81 books like Billionaire Wilderness

By Justin Farrell,

Here are 81 books that Billionaire Wilderness fans have personally recommended if you like Billionaire Wilderness. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Billion Dollar Whale

Kimberly Kay Hoang Author Of Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets

From my list on global financial elites.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, and I am interested in global capitalism, financial elites, and all aspects of how people broker capital deals. I am a scholar of anti-heroes who studies all of the ways that people play in the gray. My first book, Dealing in Desire, is an ethnography where I embedded myself in several different hostess bars to study the relationship between sex work and financial deal-making. I grew up in California but have lived most of my adult life in Ho Chi Minh City, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. 

Kimberly's book list on global financial elites

Kimberly Kay Hoang Why did Kimberly love this book?

I loved this book because it is such an incredible example of brave journalism that exposes one of the biggest global financial scandals in history. The book outlines an intricate web of corruption involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. It draws connections between Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the United States of America.

I love how they tell the story of an awkward schoolboy who finds a way to make it in with some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities and some of the most reputable financial institutions, like Goldman Sachs. The book also shows who the “fall people” are, who bear all of the criminal risks while the mastermind, Jho Low, has not been caught. 

By Tom Wright, Bradley Hope,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Billion Dollar Whale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 2009, with the dust yet to settle on the financial crisis, a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude was being set into motion. It began in Malaysia and would spread around the world, touching some of the world's leading financial firms, A-list Hollywood celebrities, supermodels, Las Vegas casinos and nightclubs, and even the art world. Now known as the 1MDB affair, the scandal would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system.

Federal agents who helped unravel Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme say the 1MDB affair will become the textbook case of financial fraud in the…


Book cover of Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent

Kimberly Kay Hoang Author Of Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets

From my list on global financial elites.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, and I am interested in global capitalism, financial elites, and all aspects of how people broker capital deals. I am a scholar of anti-heroes who studies all of the ways that people play in the gray. My first book, Dealing in Desire, is an ethnography where I embedded myself in several different hostess bars to study the relationship between sex work and financial deal-making. I grew up in California but have lived most of my adult life in Ho Chi Minh City, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. 

Kimberly's book list on global financial elites

Kimberly Kay Hoang Why did Kimberly love this book?

I love this book because it is one of those rare books written by a woman who trained to become a wealth manager in order to tell a story about how the ultra-rich keep getting richer despite taxes on income, capital gains, property, and inheritance. In her groundbreaking investigations, she follows the money of the ultra-wealthy through some of the most popular offshore tax havens. She also interviews wealth managers to shed light on how they help their clients dodge taxes and creditors and hide money from their families. I am in awe of the author's achievement. 

By Brooke Harrington,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Capital without Borders as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A timely account of how the 1% holds on to their wealth...Ought to keep wealth managers awake at night."
-Wall Street Journal

"Harrington advises governments seeking to address inequality to focus not only on the rich but also on the professionals who help them game the system."
-Richard Cooper, Foreign Affairs

"An insight unlike any other into how wealth management works."
-Felix Martin, New Statesman

"One of those rare books where you just have to stand back in awe and wonder at the author's achievement...Harrington offers profound insights into the world of the professional people who dedicate their lives to…


Book cover of Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China

Kimberly Kay Hoang Author Of Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets

From my list on global financial elites.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, and I am interested in global capitalism, financial elites, and all aspects of how people broker capital deals. I am a scholar of anti-heroes who studies all of the ways that people play in the gray. My first book, Dealing in Desire, is an ethnography where I embedded myself in several different hostess bars to study the relationship between sex work and financial deal-making. I grew up in California but have lived most of my adult life in Ho Chi Minh City, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. 

Kimberly's book list on global financial elites

Kimberly Kay Hoang Why did Kimberly love this book?

I found this book to be a raw act of bravery. Desmond Shum describes his and his ex-wife Whitney Duan’s economic ascendancy in China as they climbed to become part of a billionaire class. Shum describes all of the ways they had to play in the gray in order to successfully execute massive real estate and airport projects. On a personal level, he takes you inside his life as an elite, purchasing expensive homes, vehicles, and art. But just as quickly as they rose, his wife vanished as part of the party’s use of extralegal kidnappings to facilitate investigations into corruption.

