Dark Towers by David Enrich Summary

Dark Towers exposes Deutsche Bank’s century-spanning history of financial misconduct, including money laundering for Russian oligarchs, ties to Donald Trump’s empire, and complicity with Nazi Germany. Investigative journalist David Enrich traces the bank’s descent into recklessness, revealing systemic fraud, market manipulation, and a culture prioritizing profit over ethics—culminating in its role as a “corporate weapon of mass destruction.”

This book is ideal for true crime enthusiasts, finance professionals, and readers interested in corporate corruption. Its blend of investigative rigor and narrative suspense appeals to fans of Bad Blood or The Big Short, offering insights into global banking’s dark underbelly and Trump-era financial entanglements.

Yes—Enrich’s meticulous research and gripping storytelling make it a standout exposé. The Philadelphia Inquirer praises it as a “jaw-dropping financial thriller,” highlighting its relevance to understanding modern banking scandals and political-financial collusion.

• Russian oligarch money laundering: Facilitated illicit fund transfers for wealthy elites.
• Trump loans: Provided billions to Donald Trump despite widespread industry skepticism about his creditworthiness.
• Nazi collaboration: Financed infrastructure projects, including Auschwitz, during WWII.
• Market manipulation: Rigged interest rates and defrauded investors.

Deutsche Bank became Trump’s primary lender when other institutions refused his high-risk deals, loaning billions over 20 years. Enrich details how the bank ignored red flags, enabling Trump’s real estate ventures and later facing scrutiny over potential conflicts during his presidency.

A Deutsche Bank executive who committed suicide in 2014, Broeksmit had deep knowledge of the bank’s illicit activities. His death spurred his son’s quest to uncover hidden documents exposing systemic fraud—a narrative thread anchoring Enrich’s investigation.

• 1880s: Bankrolled risky U.S. railroad projects.
• 1930s–1940s: Funded Nazi initiatives, including concentration camp construction.
• 1990s–2000s: Pursued Wall Street profits via unethical practices like sanction evasion.

Enrich reveals a “profits-over-ethics” mentality, where Deutsche Bank executives dismissed internal whistleblowers, hid risks, and prioritized short-term gains—a microcosm of systemic issues in global finance.

Unlike drier financial analyses, Enrich combines corporate history with human drama—including suicides, family betrayals, and cloak-and-dagger document leaks—to create a narrative The New York Times calls “explosive”.

With ongoing debates about financial regulation and political-banking ties, the book remains critical for understanding how institutions evade accountability. Its Trump-era insights also contextualize current investigations into elite financial networks.

Some reviewers note the complex web of characters may overwhelm casual readers, though others argue this mirrors the bank’s chaotic operations. Enrich avoids oversimplifying systemic corruption, which strengthens credibility but reduces accessibility.

Like Bad Blood, it exposes corporate deceit through insider accounts, but focuses on institutional—not individual—fraud. Compared to The Big Short, it offers a longer historical lens, tracing rot across decades rather than a single crisis.

The book illustrates how unchecked ambition and weak governance transform institutions into “global faces of criminality”—a cautionary tale for regulators and executives.