Recommended reading for anyone working in fraud, AML or compliance

This article is for professionals in fraud, AML, and compliance looking for book recommendations that are both insightful and highly enjoyable.

Knowledge is essential in the world of financial crime and the learning doesn’t have to stop on holiday, explains Pallavi Kapale, Senior Financial Crime Officer (2LOD) at Bank of China.

Summer is a time to recharge, which for many of us means settling down with a book or two. As an avid reader, I’ve found that financial crime books aren’t just an opportunity for continuous learning – they’re an engaging and illuminating reading experience too. In a recent LinkedIn post, I shared a list of the best books I’ve read in this field and asked my network for further recommendations.

Books worth reading if you work in fraud, compliance, or AML

Lots of titles were suggested, some of which I’m delighted to share here. One thing is certain: though the stakes (and the stress levels) can be high in this sector, it certainly isn’t dull. Few sectors would generate a list as readable as this one. It’s a globe-spanning collection of thought-provoking books that are, at heart, human stories.

Altogether, around a hundred titles were shared. I’ve trimmed that down to ones that were selected multiple times and grouped them into four rough themes. You’ll find explorations of finance and business, and within them, stories of greed, heroism, duplicity, and even romance. Whether you’re looking to unwind, reflect, or dig deeper into the world of illicit finance, there’s something here for every kind of reader.

True crime meets finance

Real-world cases offering both professional insight and page-turning drama.

• Billion Dollar Whale, Tom Wright & Bradley Hope
  The rise and fall of Jho Low and the 1MDB scandal, told with precision and pace.

• The Infiltrator, Robert Mazur
  A DEA agent goes undercover inside Pablo Escobar’s money-laundering empire.

• The Lucky Laundry, Nathan Lynch
  A hard look at Australia’s vulnerabilities to dirty money.

• Money Men, Dan McCrum
  The Wirecard scandal, uncovered by a determined journalist who refused to back down.

• Chasing Shadows, Miles Johnson
  A US Drug Enforcement Administration agent follows a money trail that implicates the Mafia and Syrian terrorists.

Policy, power and politics

How systemic corruption, geopolitics, and weak governance fuel financial crime at scale.

• Moneyland and Butler to the World, Oliver Bullough
  The two most-recommended books on the list come from British writer Oliver Bullough. Moneyland maps how global elites hide across borders, while Butler to the World reveals the UK’s role as enabler of choice for global oligarchs, shell companies and secrecy.

• Putin’s People, Catherine Belton
  How KGB networks captured the Russian state and the implications for global finance.

• Red Notice, Bill Browder
  More from Putin’s Russia, this time on the murder of a lawyer who intended to testify against Russian officials in a corruption case.

• Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall
  A geopolitical primer on how borders, terrain and access shape risk and opportunity.

• The War on Dirty Money, Nicholas Gilmour & Tristram Hicks
  A frank look at why financial crime enforcement often fails and what could be done better.

Smart thinking

Not about financial crime, these books should still be interesting to those in the sector.

• Snakes in Suits, Paul Babiak & Robert D. Hare
  Up to five percent of the population are thought to be psychopaths. This book explains what to do if you end up working with — or for — one of them.

• Humanizing Rules, Christian Hunt
  A thoughtful case for better compliance, not through more rules but with rules that are more human-centred.

• Poached, Rachel Love Nuwer
  Illegal wildlife trafficking, through the lens of global supply chains and black-market incentives.

• Very Bad People, Patrick Alley
  Behind the scenes of anti-corruption NGO Global Witness, and the dark networks they expose.

• Narconomics, Tom Wainwright
  What can drug cartels teach us about economics?

Crypto, hackers and technology

The mechanics and madness of digital disruption, from blockchain crime to cyber heists.

• Crypto Wars, Erica Stanford
  A brisk explanation of how lack of regulation and new technology help create crypto scams.

• The Crypto Launderers, David Carlisle
  The impact of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on digital financial crime.

• Number Go Up, Zeke Faux
  A first-hand account of the crypto bubble, revealing how fraud thrives amid hype.

• The Lazarus Heist and Rinsed, Geoff White
  The Lazarus Heist uncovers North Korean cybercrime and billion-dollar bank hacks. White’s second appearance on the list, Rinsed, explores money mules, online scams, and the people caught in the middle.

• Cobalt Red, Siddharth Kara
  Investigating the human cost of the digital supply chain, from Congo’s mines to our smartphones.

• Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love with You, Becky Holmes
  A witty, painful memoir of online romance scams, by someone who trolled the scammers back.

What would you add? Got a favourite title that’s not on the list? Let us know! Big thanks to everyone who joined the LinkedIn conversation for helping spark this list.