This book is one man’s act of bravery in risking everything to tell his story while also implicating himself in corrupt activity. He shows us that charges of corruption must be understood through a political lens with the objective of consolidating power and preserving the legitimacy of the Communist…

By Desmond Shum,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Red Roulette as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires

Kimberly Kay Hoang Author Of Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets

From my list on global financial elites.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, and I am interested in global capitalism, financial elites, and all aspects of how people broker capital deals. I am a scholar of anti-heroes who studies all of the ways that people play in the gray. My first book, Dealing in Desire, is an ethnography where I embedded myself in several different hostess bars to study the relationship between sex work and financial deal-making. I grew up in California but have lived most of my adult life in Ho Chi Minh City, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. 

Kimberly's book list on global financial elites

Kimberly Kay Hoang Why did Kimberly love this book?

This is one of my favorite new books that provides an on-the-ground investigation of the global market for citizenship. I learned a tremendous amount about the “market” for passports.

Surak provides a window into the states and brokers who sell them and the billionaire/multimillionaire elites who can afford to buy them. With an incredible six years of fieldwork and hundreds of interviews, she shows the scale of a full-blown industry where buyers, brokers, and sellers all profit from the citizenship trade. 

By Kristin Surak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Golden Passport as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"[A] fascinating study of how people and their capital seek to move around a world that is at once hugely interconnected and driven by inequities...definitive, detailed, and unusually nuanced."
Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs

The first comprehensive on-the-ground investigation of the global market for citizenship, examining the wealthy elites who buy passports, the states and brokers who sell them, and the normalization of a once shadowy practice.

Our lives are in countless ways defined by our citizenship. The country we belong to affects our rights, our travel possibilities, and ultimately our chances in life. Obtaining a new citizenship is rarely…


Book cover of After Innocence

Kathryn C. Kelly Author Of Savage Suit

From my list on billionaire romances on my keeper shelf.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading romance since I was a teenager and writing them just as long. I have given workshops and panels, written a chapter on romance novels in a Kathryn Falk book, and was once the VP of SOLA. I have read thousands of books but few are memorable enough to become my favorites.

Kathryn's book list on billionaire romances on my keeper shelf

Kathryn C. Kelly Why did Kathryn love this book?

Edward DeLanza and Sofie O’Neil are star-crossed from the moment they meet in 1901 Newport Beach. He’s older, wealthy, and jaded. She’s young, wealthy, and idealistic.

Edward offers her the protection and concern she has lacked her entire life. It was powerful to see his change and how she became the most important person in the world to him. However, at the heart of After Innocence is Sofie’s coming-of-age. She learns to stand on her own two feet and rely on herself.

The infatuation she has for Edward turns into mature love as she comes into her own. After Innocence remains in my top 10 all-time favorite romances.

By Brenda Joyce,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked After Innocence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A dreamweaver spinning spells that entice and enchant, a masterful creator of unforgettable characters and incomparable romance , bestselling author Brenda Joyce works magic -- From her award-winning American saga of the lusty remarkable Bragg family to the spellbinding medieval passion ofPromise of the Rose

Estranged from society, wealthy and beautiful artist Sofie O'Neil finds solace in her private world, She longs just once to taste a forbidden love -- to follow the dangerous diamond muggler Edward Delanza to paradise. But Edward wants far more from the innocent young heiress than a brief and passing encounter. For he is determined…


Book cover of No Ordinary Billionaire

Krista Lakes Author Of Saltwater Kisses

From my list on for a romantic beach read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love writing my steamy, happily ever after romance novels. Billionaires are my Prince Charmings and they have a lot to offer the heroines I write. However, none of my heroines are weak. They are strong and they love the billionaires for who they are, not what they offer. I want a world full of romance, steam, and happily ever afters, so that’s what I love to write. My books are perfect for a relaxing day on the beach that will leave you feeling good.

