Unforgotten Casebook — One case. Every angle. One place.
← Reading & Watching Guides

U.S. STORIES · READING & WATCHING

Fraud Stories: Books, Dramas and Documentaries

A persuasive story can make a scam work. These three pairings examine trust, money and the gap between public image and underlying events. Choose a firsthand account for one person’s experience or reported nonfiction for a wider investigation. Then compare the film or series without assuming its reconstructed conversations are part of the historical record.

By Unforgotten Casebook · Updated · AI-assisted guide with linked sources

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon buttons marked “paid link” may earn us a commission. Affiliate disclosure

Selections are based on the documented case connection, not personal product reviews. Streaming catalogs and prices can change. These stories involve violence, loss or abuse; see the case file for content notes.

01 · Manhattan, New York

Inventing Anna

Anna Sorokin — Full Case File →

The series follows the New York fraud case involving Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey. Netflix identifies Jessica Pressler’s magazine article as its inspiration.

READ

My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress

Rachel DeLoache Williams

My Friend Anna, Rachel DeLoache Williams’s firsthand perspective on her relationship with Sorokin. This is related reading, not the source book for the Netflix series.

View Book on Amazon · paid link

Paperback · Check price and availability on Amazon.

More Formats & Stores

Choose how you want to read or watch. These are optional paid links.

View on Bookshop.org · paid linkSearch Kindle Ebook · paid linkView Audible Audiobook · paid linkSearch Used Copies on PangoBooks · paid link

Links marked “Search” show retailer results. Check the edition, current availability and US region before buying. An Audible link does not guarantee inclusion in a membership. How affiliate links work.

WATCH

Inventing Anna

Netflix’s scripted limited series, with fictionalized characters and scenes. Follow the full case file for the reporting behind the public story.

See Viewing & Format Options →

Open the case’s title listing for streaming, purchase and source details.

As You Explore: Ask whose perspective each account presents. Williams’s book and the show do not offer interchangeable versions of the events.

Source: Netflix on the article behind the series ↗

02 · New York, New York

The Wizard of Lies

Bernie Madoff — Full Case File →
Bernie Madoff
Bernie MadoffU.S. Department of Justice photograph, 2009
Photo creditU.S. Department of Justice / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government. Cropped/resized.

Diana B. Henriques’s reported book became the basis for the HBO film about Bernie Madoff.

READ

The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust

Diana B. Henriques

The financial reporting behind the story and a longer account of how trust was exploited.

View Book on Amazon · paid link

Paperback · Check price and availability on Amazon.

More Formats & Stores

Choose how you want to read or watch. These are optional paid links.

View on Bookshop.org · paid linkSearch Kindle Ebook · paid linkSearch Audiobook · paid linkSearch Used Copies on PangoBooks · paid link

Links marked “Search” show retailer results. Check the edition, current availability and US region before buying. An Audible link does not guarantee inclusion in a membership. How affiliate links work.

WATCH

The Wizard of Lies

The dramatic film; the case also lists the separate Netflix documentary series.

View on Amazon · paid link

DVD · Check edition, playback compatibility and current viewing terms.

See Viewing & Format Options →

As You Explore: A drama’s private conversations are not transcripts. Compare claims with reporting and the linked case sources.

Source: Macmillan: The Wizard of Lies ↗

03 · Houston, Texas

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron’s employees, investors & whistleblowers — Full Case File →

Alex Gibney’s documentary draws on Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind’s book about Enron’s collapse.

READ

The Smartest Guys in the Room

Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind

A detailed business narrative you can pause to understand the people, incentives and financial arrangements.

Find Book on Amazon · paid link

Title search · Confirm the author, edition and availability.

More Formats & Stores

Choose how you want to read or watch. These are optional paid links.

Search Kindle Ebook · paid linkSearch Audiobook · paid linkSearch Used Copies on PangoBooks · paid link

Links marked “Search” show retailer results. Check the edition, current availability and US region before buying. An Audible link does not guarantee inclusion in a membership. How affiliate links work.

WATCH

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

A documentary presentation that uses interviews and recorded material to tell the corporate story.

See Viewing & Format Options →

Open the case’s title listing for streaming, purchase and source details.

As You Explore: Identify the date of the edition or film. Later court developments may not appear in an earlier account.

Source: PBS Independent Lens: book and documentary ↗

Keep Your Next Story Close.

Save books and cases to My Casebook from their case pages, or sign up for new case updates. Email signup is optional and for readers 18 and older.

Get Case Updates →Explore More Guides →

Compare your next book and film with the free journal sample →