God's Banker: The Life and Death of Roberto Calvi

by Rupert Cornwell

good condition

Genres: Business, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Mystery

263 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 1983

About the author

Rupert Cornwell (died 31 March 2017) was a British journalist connected with The Independent newspaper for thirty years.

Reviews

[Mike]

For anyone wanting the thrills and spills of a financial thriller, mixed with the corruption of politics and religion, albeit complicated, this is a marvelous read with a fascinating story.

[Scott Wilson]

3.5 If you took the Madoff scandal and combined it with Enron you would have Italy's Banco Ambrosiano. Corruption and fraud on a massive scale with the mob, the Vatican and more than one political party involved. Once again I'm shocked how so many corrupt people can get away with their crimes for so long. The lack of oversight is inexplicable leaving thousands and thousands of innocent people holding the bag.

The first 2/3 of the book was a little dry because it was so hard to follow all the players, subsidiaries and shell companies. Maybe it was just me but I found it tough to follow. Just like with Enron, the corruption was very complicated by design to keep anybody from seeing it.

As the walls started to close in on Roberto Calvi and his bank the book got better. I could feel the desperation for Calvi leading ultimately to his famous death hanging from Blackfriars Bridge.

Interesting story but a little tough understand.

[Ian Headon]

Amazing story well told

[David Buchan]

Fascinating insight into the corrupt and fraudulent reign of Roberto Calvi over Banco Ambrosiano creating a $1,287 million financial black hole. Rupert Cornwell focuses on:

1. Calvi's unregulated overseas shell companies, which were used to illegally export funds out of Italy and then reinvest them to artificially support the share price of Banco Ambrosiano and other assets.
2. Calvi's relationship with the Vatican bank.

Calvi's involvement with the infamous P2 Freemasonry lodge, corrupt politicians and the Italian mafia is noted, but still shrouded under the same veil of secrecy as his death - hung under Blackfriars bridge in London. An great account of the financial transactions without illuminating all of hidden the underworld motivations.