The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.

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A real estate agent is found dead, her body strewn about with the day’s refuse on the streets of the Philippines. An octogenarian pharmacist is taking prescriptions through the Internet, raking in millions of dollars a year, despite the kinds of drugs dispensed and the customers. A boat has run aground and discovered with a corpse and cache of cocaine. Are these disparate events connected? A multi-national criminal syndicate is operating with impunity, shielded by shell corporations, dummy fronts, and protected with ruthless violence. The head of the operation is a computer genius named Paul LeRoux. LeRoux possessed a longing to be known. The once gregarious youth dove into the codes and mainframes of the PC with both feet, developing software that ensured anonymity. His descent into a gray area began with RX Limited and LeRoux didn’t look back, expanding his empire and utilizing mercenaries and armies of front men to maintain his riches. But he didn’t count on the long arm of the law reaching out to pull back the curtain.

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. The narrative is spun in ways that can leave the reader dizzy but never lost. A great book for 2019 & beyond.


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Author
Star Count 5/5
Format Hard
Page Count 496 pages
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 2019-03-05
ISBN 9780399590412
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue Mar-19
Category Biographies & Memoirs
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