Bear, Stearns & Co., a storied Wall Street firm with a maverick reputation, had endured many crises in its 85-year history. Nothing, however, could have prepared the firm for the sudden death spiral that would lead to its takeover for a pittance. In a dramatic showdown with JP Morgan and the Fed, this is the tragic story of how fortunes were made and lost. Bill Bramber, a senior executive at Bear Stearns, had a bird's eye view of just what happened inside Bear's offices and on the trading floor that led to the most sensational financial crisis of our times.