Author: Silk Smooth
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1622865758
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
There can only be one: one man with two loyal friends and secrets from the past that will ultimately shake up the entire hood in Chicago; one man on a mission to destroy anyone who doesn't abide by his rules; one man with enough swagger in his walk, confidence in his talk, and the skills and mind-set to build an empire. There's one man bold enough to deliver multiple orgasms yet never tell a soul his real name. He has overpowering strength, a top-notch reputation, power like no other, and a bite that will hurt more than a dog's. Who is he? The streets of Chicago know him as the One and Only...
Carl Weber's Kingpins: Chicago
Carl Weber's Kingpins: the Dirty South
Author: Treasure Hernandez
Publisher: Kingpins
ISBN: 1622869486
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This installment in Carl Weber's series, in which the hottest urban fiction authors tell dramatic tales of life in cities across the U.S., focuses on dirty deeds in the American South.
Publisher: Kingpins
ISBN: 1622869486
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This installment in Carl Weber's series, in which the hottest urban fiction authors tell dramatic tales of life in cities across the U.S., focuses on dirty deeds in the American South.
Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads
Author: Rosalind Wiseman
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 140008301X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
What happens to Queen Bees and Wannabes when they grow up? Even the most well-adjusted moms and dads can experience peer pressure and conflicts with other adults that make them act like they’re back in seventh grade. In Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads, Rosalind Wiseman gives us the tools to handle difficult situations involving teachers and other parents with grace. Reassuring, funny, and unfailingly honest, Wiseman reveals: • Why PTA meetings and Back-to-School nights tap into parents’ deepest insecurities • How to recognize the archetypal moms and dads—from Caveman Dad to Hovercraft Mom • How and when to step in and step out of your child’s conflicts with other children, parents, teachers, or coaches • How to interpret the code phrases other parents use to avoid (or provoke) confrontation • Why too many well-meaning dads sit on the sidelines, and how vital it is that they step up to the plate • What to do and say when the playing field becomes an arena for people to bully and dominate other kids and adults • How to have respectful yet honest conversations with other parents about sex and drugs when your values are in conflict • How the way you handle parties, risky behavior, and academic performance affects your child • How unspoken assumptions about race, religion, and other hot-button subjects sabotage parents’ ability to work together Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads is filled with the kind of true stories that made Wiseman’s New York Times bestselling book Queen Bees & Wannabes impossible to put down. There are tales of hardworking parents with whom any of us can identify, along with tales of outrageously bad parents—the kind we all have to reckon with. For instance, what do you do when parents donate a large sum of money to a school and their child is promptly transferred into the honors program–while your son with better grades doesn’t make the cut? What about the mother who helps her daughter compose poison-pen e-mails to yours? And what do you say to the parent-coach who screams at your child when the team is losing? Wiseman offers practical advice on avoiding the most common parenting “land mines” and useful scripts to help you navigate difficult but necessary conversations. Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads is essential reading for parents today. It offers us the tools to become wiser, more relaxed parents–and the inspiration to speak out, act according to our values, show humility, and set the kind of example that will make a real difference in our children’s lives. Also available as a Random House AudioBook and as an eBook
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 140008301X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
