The Wealth of Shadows

A Novel

By: Graham Moore

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A thriller of a different kind—with an unlikely band of economists and bureaucrats working in the shadows to save the world.”—Charles Frazier, New York Times bestselling author of Cold Mountain

An ordinary man joins a secret mission to bring down the Nazi war machine by crashing their economy in this thrilling novel based on a true story, from the Academy Award–winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and bestselling author of The Last Days of Night.

1939. Ansel Luxford has everything a person could want—a comfortable career, a brilliant spouse, a beautiful new baby. But he is obsessed by a belief that Europe is on the precipice of a war that will grow to consume the world. The United States is officially proclaiming neutrality in any foreign conflict, but when Ansel is offered an opportunity to move to Washington, D.C., to join a clandestine project within the Treasury Department that is working to undermine Nazi Germany, he uproots his family overnight and takes on the challenge of a lifetime.

How can they defeat the enemy without firing a bullet?

To thwart the Nazis, Ansel and his team invent a powerful new theater of battle: economic warfare. Money is a dangerous weapon, and Ansel’s efforts will plunge him into a world full of peril and deceit. He will crisscross the globe to broker backroom deals, undertake daring heists, and spar with titans of industry like J.P. Morgan and the century’s greatest economic mind, Britain’s John Maynard Keynes. When Ansel’s wife takes a job with the FBI to hunt for spies within the government, the need for subterfuge extends to the home front. And Ansel discovers that he might be closer to those spies than he could ever imagine.

The Wealth of Shadows is a mind-expanding historical novel about the mysterious powers of money, the lies worth telling to defeat evil, and a hidden war that shaped the modern world.

Critic reviews

“If John le Carré and Ken Follett collaborated on a novel, they might have written one as good as The Wealth of Shadows.”—James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A thriller of a different kind—with an unlikely band of economists and bureaucrats working in the shadows to save the world. Graham Moore brilliantly balances deep research into a crucial but little-known moment of history with the tension of a complex espionage story.”—Charles Frazier, New York Times bestselling author of Cold Mountain

“Based on astonishing true events, The Wealth of Shadows is both a gripping, cinematic story of wartime subterfuge, and a powerful reminder of how even the most unlikely people can become resistance fighters during times of crisis.”—Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and Trust Her

“Fascinating and compulsively readable. Featuring an unlikely and unsung hero who outthinks some of the world’s greatest financial minds, the novel is also a deep meditation on the nature of money, a dramatic and eye-opening explanation of what really triggered our entry into World War II, and a powerful depiction of the people and forces that changed global finance forever.”—Mark Sullivan, bestselling author of All the Glimmering Stars and Beneath a Scarlet Sky

“A truly imaginative work of storytelling: part spy thriller, part novel of ideas. Graham Moore takes readers on a riveting journey full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end, all the while toying with mind-expanding ideas about what makes the economy work and money go round.”—Liaquat Ahamed, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lords of Finance

Excellent Historical Fiction!

I was honestly surprised by how much I loved this true story of a small, secret group within the US Treasury department who tried to stop Hitler by crashing the German economy. The book starts slowly, but once it gets going, the pacing really picks up and it becomes hard to put down. The author does a great job of introducing economic concepts in a way that is easy to understand. This was a different perspective on WWII than anything I've ever read before and I think that is part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. The history is fascinating and the author takes great pains to be as accurate as possible. I listened while on a long car ride with my older parents and all three of us got hooked. The narrator was terrific.

Excitement of a novel with the underpinnings and background of a history book

I liked everything about this exciting novel. It gives a real glimpse into life during World War II life in Washington DC, while transcending the complex economic war against the Nazis. Kudos for also taking a glimpse of the admittedly small, but still benevolent efforts to help the survivors of the holocaust. Another great work by Graham Moore.

Great Story

This was an amazing telling of a little-known story. The technical elements were clearly explained. Excellent narration.

Who knew economics could be so interesting

A richly illuminated tapestry of history and economics, which brought to life historical figures with rich and accurate details. An afterword provides great clarity on what is fact and what fictional elements made this a novel.

How well the story was weaved together.

I liked that the story was based on fact but used some latitude to make the timeline fit the narrative.