Krista's book list on for a romantic beach read

Krista Lakes Why did Krista love this book?

JS Scott writes the best billionaires. Every time she releases a new book or series, I gobble them up. This series is no different.

First, Dante is a tortured romance hero that is easy to love. His guilt over the death of his partner and his injury make me want to hug him close – which is exactly what Sarah Baxter wants to do! Except she can’t because she’s his doctor and she lives by her ethics. I love the connection the two of them have and how they have to help one another in their love. This book is sizzling and steamy with romance and intrigue to keep the pages turning!

By J.S. Scott,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked No Ordinary Billionaire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author J. S. Scott.

Dante Sinclair never cared about his family's money. All the young billionaire ever wanted was to be a cop; and now that he's a homicide detective in Los Angeles, he's a damn good one. But when he is injured and loses his partner in the line of duty, he returns to his vacation home in Amesport, Maine, to recover.

Sarah Baxter, a brilliant young doctor still struggling with her stifled upbringing, has recently moved from Chicago to sleepy Amesport to escape her past, hoping to find peace. When Sarah is assigned…


Book cover of Naked in Death

Jami Gray Author Of Grave Cargo

From my list on a fantastical series of alternate worlds.

Why am I passionate about this?

My life has taken a very interesting path with twists and turns that can be found in many peoples’ journeys, but diving into the pages of a book and getting lost fantastical worlds has helped me navigate my way through the rougher patches. There is something about the possibility of worlds so close to our own but touched by the extraordinary that is so alluring, it’s hard to leave. Thus, my love of series was ignited. That little bit of different that these series offered sparked a love for creating my own worlds where magic existed, families weren’t always limited to DNA, and perseverance led to a happy ending. Enjoy!

Jami's book list on a fantastical series of alternate worlds

Jami Gray Why did Jami love this book?

If you’re looking to binge a great murder mystery series with futuristic elements, JD Robb’s In Death series should be on your list. This is an auto-buy for me.

I fell in love with Eve Dallas, a New York City Lieutenant from page one. I love the creative mix of future elements (it’s set in 2058) and the in-depth character development of film noire stereotype of a cop on the edge of burnout.

As a homicide cop with a decade of experience, she’s no stranger to unraveling a killer’s motive, means, and opportunity, but when an investigation brings her into the orbit of Roarke, a billionaire with a murky past, her innate moral code and gut instincts are pitted against an irresistible attraction.

This is a fantastic entry into a compelling murder mystery series with a captivating cast of characters that never gets old. 

By J.D. Robb,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Naked in Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Crime and punishment is Lieutenant Eve Dallas's business. Murder her speciality. Named by the social worker who found her when she was a mere child roaming that city's streets, Eve Dallas is a New York police detective who lives for her job. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. But she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, a charismatic Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's latest murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's…


Book cover of Billionaires' Row: Tycoons, High Rollers, and the Epic Race to Build the World's Most Exclusive Skyscrapers

Jason M. Barr Author Of Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World's Tallest Skyscrapers

From my list on real estate titans built New York skyline.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an economics professor, I’ve spent the past twenty years researching why cities build upward. Though I mostly look at cities through the lens of statistics and data, every building has a personal and dramatic story that exists behind the numbers. And no matter where you go in the world, great cities with their towering skyscrapers all owe a debt to New York—every city wants its own version of the Empire State Building to signal its economic might. New York is the world’s metropolis. As the (now cliché) song line goes, “If I can make there, I’ll make it anywhere,” is a true today as a century ago.

Jason's book list on real estate titans built New York skyline

Jason M. Barr Why did Jason love this book?

If you stroll through Central Park, as I frequently do, you can’t help but notice the string of supertall, superslim towers lording over Central Park South. Many New Yorkers decry them as creating excessive shadows and driving gentrification. However, viewing them from the park, you can see how they naturally fit into the Manhattan skyline—the skyline that created the world’s greatest city.

