Name: American Kingpin
ISBN: 9781591848141

Nick Bilton

From New York Times-bestselling author Nick Bilton comes a true-life thriller about the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, aka the Dread Pirate Roberts, the founder of the online black market Silk Road.

The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road

American Kingpin

siegs

Incredibly well researched and documented. The writing itself is not exceptional but this is a really gripping non-fictional story that happened in the last decade and impacted the trajectory of technology as much as any unicorn startup.

Aamna

Would have finished this in one sitting if I could. A well-written glimpse into the mind of an unlikely 'drug lord' & what it takes to run an online drug empire. Surprisingly nuanced. Unputdownable.

It was really in depth and interesting but dis not deliver on the EPIC manhunt. The ruminations about Ross Ulbrichts motivations and life add layers to the story. The tie ins to the real life videos and pictures are also interesting. I wish there had been more information on the others involved in the silk road as well. 

Maria Tapia

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom—and almost got away with it In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything—drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons—free of the government’s watchful eye. It wasn’t long before the media got wind of the new Web site where anyone—not just teenagers and weed dealers but terrorists and black hat hackers—could buy and sell contraband detection-free. Spurred by a public outcry, the federal government launched an epic two-year manhunt for the site’s elusive proprietor, with no leads, no witnesses, and no clear jurisdiction. All the investigators knew was that whoever was running the site called himself the Dread Pirate Roberts. The Silk Road quickly ballooned into $1.2 billion enterprise, and Ross embraced his new role as kingpin. He enlisted a loyal crew of allies in high and low places, all as addicted to the danger and thrill of running an illegal marketplace as their customers were to the heroin they sold. Through his network he got wind of the target on his back and took drastic steps to protect himself—including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever, the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren’t sure even existed, searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet. Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind, Vanity Fair correspondent and New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns, lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It’s a story of the boy next door’s ambition gone criminal, spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning, anonymous, decentralized Web advocates and the old world of government control, order, and the rule of law. Filled with unforgettable characters and capped by an astonishing climax, American Kingpin might be dismissed as too outrageous for fiction. But it’s all too real.

Anthony

I think the book was definitely very entertaining. I've read about Ross before, and watched Deep Web which is also about him. It's such a curious story. I think Ross would be an interesting character to have crossed paths withs, and I really do think he did it.

That being said, some of the detail in this book seems like it's too fine grained to even be accurate. Nick clearly wanted to weave an entertaining story, and I think he did just that, but I imagine a lot of how he describes Ross, his actions, and emotions throughout, are probably fabricated.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in crime chases, the Deep Web, cybercrime, or Ross Ulbricht.

Róbert Istók

A fascinating read, I love books with a good story, but also a real-life events behind.

Bouke van der Bijl

Really enjoyed this book, very detailed description of the story of Ross Ulbricht aka the Dread Pirate Roberts. Ross got in way over his head running the Silk Road, and had to pay for it with his freedom in the end.

One thing I didn’t really like is that the author took a lot of liberties with filling in the motivations and moods of the various characters, although it did improve it as a story, it made it less close to reality.

polowanie na genialnego cyberprzestępcę

Król darknetu

Jakub Kopys

I have never read a book this fast. It really kept me engaged and interested like no other book before.

alali moe

This book started super strong and was captivating. In the middle it gets really stale and boring, just waiting for something more interesting to happen. And then suddenly, it picks up a bit and ends.

There’s too much excessive details at some parts (her avatar was spiderman eating a taco). It almost felt like the author was just writing for the sake of it,  then realized he’s running out of space and just finished up.

Besides that, it was a good story. I visited Silk Road when I was a kid, but little did I know about the history behind it.

Mitul Shah

This book started super strong and was captivating. In the middle it gets really stale and boring, just waiting for something more interesting to happen. And then suddenly, it picks up a bit and ends.

There’s too much excessive details at some parts (her avatar was spiderman eating a taco). It almost felt like the author was just writing for the sake of it,  then realized he’s running out of space and just finished up.

Besides that, it was a good story. I visited Silk Road when I was a kid, but little did I know about the history behind it.

Erin Peace

Great journalism, great writing. A behind-the-scenes look at how the Silk Road was created and how its creator was caught. Reads like a novel.  

Alexander Venturas

The most gripping non-fiction book I’ve ever read. Highly recommend.

Luca Conti

Very very entertaining. I knew the story but this is much much more. You'll love it.

American Kingpin The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road

Reviews

Highlights