The Auditor: An Instructional Novella

by James K. Loebbecke

This unique book reaches beyond the abstract theory presented in most standard textbooks to portray the principles and practices of Auditing as they are actually applied in the workplace. The novella—which forms a single, on-going, fictional case study meant to supplement a text—traces the professional life of Jack Butler, graduate of Farwestern University and current CPA As readers progress, they share with Jack, his clients, and colleagues various aspects of a typical career in public accounting—aspects students will most likely encounter during their own careers.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 1998

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my auditing class. If found it very insightful. It talks about the various challenges auditors face, the environment at a CPA firm, and how to be promoted from staff to partner. Some of the information is outdated now, but still pretty useful. It is a quick and easy book to read.

[Sixmaddeningthings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a book your forced to read for audit. Written similar to a Patrick Lencioni book but doesn't close out all the open narratives. Also becomes to detailed in areas where I didn't think added value. Overall a preferred book over other educational text.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read for young auditors and sheds some light on the profession and situations that could come up. I enjoyed reading this.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Auditor was a required reading for an auditing course that I took while attending university. Although I wasn’t quite able to understand the reasoning for requiring such a reading during the outset of the course, it became quite clear after the first few class discussions that auditor judgment, professional skepticism, and ethics play a significant role within the profession. The Auditor is an instructional story that focuses on the professional life story of Jack Butler as he progresses through college to becoming a partner at the firm. During his journey, Jack encounters many of the ethical dilemmas, auditor judgment traps, and life scenarios that many aspiring auditors, and public accountants in general, will face throughout their career. The story was relatively fast paced, as it should be since the book only spans 128 pages, and I always felt as though I was in the middle of the action while reading about the life of Jack Butler. Overall, I’m very pleased and appreciative of the fact that my professor required this reading as it provided me with concrete examples of situations that I may face during my career, and an example of an appropriate judgment or action regarding those examples. Hopefully, when and if I am faced with challenges similar to those of Jack Butler in the future, I will be able to rely upon memory of his experiences and actions in assisting me with my own challenges.