“Red Notice” by Bill Browder – A Crusade of Corruption

Let's face it, whether we are talking about the Soviet Union or today's Russia, the country had numerous reputations, but being an honest and transparent one certainly wasn't, isn't and probably won't be part of the list any time soon.

Shady dealings, to put it mildly, have been going on probably as long as people have been living there, and at this point the corruption runs so deep that it has become an unavoidable part of daily life there.

However, despite their practices, the government and law enforcement administrations have done a remarkable job at keeping things under wraps, but the story of Sergei Magnitsky certainly isn't one of them, thanks to the tireless work of Bill Browder, and the book he wrote titled Red Notice.

Bill Browder himself is, to explain it briefly, a hedge fund investor and the many deals he made ended up bringing him to Vladimir Putin's Russia. After he had found and exposed the fact that various oligarchs were ripping off the companies in which he placed his investments, Browder found himself expelled from Russia by Putin himself. Later, in 2007, a group of law enforcement agents raided his office, stealing more than $230 million.

Browder then hired attorney Sergei Magnitsky to investigate the ordeal, and one month after testifying against the criminals involved, Magnitsky was arrested, tortured for a year, and finally, beaten to death in an isolation chamber by eight guards in riot gear, while handcuffed to a bed railing.

The book details Bowder's adventure into Russia's business world from beginning to the present day, shedding light on a deep conspiracy (most certainly only one of many) leading straight to the top.

Sergei Magnitsky

To start off with the most important factor, this book actually exposes something very real, and something that needs to be paid attention to, and that's the cruel, unlawful and monarchy-like way in which a supposedly modern and civilized country operates.

It brings to light disgusting practices that have, do and most certainly will cause harm to countless individuals, and all in the name of more money and power for a tiny group of people.

Very few truly dare venture deep into Russia's corrupted business world, but Bill Browder did and gained an insight very few have into how things are done there. Otherwise said, without even paying attention at the quality of the content itself, this book is already worth reading due to its subject matter.

Now with that out of the way, when it comes to viewing this book as a work of literature, it certainly remains a very appealing read on numerous levels.

To begin with, Browder ensured that there is some form of entertainment to be found, with the book at times feeling like a crime thriller and at other times a political novel with a charged message.

He doesn't sensationalize events (at least not to the point where it becomes obvious), and strings us along his storyline in order to allow us to have as close of an experience as possible to what he went through.

Otherwise said, even if you couldn't spare the slightest moment to think about what happens in Russia, chances are you'll still be hooked by this story, doubly so due to it being real, and let's face it, a frightening confirmation of suspicions and fears we don't ever want to face.

All things considered, Red Notice is perhaps one of the more important books to have come out in the past few years, hopefully ensuring that Sergei Magnitsky's tragic fate is remembered and doesn't end up being yet another senseless waste of human life.

On top of that it is also an attractive read in itself, one you'll have no trouble swallowing page after page. Without a doubt, this is one of those books I recommend to anyone capable of reading.

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Bill Browder Personal site Bill Browder is the Chief Executive Officer as well as the co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, and most recently a writer as he published his first book, Red Notice, detailing a rather incredible story about his brush with the decadent powers of corruption.