Bean Counters: The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism by Richard Brooks

ISBN: 9781786490315

Atlantic Books, March 2019

368 pages, Paperback

'A devastating exposé.' Mail on Sunday

They helped cause the 2008 financial crash.
They created a global tax avoidance industry.
They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government...

The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite, with an average partner's salary rivalling that of a Premier League footballer. How has this seemingly humdrum profession achieved this, and what price are we paying for their excesses? Informed by numerous insider interviews, investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping exposé of the accountancy industry. This is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy really works.