Bean Counters

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 expose of the accountancy industry. This is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy really works.

"An improbably rollicking history of the accountancy profession - Such a good book."
Oliver Bullough, Prospect

"Gripping... A must read."
Margaret Hodge. Member of Parliament

"A devastating expose".
Mail on Sunday

"Wildly readable."
Sunday Times