This work investigates the systemic failures and individual greed that led to the collapse of the Canadian Commercial Bank and the broader implications for the national financial regulatory framework. The authors, both experienced investigative journalists, utilize extensive interviews with bank insiders, government officials, and victims to reconstruct the timeline of the institution's decline. They argue that a combination of lax oversight, speculative lending, and institutional hubris created a environment where fraud and mismanagement could thrive unchecked.

Critics and financial historians frequently cite this book as a definitive account of the 1985 Canadian bank failures. Readers often note the journalistic clarity of the prose, which makes complex financial mismanagement accessible to a general audience.