The Hellhound of Wall Street: How Ferdinand Pecora’s Investigation of the Great Crash Forever Changed American Finance

Ferdinand Pecora’s famous 10-day investigation into the secrets of Wall Street in 1933 makes a superb story…It has an ideal storyteller in Michael Perino. -Financial Times A riveting courtroom drama with remarkable contemporary relevance, The Hellhound of Wall Street brings to life a crucial turning point in American financial history: the 1933 hearings that put Wall Street on trial for the Great Crash. Michael Perino recreates the ten dramatic days when Ferdinand Pecora, a Sicilian immigrant turned Senate investigator, cross-examined the officers of National City Bank (today’s Citigroup), particularly its chairman, Charles Mitchell, one of the best-known bankers of his day. Pecora’s rigorous questioning exposed City Bank’s shocking financial abuses, revelations that galvanized public opinion and led directly to the New Deal’s landmark economic reforms.