What happens to Queen Bees and Wannabes when they grow up? Even the most well-adjusted moms and dads can experience peer pressure and conflicts with other adults that make them act like they’re back in seventh grade. In Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads, Rosalind Wiseman gives us the tools to handle difficult situations involving teachers and other parents with grace. Reassuring, funny, and unfailingly honest, Wiseman reveals: • Why PTA meetings and Back-to-School nights tap into parents’ deepest insecurities • How to recognize the archetypal moms and dads—from Caveman Dad to Hovercraft Mom • How and when to step in and step out of your child’s conflicts with other children, parents, teachers, or coaches • How to interpret the code phrases other parents use to avoid (or provoke) confrontation • Why too many well-meaning dads sit on the sidelines, and how vital it is that they step up to the plate • What to do and say when the playing field becomes an arena for people to bully and dominate other kids and adults • How to have respectful yet honest conversations with other parents about sex and drugs when your values are in conflict • How the way you handle parties, risky behavior, and academic performance affects your child • How unspoken assumptions about race, religion, and other hot-button subjects sabotage parents’ ability to work together Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads is filled with the kind of true stories that made Wiseman’s New York Times bestselling book Queen Bees & Wannabes impossible to put down. There are tales of hardworking parents with whom any of us can identify, along with tales of outrageously bad parents—the kind we all have to reckon with. For instance, what do you do when parents donate a large sum of money to a school and their child is promptly transferred into the honors program–while your son with better grades doesn’t make the cut? What about the mother who helps her daughter compose poison-pen e-mails to yours? And what do you say to the parent-coach who screams at your child when the team is losing? Wiseman offers practical advice on avoiding the most common parenting “land mines” and useful scripts to help you navigate difficult but necessary conversations. Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads is essential reading for parents today. It offers us the tools to become wiser, more relaxed parents–and the inspiration to speak out, act according to our values, show humility, and set the kind of example that will make a real difference in our children’s lives. Also available as a Random House AudioBook and as an eBook
Son of the Mob
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1423141253
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135
Book Description
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids-his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1423141253
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135
Book Description
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids-his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good.
Queen Bees and Wannabes
Author: Rosalind Wiseman
Publisher: Piatkus Books
ISBN: 9780749923648
Category : Parent and teenager
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
Written in a down-to-earth style and packed with examples and tips, this is a guide to the secret world of girls' cliques and the roles they play. It analyzes their teasing and gossip and provides advice to enable parents to empower both their daughters and themselves.
Publisher: Piatkus Books
ISBN: 9780749923648
Category : Parent and teenager
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
Written in a down-to-earth style and packed with examples and tips, this is a guide to the secret world of girls' cliques and the roles they play. It analyzes their teasing and gossip and provides advice to enable parents to empower both their daughters and themselves.
Life 2
Author: Leo Sullivan
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789429
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF Money tried to hold my hand as he led me down the stairs. He was loaded down with bags of drugs, cocaine, Molly, weed, lean, and money. And so was I. “This some fuck shit!” he muttered under his breath as he suddenly stopped, alarmed. I bumped in to him coming down the stairs. “Yo, my nigga, wha’cha doing comin’ out of there? Where Lil D?” a voiced called out. I looked down just as the chick inside the house began to scream in agony. I looked behind me and the entire doorway where we had just barely made it out of was engulfed in flames, roaring like an inferno of hell. She was being burned alive. “Oh-mi-god!” Down below was a group of dudes. They were about four or five deep, All Lil D’s homies, older guys in their twenties and thirties. They were blocking the stairs, attempting to stop us. In the distance, I could hear sirens blaring. I looked up the street as a cop car pulled up. Across the street there were throngs of people gawking at the fire. Some had ventured out of their homes to watch the crack house blaze. BLOCKA! BLOCKA! BLOCKA! BLOCKA! Money just started firing, letting lose with the 9mm. the gun jerked in his hands. I heard grown men hollering like women as two of them scattered and two fell to the ground. By the time we hit the bottom of the stairs, the smoke was thick and I couldn’t see a thing. “Police, hold it right there!” a thick baritone voice halted as a flashlight strobed.
