"Red Notice" by Bill Browder

Above: "Red Notice - A True Story of High Finance, Murder and one Man's Fight for Justice." Bill Browder - 390 Pages.

We learn that the new Russia is not ruled by laws, but by capricious men in search of power an wealth.

I completed reading this book today.

Reduced to the nub...

American born UK businessman, whose grandfather was head of the US Communist Party, decides, after a Stanford business degree, and some time at Solomon Brothers, to invest in Russia during the fall of the Communist party and the rise of the oligarchs... early '90's.

Business man realizes great investment success. Lives in Moscow. Develops coterie of loyal Russian employees and lawyers.

Browder's business success, and his propensity to challenge key Russian members of the Interior Ministry who seek to derail some of his initiatives... aka Browder whacking hornets nest with stick... result in the demise of his Russian business, the escape to the UK of all but one of his key Russian associates, and the effective death by torture of his remaining associate in Russia, a lawyer.

Browder didn't give up. Half the book is how Browder leveraged the UK government, the UN, the US government, and world human rights organizations to expose human rights offenses in Russia, Browder was the central figure in persuading the US Congress to pass the Sergei Magnitski (Browder's Russian lawyer who was tortured to death) legislation in 2007 which imposed sanctions, such as no US visas, for Russian perps responsible for Magnitski's death.

Browder and his attorney's discovered how senior people in the Interior Department had worked tax refunds to Russian companies once owned by Browder, now illegally owned by the Interior Department perps.

It is surprising that the Russian hierarchy continued to try to stop Browder rather than the people who were robbing the Russian treasury by amounts exceeding $200 million.

By producing videos that were widely circulated among the world's human rights community Browder drew wide spread attention from the US and European news media to his cause. The Magnitski affair was raised at a press conference with Putin. Putin, at first pleaded ignorant. But, later, as the press "pressed," started using Browder's name as a criminal. Browder, from then on, knew that he would live the rest of his life in fear.

We learn that the new Russia is not ruled by laws, but by capricious men in search of power an wealth.

The book read as a thriller and kept my interest.