With a skull and crossbones on the cover, and the title of Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, Brendan Ballou's debut book pulls no punches over the perceived greed and ineptitude of many of America's private equity firms – and the damage they are causing to the economy and society. All the more surprising then that the author is neither a journalist or a retired lawman but very much an active special counsel working for the U.S. Department of Justice. Brendan clearly has a passion for the subject, matched by his deeep knowledge in the field, and his conversation with Russell Napier is as fascinating as it is alarming. Very much worth a listen.

For more information on the Advanced Valuation in Financial Markets course mentioned by Russell, please see www.didaskoeducation.org.