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789429
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF Money tried to hold my hand as he led me down the stairs. He was loaded down with bags of drugs, cocaine, Molly, weed, lean, and money. And so was I. “This some fuck shit!” he muttered under his breath as he suddenly stopped, alarmed. I bumped in to him coming down the stairs. “Yo, my nigga, wha’cha doing comin’ out of there? Where Lil D?” a voiced called out. I looked down just as the chick inside the house began to scream in agony. I looked behind me and the entire doorway where we had just barely made it out of was engulfed in flames, roaring like an inferno of hell. She was being burned alive. “Oh-mi-god!” Down below was a group of dudes. They were about four or five deep, All Lil D’s homies, older guys in their twenties and thirties. They were blocking the stairs, attempting to stop us. In the distance, I could hear sirens blaring. I looked up the street as a cop car pulled up. Across the street there were throngs of people gawking at the fire. Some had ventured out of their homes to watch the crack house blaze. BLOCKA! BLOCKA! BLOCKA! BLOCKA! Money just started firing, letting lose with the 9mm. the gun jerked in his hands. I heard grown men hollering like women as two of them scattered and two fell to the ground. By the time we hit the bottom of the stairs, the smoke was thick and I couldn’t see a thing. “Police, hold it right there!” a thick baritone voice halted as a flashlight strobed.
Shortfall
Author: Alice Echols
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1620973049
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
The rollicking true story of a 1930s version of Bernie Madoff—and the building and loan crash he helped precipitate—in a wonderful work of narrative nonfiction by the Gustavus Myers book award winner Shortfall opens with a surprise discovery in an attic—boxes filled with letters and documents hidden for more than seventy years—and launches into a fast-paced story that uncovers the dark secrets in Echols's family—an upside-down version of the building and loan story at the center of Frank Capra's 1946 movie, It's a Wonderful Life. In a narrative filled with colorful characters and profound insights into the American past, Shortfall is also the essential backstory to more recent financial crises, from the savings and loan debacle of the 1980s and 1990s to the subprime collapse of 2008. Shortfall chronicles the collapse of the building and loan industry during the Great Depression—a story told in microcosm through the firestorm that erupted in one hard-hit American city during the early 1930s. Over a six-month period in 1932, all four of the building and loan associations in Colorado Springs, Colorado, crashed in an awful domino-like fashion, leaving some of the town's citizens destitute. The largest of these associations was owned by author Alice Echols's grandfather, Walter Davis, who absconded with millions of dollars in a case that riveted the national media. This book tells the dramatic story of his rise and shocking fall.
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1620973049
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
The rollicking true story of a 1930s version of Bernie Madoff—and the building and loan crash he helped precipitate—in a wonderful work of narrative nonfiction by the Gustavus Myers book award winner Shortfall opens with a surprise discovery in an attic—boxes filled with letters and documents hidden for more than seventy years—and launches into a fast-paced story that uncovers the dark secrets in Echols's family—an upside-down version of the building and loan story at the center of Frank Capra's 1946 movie, It's a Wonderful Life. In a narrative filled with colorful characters and profound insights into the American past, Shortfall is also the essential backstory to more recent financial crises, from the savings and loan debacle of the 1980s and 1990s to the subprime collapse of 2008. Shortfall chronicles the collapse of the building and loan industry during the Great Depression—a story told in microcosm through the firestorm that erupted in one hard-hit American city during the early 1930s. Over a six-month period in 1932, all four of the building and loan associations in Colorado Springs, Colorado, crashed in an awful domino-like fashion, leaving some of the town's citizens destitute. The largest of these associations was owned by author Alice Echols's grandfather, Walter Davis, who absconded with millions of dollars in a case that riveted the national media. This book tells the dramatic story of his rise and shocking fall.
