The Wizard of Lies

When Madoff's $65 billion investment Ponzi scheme imploded in late 2005, NEW YORK TIMES Senior Financial Writer Henriques was covering the story. She was the first writer to be granted on-the-record interviews after his incarceration, and here she expands the reportage with vast historical research. Pam Ward's voicing is professional and well connected to the content. Her narration is also clear, evenly paced, and listenable. But the work's palpable suspense and intrigue are performed in a relentless manner, so much so that it would have benefited from a somewhat more relaxed delivery in the more neutral text passages dealing with familial and business relationships. Also, the author would have made for more absorbing reportage by offering some flashes of lightness in an otherwise entirely unfortunate and painful all-too-true story. As a result, the listener may be less than riveted despite the fascinating twists and turns of this story of greed that evolves into a portrait of being human. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine