Paragraphs like the above definitely blur the line between fiction and non-fiction, and left me doubting the overall authenticity of the book. Other issues that arise: the federal govt is a behemoth that is markedly useless in many of the functions it’s been designed to combat. DEA, FBI, DHS, have to hold regular “deconfliction” meetings bc of all the bureaucratic infighting. These sessions rarely result in ameliorating the pissing contests. Also, two feds ended up doing time for stealing Bitcoin from the Dreadpirate operation. Engrossing account of the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the now-shuttered online drug bazaar the Silk Road. The story remains fascinating, but doesn't tread any new ground if you already know the DPR deets. Do kids still say deets? Apparently yeet is a thing and I still have no clue what that means. Only that my 20 year old coworkers say it and it makes me feel super old. The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom—and almost got away with it. Publisher’s Synopsis

Even if someone wants to advocate for prohibiting certain drugs, the hypocrisy and the futility should be apparent after decades and decades of failed govt action. The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom—and almost got away with it. He was the only one of the family to survive what Francois Maurois, in his introduction, calls the "human holocaust" of the persecution of the Jews, which began with the restrictions, the singularization of the yellow star, the enclosure within the ghetto, and went on to the mass deportations to the ovens of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. There are unforgettable and horrifying scenes here in this spare and sombre memoir of this experience of the hanging of a child, of his first farewell with his father who leaves him an inheritance of a knife and a spoon, and of his last goodbye at Buchenwald his father's corpse is already cold let alone the long months of survival under unconscionable conditions. Unfortunately, the lure of untraceable bitcoin money proved too tempting for two Government employees. One stole directly from the Silk Road when the FBI nabbed one of Ulbricht’s employees and he learned how he could do it after interrogating the employee; and the other provided Government investigative progress to Ulbricht for a fee.One of the things I really liked about American Kingpin is it is a book with two interwoven stories: At first I wasn't sure about how short some of the chapters were, and the ends of some of them didn't leave me NEEDING to continue reading right away. But with so much of the story to be set up, it's understandable why the story was written this way.

An astonishingly well-researched narrative… Bilton’s storytelling bears not so much as a trace of fat; the book he’s conjured is so sharp and bright that it can be whipped through in the airport lounge before the flight takes off.” Or put simply, inmates manage to get drugs in prison. How then is any force going to stop people not incarcerated, who live freely, to stop? These two stories coalesce at the book’s conclusion as Ulbricht is discovered, arrested, tried, and sentenced. Additionally, American Kingpin follows the federal investigation, arrest, and conviction of DPR, weaving this thread throughout the entire book. Far from a highly organized federal investigation, the hunt for DPR begins by resembling a keystone cop’s episode as various individuals from different federal law enforcement agencies (DEA, DHS, FBI, IRS, etc.) jump on the case, buy drugs, arrest low-level dealers and drug buyers, and follow leads in pursuit of the Silk Road kingpin. Eventually, these individuals discover each other and cooperate on finding the Dread Pirate Roberts. While their collaboration leads to several dead ends, they eventually put their heads together, piece together all their individual breadcrumbs, and takedown DPR.Fry, Naomi (2021-02-20). "Fake Famous" and the Tedium of Influencer Culture?". The New Yorker . Retrieved 2022-02-16. Bilton worked at The New York Times from 2003 to 2016, as a design editor in the newsroom and a researcher in the research and development labs. Before he left, he was a technology columnist and the lead writer for the Bits blog. [2] The author pieces together a vast array of data from Ulbricht’s electronic trail, chat logs, photos, social media, courtroom transcripts, and interviews with family, friends, and participants (excluding Ulbricht) to assemble this riveting story. He does not use footnotes or specifics in documenting sources but provides a summary of all resources in the Appendix and does not identify where the quoted conversations originate.

I went into American Kingpin blind, putting my faith into my friend’s recommendation. I would highly recommend that you do the same. Do not Google Ross Ulbricht or the Silk Road, and do not read news articles. This allows for the storyline to be suspenseful. Plus, everything you need to know is in this extensive piece of investigative journalism. This book tells the story of Ulbricht’s ‘adventure’ as he progresses from Texas Boy Scout to becoming, effectively, the largest online supplier of drugs in the world – and in the process a multi-millionaire. There’s a great deal of research behind this real life tale, the detail of which is documented at the end of the book. The story is told, however, in narrative form and it therefore has the flow and feel of a fictional tale. I liked this way of taking in events as it kept the suspense element alive, even though it was ever evident that Ulbricht would not escape eventual capture. This is the second book I've listened to narrated by Will Damron. He's a good fit in that his voice sounds like he's around the same age as DPR. Other than that he gets the job done. Just the headline and subhead demonstrate the hyperbole, sensationalism and inaccuracy of this coverage:Ross sat staring at a concrete wall, frightened by where he found himself but unfazed by how long he might be in jail. He had played through this scenario a thousand times before.” First, his libertarian notions about leaving people to use their bodies their own way is certainly correct. As this story develops, we also learn a bit more about Ross when he enters graduate school. Ulbricht is a free spirit who participates in drum circles, lives a pauper’s existence, and wears the same clothes for days on end. Ross is also somewhat of a partier, drinking and smoking marijuana with close friends. Despite his outward Bohemian appearance, however, Ross is also highly intelligent and passionate in his opinions. He is especially committed to his politics, maintaining a strong libertarian belief system. At Penn State, he participates in political debates, always arguing that the government has no business getting involved in citizens’ private and personal life choices. American Kingpin is both a staggering feat of investigative journalism and a triumph of edge-of-your-seat storytelling. This is what true-crime writing should be.” But what I enjoyed the most was that even though Ross Ulbricht was not talked to for this book, I feel like I know and understand the so-called mastermind behind Silk Road for having read it. His beliefs, trials and tribulations were woven together with such coherency that even though I knew how this story played out, I wanted him to triumph. I wanted the ending of this story to be different.

Thus, the Dread Pirate Roberts was born and just like in the movie, the character assumes mythical and sinister reputation – a ruthless pirate who heads an international drug market and rules his kingdom with an iron fist. Henceforth, Ross behaves like a syndicated crime boss, punishing those who get in his way while plotting his eventual getaway when the law catches up with him. I dare you not to read this book in one sitting. Masterfully reported and written, Bilton’s book drops you hard into the dark heart of the most famous Internet crime to date. A first-rate thrill. JOSHUA COOPER RAMO, author of The Seventh Sense I have not read Bilton’s other books, but I definitely would give them a shot after reading American Kingpin. I found his writing easy to follow (great for audio) and containing the perfect amount of description and detail. As this book also contained technology I was unfamiliar with, I thought Bilton did an excellent job describing it for the layman. In addition, Bilton wrote the story in a way that allowed easy identification of the more minor characters every time they were discussed.Bilton helps the reader understand how the Government hunted down this elusive criminal. It wasn’t easy, and there were a lot of jurisdictional squabbles as different agencies grabbed pieces of the evidence that would eventually bring down Ross Ulbricht (aka, Dread Pirate Roberts). It wasn’t until the Department of Justice forced the agencies to collaborate that significant progress was made. The individuals who made up this formidable team were amazing. Overall, I really enjoyed American Kingpin. It was an impressive piece of journalism about a fascinating subject and filled with great storytelling. I highly recommend it whether you think the subject will interest you or not, because it will surprise you! Rating