Trap Doors and Trojan Horses: An Auditing Action Adventure

by D. Larry Crumbley, Lawrence Murphy Smith, Laura Davis DeLaune

In this educational novel, the famous forensic accountant, Lenny Cramer, has joined the accounting faculty at Georgia State University. In addition to his professorial duties, he is conducting an operational audit for the international soft drink company, Coca-Cola. Espionage and fraud place Lenny's life on the line as he uncovers a scheme to steal Coke's secret formula. The story features a variety of settings, from Washington, D.C. to Poland.

As an expert in his field, Professor Cramer uses his forensic auditing knowledge to assist the Coca-Cola Company, his students, the U.S. Congress, and the legal system as an expert witness. With his assistant, Slam Duncan, an accounting Ph.D. student, he puts state-of-the-art technology to work to solve audit problems in the real world.

Trap Doors and Trojan Horses may be used near the end of an auditing or beginning of a data processing course. It would be ideal for an MBA program that has a light coverage of accounting or used in CPA firms' in-house training programs.

This educational novel illustrates the differences between a regular audit and the investigation required by forensic accountants to uncover computer fraud. Every business executive should read it, because just as termites never sleep, fraud never sleeps. And just like termites, fraud can destroy the foundation of an entity. The novel mixes fraud, crime, politics, ethics, computer techniques, expert witnessing, and auditing for a better and easier way to learn accounting. If used as a supplement to an auditing, forensic accounting, fraud examination, or a computer course, this exciting novel provides a painless way to learn auditing principles. The suspenseful story combines computer and auditing concepts in a fashion even a novice can understand and enjoy. With computer fraud losses reaching $300 billion per year, accountants must be familiar with electronic auditing. The Instructor's Resource Manual with Test Bank is available electronically on a CD or via email. Please contact Beth Hall at bhall@cap-press.com to request a copy. "With this book you get read an exciting murder mystery while at the same time learning about forensic accounting, auditing, taxation, accounting ethics, accounting information systems, and a myriad of other accounting related topics… Accounting instructors can effectively use this book as a supplemental reading assignment in various accounting courses to include auditing, forensics, information systems and ethics. The factual information provided in the novel will augment the textbook and will highlight the topics that can inspire classroom discussions. Students will find this book a painless and entertaining way of reviewing technical accounting material previously covered in class. Accountants studying for the CPA exam or forensic accounting designation exams will find the novel a good final review. Accounting practitioners will find the book to be an entertaining mystery novel set in a familiar landscape of knowledge and an interesting introduction to the relatively new field of forensics in accounting." ― Donald L. Ariail, The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepeneurship "[C]ontemporary, convincing, and eminently readable. Designed to be used as a supplement in college courses in auditing, forensic accounting, and fraud examination, the book effectively teaches while it entertains… Summing Highly recommended. Students, lower-division undergraduate through graduate level, and general readers." ― CHOICE Magazine

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for class. Way too much detail for non-accounting majors. The author spins off on too many tangents on things unrelated to the frame story. I didn't enjoy this book.

[Zoë Garland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see why this is really good for class purposes, but the excessive unneeded information was a drag at times.