Synopsis
‘A stark warning to all of us about what happens when we let bankers do what they like’ – Oliver Bullough, bestselling author of Butler to the World
‘Gripping . . . Scandal after scandal’ – The Times
Discover the story behind Credit Suisse, from its scandal-ridden history to its explosive collapse.
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This is the thrilling exposé of the scandal and empty hubris that keep our biggest banks alive.
A 166-year-old bastion of Swiss banking, Credit Suisse was among the most important and influential financial institutions in the world – but a veneer of high-class service disguised a darker, dirtier reality. From its sterile Zurich headquarters, the bank catered to a clientele that included dictators, drug dealers and former Nazi officers, and helped fleece its own clients out of billions of dollars. This continued for decades, even as Credit Suisse continued to expand and grant its own executives lucrative bonus contracts.
Meltdown is the fascinating history of how the house of cards fell apart. Bloomberg investigative journalist and bestselling author of Pyramid of Lies Duncan Mavin takes readers inside the bank’s hushed marble corridors, detailing its secretive culture, its unrelenting human ambition, and the series of increasingly selfish decisions, made by a handful of men at the top, which ultimately led to disaster.
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‘A riveting autopsy of how one of banking’s titans gradually, then suddenly, crumbled under the weight of its own misdeeds’ – Bradley Hope, New York Times bestselling author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil
‘This financial thriller of a book offers a tantalizing glimpse into the rot at the heart of one of the world’s most powerful banks’ – Parmy Olson, bestselling author of We Are Anonymous and Supremacy
Details
06 November 2025
9781035037506Reviews
This isn’t just a richly detailed story about the hubris, corruption and incompetence that doomed Credit Suisse, it’s a stark warning to all of us about what happens when we let bankers do what they likeOliver Bullough, bestselling author of Butler to the World
A riveting autopsy of Credit Suisse's dramatic downfall, Mavin's Meltdown expertly dissects decades of scandal and hubris. This meticulously researched exposé reveals how one of banking's titans gradually, then suddenly, crumbled under the weight of its own misdeedsBradley Hope, New York Times bestselling author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil
We’re used by now to bankers behaving badly, yet Duncan Mavin takes it to another, shocking, anger-inducing level. Credit Suisse stood for propriety but, starting with the Holocaust and ending with the vast bank’s sudden collapse, he shows this to be a total fabricationChris Blackhurst, bestselling author of Too Big to Jail and The World's Biggest Cash Machine
Meltdown offers a gripping and meticulously researched account of Credit Suisse's downfall. Mavin uses vivid storytelling and deep insider knowledge to unravel the long history of scandal, hubris and mismanagement that ultimately led to the bank’s collapse. This financial thriller of a book offers a tantalizing glimpse into the rot at the heart of one of the world's most powerful banksParmy Olson, bestselling author of We Are Anonymous and Supremacy