Tracers in the Dark
Author: Andy Greenberg
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385548109
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
From the award-winning author of Sandworm comes the propulsive story of a new breed of investigators who have cracked the Bitcoin blockchain, exposing once-anonymous realms of money, drugs, and violence. “I love the book… It reads like a thriller… These stories are amazing.” (Michael Lewis) Over the last decade, a single innovation has massively fueled digital black markets: cryptocurrency. Crime lords inhabiting lawless corners of the internet have operated more freely—whether in drug dealing, money laundering, or human trafficking—than their analog counterparts could have ever dreamed of. By transacting not in dollars or pounds but in currencies with anonymous ledgers, overseen by no government, beholden to no bankers, these black marketeers have sought to rob law enforcement of their chief method of cracking down on illicit finance: following the money. But what if the centerpiece of this dark economy held a secret, fatal flaw? What if their currency wasn’t so cryptic after all? An investigator using the right mixture of technical wizardry, financial forensics, and old-fashioned persistence could uncover an entire world of wrongdoing. Tracers in the Dark is a story of crime and pursuit unlike any other. With unprecedented access to the major players in federal law enforcement and private industry, veteran cybersecurity reporter Andy Greenberg tells an astonishing saga of criminal empires built and destroyed. He introduces an IRS agent with a defiant streak, a Bitcoin-tracing Danish entrepreneur, and a colorful ensemble of hardboiled agents and prosecutors as they delve deep into the crypto-underworld. The result is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of dirty cops, drug bazaars, trafficking rings, and the biggest takedown of an online narcotics market in the history of the Internet. Utterly of our time, Tracers in the Dark is a cat-and-mouse story and a tale of a technological one-upmanship. Filled with canny maneuvering and shocking twists, it answers a provocative question: How would some of the world’s most brazen criminals behave if they were sure they could never get caught?
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385548109
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
From the award-winning author of Sandworm comes the propulsive story of a new breed of investigators who have cracked the Bitcoin blockchain, exposing once-anonymous realms of money, drugs, and violence. “I love the book… It reads like a thriller… These stories are amazing.” (Michael Lewis) Over the last decade, a single innovation has massively fueled digital black markets: cryptocurrency. Crime lords inhabiting lawless corners of the internet have operated more freely—whether in drug dealing, money laundering, or human trafficking—than their analog counterparts could have ever dreamed of. By transacting not in dollars or pounds but in currencies with anonymous ledgers, overseen by no government, beholden to no bankers, these black marketeers have sought to rob law enforcement of their chief method of cracking down on illicit finance: following the money. But what if the centerpiece of this dark economy held a secret, fatal flaw? What if their currency wasn’t so cryptic after all? An investigator using the right mixture of technical wizardry, financial forensics, and old-fashioned persistence could uncover an entire world of wrongdoing. Tracers in the Dark is a story of crime and pursuit unlike any other. With unprecedented access to the major players in federal law enforcement and private industry, veteran cybersecurity reporter Andy Greenberg tells an astonishing saga of criminal empires built and destroyed. He introduces an IRS agent with a defiant streak, a Bitcoin-tracing Danish entrepreneur, and a colorful ensemble of hardboiled agents and prosecutors as they delve deep into the crypto-underworld. The result is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of dirty cops, drug bazaars, trafficking rings, and the biggest takedown of an online narcotics market in the history of the Internet. Utterly of our time, Tracers in the Dark is a cat-and-mouse story and a tale of a technological one-upmanship. Filled with canny maneuvering and shocking twists, it answers a provocative question: How would some of the world’s most brazen criminals behave if they were sure they could never get caught?
