This book tells the story brilliantly. Business books are usually boring, but this one is well paced and cleverly organised. It also draws some devastating conclusions about our over-financialised economies ... In a scorching epilogue the authors draw all the right conclusions ... This is tough stuff and this is a tough book that should contribute to much greater scepticism about the bloated financial system. But it probably won’t. Money talks, or rather as Bob Dylan sang, it swears.
Clark and Louch['s]...excellent book, which is more true crime than finance, describes in cinematic detail how Naqvi and his colleagues pumped up valuations, moved money between the company, its funds and their personal accounts, and lied about performance. It was a classic Ponzi scheme that needed to keep raising ever bigger sums to keep going ... raises uncomfortable questions for impact investing, which aims to deliver social or environmental benefits alongside returns for investors.
... a riveting chronicle of the meteoric rise and scandalous fall of the Dubai private equity firm Abraaj and its conniving founder, Arif Naqvi ... The narrative moves at a fast clip, and extensive interviews with former Abraaj employees strengthen the shock of Naqvi’s 'masterful performance.' This deeply reported tale captivates.
