The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.

The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.
- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. Hardcover – January 29, 2019
The incredible true story of the decade-long quest to bring down Paul Le Rouxâ€”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.

â€œA tour de force of shoe-leather reportingâ€”undertaken, amid threats and menacing, at considerable personal risk.â€â€”Los Angeles Times

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review â€¢ NPR â€¢ Evening StandardÂ â€¢Â Kirkus Reviews

It all started as an online prescription drug network, supplying hundreds of millions of dollarsâ€™ 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 Rouxâ€”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 Rouxâ€™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

â€œThe Mastermind is true crime at its most stark and vivid depiction. Evan Ratliffâ€™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.â€â€”San Francisco Book Review (five stars)

â€œA wholly engrossing story that joins the worlds of El Chapo and Edward Snowden; both disturbing and memorable.â€â€”Kirkus ReviewsÂ (starred review)
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber Illustrations, unspecified
Color White
ReleaseDate 2019-01-29
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780399590412

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	Illustrations, unspecified
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2019-01-29
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780399590412

The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.

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