Overview

In January 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. As he delivered his fiery Inaugural address, a grey-haired woman named Rosemary Vrablic sat in the VIP section of the audience. Vrablic was an executive at Deutsche Bank, and without her, Donald Trump probably wouldn’t have been moving into the White House. This is the never-before-told story of how a 150-year-old German bank became the global face of financial recklessness and criminality, a history that traces back to its role helping the Nazis build Auschwitz. In the 1990s, a succession of ruthless executives made the fateful decision to chase Wall Street riches—and set Deutsche Bank on an epic path of devastation. Its sins included manipulating markets, violating international sanctions, and laundering money for Russian oligarchs. Desperate for an American foothold, Deutsche started doing business with a self-promoting real estate magnate who most banks deemed too dangerous to touch: Donald Trump. Over the next 20 years, Deutsche executives—including a man with a damaged brain, the son of a Supreme Court justice, and Rosemary Vrablic—loaned billions to Trump and the Kushner family. Why? To unravel this mystery, the book traces the rise and fall of Bill Broeksmit, an American executive who was regarded as the conscience of Deutsche Bank. In 2014, he was found hanging in his London apartment. His son gets access to Broeksmit’s computer files and embarks on a wild quest to understand why his father killed himself. The answers he finds will help explain how Deutsche Bank became the financial equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction.

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9780063045439

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Reviews

In Dark Towers, David Enrich tells the story of how one of the world's mightiest banks careened off the rails, threatening everything from our financial system to our democracy through its reckless entanglement with Donald Trump. Darkly fascinating and yet all too real, it's a tale that will keep you up at night. -- John Carreyrou, Pulitzer Prize winner and <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Bad Blood</em> Enrich compellingly shows how unchecked ambition twisted a pillar of German finance into a reckless casino where amorality and criminality thrived. -- New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Riveting. ... A cracking read. ... Devastatingly accurate. ... This is an important book because it reveals how one bank, with questionable business practices to put it mildly, made it possible for Trump to bounce back from multiple bankruptcies, cast himself as a business visionary, and eventually run for president and win. -- Sunday Times (London) A revelatory book about the rise and fall of the world's biggest bank. ... Has all the elements of a page-turning mystery novel -- Washington Post Dark Towers is a devastating tale of a big bank gone bad. ... Enrich draws the reader in by focusing on the people in his story, displaying an Arthur-Miller-like eye for the worn-down Willy Lomans of today's Wall Street. -- Financial Times A jaw-dropping financial thriller. -- Philadelphia Inquirer Enrich delivers a master class in financial sleuthing. ... A first-rate read. -- The Guardian Exposes chaos and corruption at the bank that holds Trump's secrets. -- NPR.org In this case, 'epic' is right - Dark Towers is a mystery, a thriller, a father-son drama. Did I mention Donald Trump? It's a distinctly American drama of greed, hubris and power that kept me racing to the finish. -- James B. Stewart, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of <em>Den of Thieves</em> and <em>Deep State</em> In this masterful account of a bank gone bad, David Enrich turns financial journalism into gripping, page-turning crime reporting. Tracking the sordid history of Deutsche Bank-from financing robber barons, Nazis, and rogue states to laundering Russian money to underwriting Donald Trump to threatening global economic security - Enrich deftly delivers a compelling narrative that intertwines harrowing institutional corruption and engaging personal tales. It's a wild ride and a great read. -- David Corn, co-author, <em>Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump</em> A deep-reaching look at the inner workings of Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump's lender of choice. -- Kirkus Reviews Part expose, part mystery, Enrich's account is important because it illuminates Deutsche Bank's excesses and Trump's business practices. Readers of Andrew Sorkin's Too Big To Fail, which unveiled vulnerabilities in the financial industry, will find Enrich's more focused account equally compelling. -- Library Journal <strong>(starred review)</strong> New York Times finance editor Enrich's immersion in this shadowy world of monetary malfeasance shows how the disreputable world of big-stakes banking could topple an equally unscrupulous president. -- Booklist Propulsive, richly detailed...Enrich writes with verve...This journalistic tour de force hints that plenty of shocking secrets are yet to be revealed. -- Publishers Weekly [An] excellent, deeply reported book -- NPR The framing of responsibility versus complicity drives Enrich's subtle and exhaustive exploration of a critical question for today's politics: Would Donald Trump be president without Deutsche Bank? -- Barron's The surprisingly thrilling story of how Deutsche Bank, which loaned billions to Donald Trump, the Kushner family and Jeffrey Epstein, left a decade of destruction in its wake. -- Evening Standard (London)

Enrich delivers a master class in financial sleuthing...a first-rate read. -- The Guardian

