This book was a disappointment to me and will likely disappoint anyone that has been in the business of managing financial risk for a while. For people that are just starting their careers in the field, this may be a good starting point. I don't believe the book offers any new insight into the uses and abuses of CDOs and synthetics. I was looking for insight and inspiration for better methods and possible new product ideas. This is not the book. The color commentary of industry abuses used in the book as examples might be of interest to newbies, but old news to anyone else. This is a one-star rating for anyone with experience in the business.