The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage
Author: Halima Khatun
Publisher: Hayat House
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Bookbrunch Selfie Award for Best Adult Fiction. Meet the brown Bridget Jones... I know I'll land a husband… but will he be the one? The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage – A hilarious romcom that will redefine your Your views on love and matchmaking! Meet our British-Bengali protagonist, a spirited, acerbic woman on a quest for Mr Right. But in a world where tradition and modernity collide, her journey to find love takes a delightfully unexpected turn. Young, free and single, our heroine finds herself caught between two worlds, never fully fitting in with her English friends or her Asian community. As time ticks away, she embarks on a dual mission—her own dating adventures and the rollercoaster ride of an arranged marriage hunt orchestrated by her larger-than-life family. From her adorable yet overbearing mum to the army of pretend aunties and profiteering opportunists, everyone becomes invested in finding her the perfect match. With humour and wit, she embraces the chaos of this unconventional approach to love, never quite sure if her ideal partner lies within the boundaries of tradition or if she'll discover something entirely unexpected. The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage is a fresh and captivating debut novel by former journalist Halima Khatun. She explores the complexities of family dynamics, identity, and the eternal search for belonging. This is not your average arranged marriage romance—it's a romcom that breaks barriers and challenges preconceptions. Prepare to be swept away on a laugh-out-loud journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. Get ready to redefine your view of matchmaking and immerse yourself in a story that will leave you smiling long after you've turned the final page. The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage is a romcom like no other, defying stereotypes and offering a fresh perspective on the joys and pitfalls of finding love, or a boy you can at least grow to like. Don't miss this heartwarming and hilarious tale. Reader reviews: "This is a great book to read on transport or going on holidays. I finished mine in no time and laughed lots!" "I loved reading this book! Such an enjoyable read which was hilarious at some points but also really highlighted how arranged marriages are viewed from different perspectives, especially in western society. It's hard to find a book that isn't too 'heavy' but also covers important issues and makes you really empathise with the main character. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun read but something a bit different from the usual chick-lit." About the author Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant. With a lifelong passion for writing, Halima wrote her first novel - a coming-of-age children's story - at the age of 12. It was politely turned down by all the major publishing houses. Halima went on to study English and Journalism and was one of just four people in the UK to be granted a BBC scholarship during her postgraduate studies. She has since written for a number of publications including the HuffPost and Yahoo! Style, and has been featured in the Express, Metro and other national publications. Halima also blogs on lifestyle, food and travel and parenthood on HalimaBobs.
Publisher: Hayat House
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Bookbrunch Selfie Award for Best Adult Fiction. Meet the brown Bridget Jones... I know I'll land a husband… but will he be the one? The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage – A hilarious romcom that will redefine your Your views on love and matchmaking! Meet our British-Bengali protagonist, a spirited, acerbic woman on a quest for Mr Right. But in a world where tradition and modernity collide, her journey to find love takes a delightfully unexpected turn. Young, free and single, our heroine finds herself caught between two worlds, never fully fitting in with her English friends or her Asian community. As time ticks away, she embarks on a dual mission—her own dating adventures and the rollercoaster ride of an arranged marriage hunt orchestrated by her larger-than-life family. From her adorable yet overbearing mum to the army of pretend aunties and profiteering opportunists, everyone becomes invested in finding her the perfect match. With humour and wit, she embraces the chaos of this unconventional approach to love, never quite sure if her ideal partner lies within the boundaries of tradition or if she'll discover something entirely unexpected. The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage is a fresh and captivating debut novel by former journalist Halima Khatun. She explores the complexities of family dynamics, identity, and the eternal search for belonging. This is not your average arranged marriage romance—it's a romcom that breaks barriers and challenges preconceptions. Prepare to be swept away on a laugh-out-loud journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. Get ready to redefine your view of matchmaking and immerse yourself in a story that will leave you smiling long after you've turned the final page. The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage is a romcom like no other, defying stereotypes and offering a fresh perspective on the joys and pitfalls of finding love, or a boy you can at least grow to like. Don't miss this heartwarming and hilarious tale. Reader reviews: "This is a great book to read on transport or going on holidays. I finished mine in no time and laughed lots!" "I loved reading this book! Such an enjoyable read which was hilarious at some points but also really highlighted how arranged marriages are viewed from different perspectives, especially in western society. It's hard to find a book that isn't too 'heavy' but also covers important issues and makes you really empathise with the main character. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun read but something a bit different from the usual chick-lit." About the author Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant. With a lifelong passion for writing, Halima wrote her first novel - a coming-of-age children's story - at the age of 12. It was politely turned down by all the major publishing houses. Halima went on to study English and Journalism and was one of just four people in the UK to be granted a BBC scholarship during her postgraduate studies. She has since written for a number of publications including the HuffPost and Yahoo! Style, and has been featured in the Express, Metro and other national publications. Halima also blogs on lifestyle, food and travel and parenthood on HalimaBobs.
