true that this author focuses as much on the role of management in the fall of Barings as on Nick Leeson's role in it, which is fine. It is an opinion that she substantiates somewhat persuasively throughout the book. The reader gets the sense that Nick was just an opportunist who took advantage of a glaring management weakness at Barings. (The author will not be able to persuade you, however, that Nick is just a good guy who slipped. He's scum. I think the author was too lenient with him.) But through her account of Baring Bank's mismanagement of its Futures division, the author provides a very useful lesson for senior management out there.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Unlike the previous reviewer, I found the book to be a captivating and educational read! The plot held my attention throughout the book, even through the technical descriptions of how investment futures work. I felt that the book was a balanced blend of story and analysis. If you want more than a superficial account of the Barings debacle, this is a good book for you.

It is true that this author focuses as much on the role of management in the fall of Barings as on Nick Leeson's role in it, which is fine. It is an opinion that she substantiates somewhat persuasively throughout the book. The reader gets the sense that Nick was just an opportunist who took advantage of a glaring management weakness at Barings. (The author will not be able to persuade you, however, that Nick is just a good guy who slipped. He's scum. I think the author was too lenient with him.) But through her account of Baring Bank's mismanagement of its Futures division, the author provides a very useful lesson for senior management out there.