Katherine Clarke’s book chronicles the developers who brought forth these ultraluxury towers. It dramatically highlights the game of 3D chess these New York titans must play to realize their skyscraper dreams. Some win, and some lose—but that’s the striver’s tale in Gotham.

By Katherine Clarke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Billionaires' Row as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A “thrilling” (Financial Times) fly-on-the-wall account of the ferocious ambition, greed, and one-upmanship behind the most expensive real estate in the world: the new Manhattan megatowers known as Billionaires’ Row—from a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal

“Deeply informative, delightfully entertaining, and addictively readable.”—Diana B. Henriques, bestselling author of The Wizard of Lies

A CEO Magazine Best Book of the Year • Longlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award

To look south and skyward from Central Park these days is to gaze upon a physical manifestation of tens of billions of dollars in…


Book cover of Remedial Rocket Science: A Romantic Comedy

Stacy Travis Author Of Playing for You

From my list on romance with brilliant, brainy heroines.

Why am I passionate about this?

After a long career in other forms of writing including but not limited to journalism, TV writing, nonfiction book authoring, I began writing contemporary romance novels two years ago and I haven’t gotten off the couch or closed my laptop since then. I write sweet, spicy books about quirky heroines and the men who can’t live without them. When I’m not writing, I’m perfecting the right ratio of coffee to milk, hustling my 2 rescue dogs around the neighborhood, or running up a hill in search of a view. 

Stacy's book list on romance with brilliant, brainy heroines

Stacy Travis Why did Stacy love this book?

Computer nerd meets billionaire! Nothing better than a college one-night-stand who comes back into Melody’s life as the boss’s son and her lingering flame. Smart women (in STEM, no less) will always be catnip for me as a reader because I love the inner conflict between hard-fought career goals and wanderings of the heart. In this book, watching Melody hold her ground in the face of wayward Jeremy made my heart happy—she’s funny, smart, and willing to put her heart on the line when it matters. And for his part, Jeremy’s the guy you love to hate until you just fall for him completely. This is the first book in the Chemistry Lessons series and each subsequent book delivers as well.

By Susannah Nix,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Remedial Rocket Science as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Opposites attract when a nerdy computer whiz meets billionaire playboy.

The last thing Melody expects when she accepts a dream job offer is to run into her college one-night stand again. Not only does the hunky blast from her past work at the same aerospace company where she's just started in the IT department, he's the CEO's son.

Jeremy's got a girlfriend and a reputation as a bad boy, so Melody resolves to keep her distance and focus on building a new life for herself in Los Angeles. But despite her good intentions, she can't seem to stay away from…


Book cover of Stuck-Up Suit

Kathryn C. Kelly Author Of Savage Suit

From my list on billionaire romances on my keeper shelf.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading romance since I was a teenager and writing them just as long. I have given workshops and panels, written a chapter on romance novels in a Kathryn Falk book, and was once the VP of SOLA. I have read thousands of books but few are memorable enough to become my favorites.

Kathryn's book list on billionaire romances on my keeper shelf

Kathryn C. Kelly Why did Kathryn love this book?

I’m recommending this book because my book is part of the Cocky Hero World and is based on Stuck-Up Suit.

Long before my submission was accepted, I’d read Stuck-Up Suit and loved Soraya’s resilience and determination. She stood up for herself and her beliefs. We always knew her moods by her hair color, which was a great quirk to make her even more memorable and to always give the reader insight into her feelings.

Graham Morgan was a sexy billionaire with a traumatic past. As we got to know him, we realized he’s not stuck up but closed off because of emotional pain. We root for Graham to find happiness with the fiery Soraya, an everyday girl with an extraordinary personality.

By Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stuck-Up Suit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It started out like any other morning on the train.
Until I became mesmerized by the guy sitting across the aisle.
He was barking at someone on his phone like he ruled the world.
Who did the stuck-up suit think he was...God?
Actually, he looked like a God. That was about it.
When his stop came, he got up suddenly and left. So suddenly, he dropped his phone on the way out.
I might have picked it up.
I might have gone through all of his photos and called some of the numbers.
I might have held onto the mystery…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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