Like the courtesans of a bygone age, hedge funds cater to the wealthy and project an aura of mystery and excitement. But as the Long Term Capital Management debacle showed, their activities affect us all.
Far from neutralising risk, as their name might suggest, some are simply vehicles for large-scale speculation - raiding currencies, disrupting bond markets, and embarrassing governments.
This book looks in detail at the secret world of hedge funds, how they work, the larger than life characters who run them, their private passions and the risks they run.