For years, I have tried to read everything written by investment guru Barton Biggs. He was a senior partner at Morgan Stanley for decades and now runs a large hedge fund. For the first time, he has now written a work of fiction, called “A Hedge Fund Tale of Reach and Grasp.”

It is an easy read that I can recommend to non-investment professionals. While you will agree it is not the writing of a Steinbeck or a Hemingway, you will nonetheless learn a good deal from this work of fiction. He explains some of the things that happen inside hedge funds in a breezy, understandable manner. It is also a good primer on the causes of the last financial crisis, which are easily recognizable. Lastly, he also looks into the psyche of the hedge fund kings, how consumed they are by their work, how dedicated they are to ostentation, and how awful their lives are. At the end, the former kings of finance suffer as mere mortals. But, one thing I didn’t learn from this book was how to feel sorry for them . . .