In Dark Towers, David Enrich tells the story of how one of the world's mightiest banks careened off the rails, threatening everything from our financial system to our democracy through its reckless entanglement with Donald Trump. Darkly fascinating and yet all too real, it's a tale that will keep you up at night. -- John Carreyrou, Pulitzer Prize winner and <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Bad Blood</em> Enrich compellingly shows how unchecked ambition twisted a pillar of German finance into a reckless casino where amorality and criminality thrived. -- New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Riveting. ... A cracking read. ... Devastatingly accurate. ... This is an important book because it reveals how one bank, with questionable business practices to put it mildly, made it possible for Trump to bounce back from multiple bankruptcies, cast himself as a business visionary, and eventually run for president and win. -- Sunday Times (London) A jaw-dropping financial thriller. -- Philadelphia Inquirer Enrich delivers a master class in financial sleuthing. ... A first-rate read. -- The Guardian A revelatory book about the rise and fall of the world's biggest bank. ... Has all the elements of a page-turning mystery novel -- Washington Post Exposes chaos and corruption at the bank that holds Trump's secrets. -- NPR.org &#8220In this case, 'epic' is right - Dark Towers is a mystery, a thriller, a father-son drama. Did I mention Donald Trump? It's a distinctly American drama of greed, hubris and power that kept me racing to the finish. -- James B. Stewart, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of <em>Den of Thieves</em> and <em>Deep State</em> In this masterful account of a bank gone bad, David Enrich turns financial journalism into gripping, page-turning crime reporting. Tracking the sordid history of Deutsche Bank-from financing robber barons, Nazis, and rogue states to laundering Russian money to underwriting Donald Trump to threatening global economic security - Enrich deftly delivers a compelling narrative that intertwines harrowing institutional corruption and engaging personal tales. It's a wild ride and a great read. -- David Corn, co-author, <em>Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump</em> A deep-reaching look at the inner workings of Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump's lender of choice. -- Kirkus Reviews Part expose, part mystery, Enrich's account is important because it illuminates Deutsche Bank's excesses and Trump's business practices. Readers of Andrew Sorkin's Too Big To Fail, which unveiled vulnerabilities in the financial industry, will find Enrich's more focused account equally compelling. -- Library Journal <strong>(starred review)</strong> New York Times finance editor Enrich's immersion in this shadowy world of monetary malfeasance shows how the disreputable world of big-stakes banking could topple an equally unscrupulous president. -- Booklist Propulsive, richly detailed...Enrich writes with verve...This journalistic tour de force hints that plenty of shocking secrets are yet to be revealed. -- Publishers Weekly [An] excellent, deeply reported book -- NPR The framing of responsibility versus complicity drives Enrich's subtle and exhaustive exploration of a critical question for today's politics: Would Donald Trump be president without Deutsche Bank? -- Barron's Dark Towers is a devastating tale of a big bank gone bad. ... Enrich draws the reader in by focusing on the people in his story, displaying an Arthur-Miller-like eye for the worn-down Willy Lomans of today's Wall Street. -- Financial Times The surprisingly thrilling story of how Deutsche Bank, which loaned billions to Donald Trump, the Kushner family and Jeffrey Epstein, left a decade of destruction in its wake. -- Evening Standard (London)

In Dark Towers, David Enrich tells the story of how one of the world's mightiest banks careened off the rails, threatening everything from our financial system to our democracy through its reckless entanglement with Donald Trump. Darkly fascinating and yet all too real, it's a tale that will keep you up at night. -- John Carreyrou, Pulitzer Prize winner and <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Bad Blood</em> Enrich compellingly shows how unchecked ambition twisted a pillar of German finance into a reckless casino where amorality and criminality thrived. -- New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Riveting. ... A cracking read. ... Devastatingly accurate. ... This is an important book because it reveals how one bank, with questionable business practices to put it mildly, made it possible for Trump to bounce back from multiple bankruptcies, cast himself as a business visionary, and eventually run for president and win. -- Sunday Times (London) A jaw-dropping financial thriller. -- Philadelphia Inquirer Enrich delivers a master class in financial sleuthing. ... A first-rate read. -- The Guardian A revelatory book about the rise and fall of the world's biggest bank. ... Has all the elements of a page-turning mystery novel -- Washington Post Exposes chaos and corruption at the bank that holds Trump's secrets. -- NPR.org &#8220In this case, 'epic' is right - Dark Towers is a mystery, a thriller, a father-son drama. Did I mention Donald Trump? It's a distinctly American drama of greed, hubris and power that kept me racing to the finish. -- James B. Stewart, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of <em>Den of Thieves</em> and <em>Deep State</em> In this masterful account of a bank gone bad, David Enrich turns financial journalism into gripping, page-turning crime reporting. Tracking the sordid history of Deutsche Bank-from financing robber barons, Nazis, and rogue states to laundering Russian money to underwriting Donald Trump to threatening global economic security - Enrich deftly delivers a compelling narrative that intertwines harrowing institutional corruption and engaging personal tales. It's a wild ride and a great read. -- David Corn, co-author, <em>Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump</em> A deep-reaching look at the inner workings of Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump's lender of choice. -- Kirkus Reviews Part expose, part mystery, Enrich's account is important because it illuminates Deutsche Bank's excesses and Trump's business practices. Readers of Andrew Sorkin's Too Big To Fail, which unveiled vulnerabilities in the financial industry, will find Enrich's more focused account equally compelling. -- Library Journal <strong>(starred review)</strong> New York Times finance editor Enrich's immersion in this shadowy world of monetary malfeasance shows how the disreputable world of big-stakes banking could topple an equally unscrupulous president. -- Booklist Propulsive, richly detailed...Enrich writes with verve...This journalistic tour de force hints that plenty of shocking secrets are yet to be revealed. -- Publishers Weekly [An] excellent, deeply reported book -- NPR The framing of responsibility versus complicity drives Enrich's subtle and exhaustive exploration of a critical question for today's politics: Would Donald Trump be president without Deutsche Bank? -- Barron's

Author Information

David Enrich is the Business Investigations Editor at the New York Times and the #1 bestselling author of Dark Towers. He previously was an editor and reporter at the Wall Street Journal. He has won numerous journalism awards, including the 2016 Gerald Loeb Award for feature writing. His first book, The Spider Network: How a Math Genius and Gang of Scheming Bankers Pulled Off One of the Greatest Scams in History, was short-listed for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. Enrich grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, and graduated from Claremont McKenna Collee in California. He currently lives in New York with his wife and two sons.

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