An account of the rise and fall of Enron, written by award-winning Fortune investigative reporters, draws on a wide range of sources while revealing the contributions of lesser-known participants in the scandal. 400,000 first printing. First serial, Fortune. Like its subject, The Smartest Guys in the Room is ambitious, grand in scope, and ruthless in its dealings. Unlike Enron, the Texas-based energy giant that has come to represent the post-millennium collapse of 1990s go-go corporate culture, it's also ultimately successful. Penned by Fortune scribes Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, the 400-page-plus chronicle of the scandal digs deep inside the numbers while, wisely, maintaining focus on the "smart guys" deep-frying the books. The likes of paternal but disengaged CEO Ken Lay (dubbed "Kenny Boy" by George W. Bush, one of many prominent public figures with whom he rubbed shoulders), cutthroat man-behind-the-curtain Jeff Skilling, and ethically blind numbers whiz Andy Fastow vividly come to life as they make a mockery of conventional accounting practices and grow increasingly arrogant and bind to their collective hubris. They're not a likable lot, and the writers find it difficult to suppress their astonishment and revulsion with the crew who rapidly went from golden boys and girls of the financial world to pariahs when the bill finally came due. The authors' unrepressed sarcasms are more than often unnecessarily given the scope of the outrage. Enron's leading lights were or a time celebrated for their ability to concoct nearly unfathomable business schemes to hide mounting shortfalls and keeping track on their machinations can be a chore, but, by sticking hard to the story behind the fall, McLean and Elkind have reported and written the definitive account of the Enron debacle. --Steven Stolder More than any other company, Enron has become synonymous with the outrageous levels of corporate greed and hubris that lie at the root of our economic woes. But the web of accounting procedures, puffed up-revenue, and complex derivatives trading was not a deliberate scheme to defraud investors; it happened through a pattern of activity that resulted from the obsession of keeping the stock price rising at any cost. This is the most thorough examination of Enron to date, based on hundreds of interviews and the examination of thousands of documents over a year and a half by two Fortune magazine reporters. Ultimately, this is a story about the personal shortcomings of the individual players, epitomized by Jeffery Skilling, the man who would rise briefly to CEO and then resign during the chaotic months before Enron's collapse. With a brilliant intelligence matched by an enormous ego, he could never admit, even to himself, that something was terribly wrong with the company he helped create. The Enron death spiral took on a life of its own, with many of the worst sins committed by employees who believed they were simply doing what they were told. Laying extensive groundwork, the authors ably convey the multidimensional nature of this story. David Siegfried Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Compelling.... a cautionary tale about highfliers who werenít as clever as they thought. -- Entertainment Weekly Masterful.... News junkies and mystery lovers who enjoy financial scandals will devour this multilayered book. -- USA Today Powerful and shocking.... Filled with fascinating characters and anecdotes. -- The New York Times Book Review Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind are both senior writers at Fortune magazine. McLean is a former analyst for Goldman Sachs. Elkind is the former associate editor of Texas Monthly . Enron energy scandal explained