The Mastermind
Author: Evan Ratliff
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0399590420
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
The incredible true story of the decade-long quest to bring down Paul Le Roux—the creator of a frighteningly powerful Internet-enabled cartel who merged the ruthlessness of a drug lord with the technological savvy of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. “A tour de force of shoe-leather reporting—undertaken, amid threats and menacing, at considerable personal risk.”—Los Angeles Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews It all started as an online prescription drug network, supplying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of painkillers to American customers. It would not stop there. Before long, the business had turned into a sprawling multinational conglomerate engaged in almost every conceivable aspect of criminal mayhem. Yachts carrying $100 million in cocaine. Safe houses in Hong Kong filled with gold bars. Shipments of methamphetamine from North Korea. Weapons deals with Iran. Mercenary armies in Somalia. Teams of hit men in the Philippines. Encryption programs so advanced that the government could not break them. The man behind it all, pulling the strings from a laptop in Manila, was Paul Calder Le Roux—a reclusive programmer turned criminal genius who could only exist in the networked world of the twenty-first century, and the kind of self-made crime boss that American law enforcement had never imagined. For half a decade, DEA agents played a global game of cat-and-mouse with Le Roux as he left terror and chaos in his wake. Each time they came close, he would slip away. It would take relentless investigative work, and a shocking betrayal from within his organization, to catch him. And when he was finally caught, the story turned again, as Le Roux struck a deal to bring down his own organization and the people he had once employed. Award-winning investigative journalist Evan Ratliff spent four years piecing together this intricate puzzle, chasing Le Roux’s empire and his shadowy henchmen around the world, conducting hundreds of interviews and uncovering thousands of documents. The result is a riveting, unprecedented account of a crime boss built by and for the digital age. Praise for The Mastermind “The Mastermind is true crime at its most stark and vivid depiction. Evan Ratliff’s work is well done from beginning to end, paralleling his investigative work with the work of the many federal agents developing the case against LeRoux.”—San Francisco Book Review (five stars) “A wholly engrossing story that joins the worlds of El Chapo and Edward Snowden; both disturbing and memorable.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0399590420
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
The incredible true story of the decade-long quest to bring down Paul Le Roux—the creator of a frighteningly powerful Internet-enabled cartel who merged the ruthlessness of a drug lord with the technological savvy of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. “A tour de force of shoe-leather reporting—undertaken, amid threats and menacing, at considerable personal risk.”—Los Angeles Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews It all started as an online prescription drug network, supplying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of painkillers to American customers. It would not stop there. Before long, the business had turned into a sprawling multinational conglomerate engaged in almost every conceivable aspect of criminal mayhem. Yachts carrying $100 million in cocaine. Safe houses in Hong Kong filled with gold bars. Shipments of methamphetamine from North Korea. Weapons deals with Iran. Mercenary armies in Somalia. Teams of hit men in the Philippines. Encryption programs so advanced that the government could not break them. The man behind it all, pulling the strings from a laptop in Manila, was Paul Calder Le Roux—a reclusive programmer turned criminal genius who could only exist in the networked world of the twenty-first century, and the kind of self-made crime boss that American law enforcement had never imagined. For half a decade, DEA agents played a global game of cat-and-mouse with Le Roux as he left terror and chaos in his wake. Each time they came close, he would slip away. It would take relentless investigative work, and a shocking betrayal from within his organization, to catch him. And when he was finally caught, the story turned again, as Le Roux struck a deal to bring down his own organization and the people he had once employed. Award-winning investigative journalist Evan Ratliff spent four years piecing together this intricate puzzle, chasing Le Roux’s empire and his shadowy henchmen around the world, conducting hundreds of interviews and uncovering thousands of documents. The result is a riveting, unprecedented account of a crime boss built by and for the digital age. Praise for The Mastermind “The Mastermind is true crime at its most stark and vivid depiction. Evan Ratliff’s work is well done from beginning to end, paralleling his investigative work with the work of the many federal agents developing the case against LeRoux.”—San Francisco Book Review (five stars) “A wholly engrossing story that joins the worlds of El Chapo and Edward Snowden; both disturbing and memorable.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)