Perhaps I’ve over-hyped the title to this blog post a little by using the word “thriller.” However, if COVID-19 has relegated a planned summer vacation from a trip to the coast to wading in a backyard kiddie pool with your dog staring at you, you’re a little desperate for entertainment. Good news, since the new Yellow Book became effective for audits for periods ending on or after June 30, 2020, the Government Accountability Office has indeed penned a must-read for you.

The even better news is that the new Yellow Book can be downloaded for free at www.gao.gov/yellowbook. However, Amazon is gladly selling you a new paperback copy for $15.99, a used copy for $13.00, or the Kindle edition for $4.99. My favorite Amazon offering is one that ships from the United Kingdom for $25.37. Think of that, some bloke across the pond is printing a free U.S. government document and shipping it to the colonies for just $25.37. I should also mention that the Amazon reviews have been an astronomical five stars (based on 9 customer reviews) and one customer even raved “as advertised.”

Got better plans for the summer than reading the new Yellow Book in a backyard kiddie pool? Take the dog on a walk and learn how to implement the new Yellow Book by signing up for A Complete Guide to the New Yellow Book or Applying the New Yellow Book to a Financial Statement Audit.

If you are looking for an explanation of the new financial auditing standards and precisely what the new Yellow Book does and does not require auditors to do, sign up for Applying the New Yellow Book to a Financial Statement Audit.

Charlie Blanton, CPA is the Senior Director of Governmental and Nonprofit Content for Surgent CPE, where he authors Surgent’s government and not-for-profit CPE courses and is a frequent webinar instructor.