Finally, to my earlier point of futility, just a week after the Feds shut down the silkroad imitators popped up. The Feds shut down a few of those but you can see where the story goes. The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom – and almost got away with it. 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 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 A luxury ocean liner on its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic, awash in wealth and decadence...

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. 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. The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom—and almost got away with it. 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. Bilton was born in England, but later moved to the United States and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. [1]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. Ross Ulbricht the mastermind behind this massive network of drugs and other activities is hunted down by an array of government services and agents. 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.” Bilton’s investigation of the Silk Road is dramatic and, at times, nearly unbelievable. It puts your favourite thriller novels to shame. STEVEN PRESSFIELD, author of Gates of Fire

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? It's a fascinating story that I will likely read again, because it very subtly makes you question your beliefs, morals and integrity as it paints you a portrait of a small idea taken to the grandest of scales and turned awry as a result of its successes.The picaresque story of Ross Ulbricht before, during, and after his fateful decision to develop and operate the Silk Road. If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.

Not a comment on the book itself, but I was astonished to read, near the end, that Ulbricht had been sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. To a non-American this seems like a harsh sentence for a first-time offender. Where I live in Scotland, nobody, no matter how depraved their crime, would ever be sentenced to life without possibility of parole. It is possible to receive such a sentence in England and Wales, but they are only ever handed down to those found guilty of multiple killings or particularly vile crimes such as the rape and murder of children. Customs vary.

The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom — and almost got away with it. 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.”

Relic:The #1 New York Times bestselling thriller by Douglas Preston's and Lincoln Child, with more than one million copies sold to date E L James revisits the world of Fifty Shades with a deeper and darker take on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the globe. 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.One of the things I really liked about American Kingpin is it is a book with two interwoven stories: