5 comments about Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan.

1. This is how great Twitter can be: when I was just 20 pages into Tokyo Vice, I posted this update:
   "Jake Adelstein's TOKYO VICE makes me want to be yakuza"
   
   He responded the next day with:
   "@calebjross It's supposed to have the opposite effect. :)"
   
   Considering that this exchange was completely unanticipated, I was quite surprised by the direct line of contact with the author. I anticipated the exchange ending there. But, then I finished the book, and I realized how insulting my first comment could have appeared. Tokyo Vice is such an amazing story, one that, though filed under "true crime" touches on memoir. Adelstein's position as a reporter with the unique opportunity to out certain immoral (to say the least) yakuza behavior, bleeds into his personal life in deeply affecting ways. As soon as I finished the book, I posted again on Twitter:
   "@jakeadelstein I must apologize for my earlier statement of wanting to be yakuza. I just finished TOKYO VICE. Incredible story, sir."
   
   And he came back with:
   "@calebjross Apology accepted. :)"
   
   Such a gentleman. Tokyo Vice goes highly recommended.



2. Having lived and worked in Tokyo in the 80's and 90's, I found Jake Adelstein's detailed narrative about Japan's criminal underworld fascinating. Most of his book is written with wry humor and the no-holds barred approach of a young, street-wise, foreign reporter fluent in the local language, who can explain the nuances and details of Japanese culture. Ultimately it is a horrifying tale of criminal exploitation, human cruelty, horrific violence and human misery -- very unsettling. Japan and Japanese culture have so many positive and admirable aspects, but this well-written book paints a horrifying look at the underside.



3. When I started reading this book I had a very different expectation as to its content based on my perception of Japanese culture. This book opened a fascinating window on darker aspects of that culture I was only peripherally aware of. It is also an interesting tale of slow self corruption where the fall is not from on high. Rather a fall from a place of moral ambiguity at best to a place that is way dark and twisted. One wonders if there is any true recovery from such a place but hopes that there is.
   
   I highly recommend this book as a fantastic (if dark) read and a real page turner.



4. Tokyo Vice is one of my favorite novels of all time. Not just because of the content within the confines of the hardcover, but because of the support the author has put behind it. This story covers such a wide spectrum of Jake Adelstein's life that writing it seems to have become his lifestyle. Which makes this book never ending. Once you finish the novel it points you towards a website: <[...]>. I read about this website with great doubt, the only reason I went to it was to see the one post I would expect on a personal website attached to a recent novel: "Sorry I can't update that often, very busy doing a book tour, etc., etc." Instead I found multiple posts as long as chapters in the book describing recent events that have happened since the novel finished. Not only are the posts well written like the novel, but he comments back in full to each comment left on his posts! Or in my particular situation I left him my e-mail and he sent a personal e-mail to me providing contact information since I was curious about going to Japan in the near future.
   
   I can not believe the support behind this novel and I may pick up an extra copy to have in pristine condition (I have a tendency to rough up my novels when I read them the first time.) This is a novel for a new age where people are always connected to the internet, Jake's Twitter also provides access to any book tours that he may be on or whether he is going to have a reading here in America or back in Tokyo.



5. I heard about Tokyo Vice from the Daily Show and another friend who read the book. I finally started reading it and couldn't put it down. Jake Adelstein is great story teller and his experiences in Japan were incredible. I didn't know anything about the yakuza before reading the book, I'm interested in finding out more now. I highly recommend this book!

5 comments about No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels.

1. Don't waste your money on this man I know i would never. I borrowed the book and well as it was a quick read I gotta say that after the passage "they wanted to be like us" LOL. Give me a break. I wanted throw it across the room. I don't know if that was the Hydroxcut he was taking or he is that arragant. He knew the risks of the job but did anyway. Constantly fighting with himself about his family. Seems logical to me. Don't do what you do. Just a glorified paid rat!



2. This book was almost a good read. I did finish it. But there were too many time I felt it was just about to get into some good action detail and fell short. He is more of a fringe guy as much as he says he was an insider. It plays as a wannabe more than a real deal.



3. A real taste, feel, and sights into the real life and the people of the Hells Angels.



4. interesting read, I think that the picture the author painted of the angels was was not a full picture but dictated by his preconceived notions of what HE thought angels were. He aproached every one with a very tough guy out law attitude and was met with similar attitudes. All that time spent with the club and barely any worthwile busts, Not all club members are hardass dicks from my experience. But if you project that tough guy hardass image, it will be met by the same



5. If you're looking for insight into the reality of these groups, this is the book for you!

No comments about The Wagon and Other Stories from the City (Chicago Visions and Revisions).

5 comments about Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who are Bringing Down the Internet.

1. The author weaves a fascinating tale involving many important people (on both sides of the good/evil boundary). Imagine--the bad guys stole one trillion dollars last year!



2. Flow is a little disjointed and seems a little rushed in places, but it's definitely an interesting read, especially after having brushes with some of the mentioned people/groups. Puts things in a little better perspective and definitely opened the eyes of some of my friends.



3. Again, I'm giving five stars to offset the idiots who give it one star because of how Amazon has decided to price it. People make buying decisions based on reviews, and authors work too hard to have their work compromised by idiots who complain about the price. The author doesn't set the price. In fact, (s)he is only making a buck or two on the Kindle edition. And your one star reviews are taking money out of their pocket. If the book sucks, give it one star. But if you don't like the price, complain directly to Amazon.



4. Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who are Bringing Down the Internet
   
   For most people the Internet is just email and search. We're happy to watch videos or buy the occasional book from Amazon or buy some electronics from Best Buy. Unknown to many of us, the Internet is now the fabric of our lives. The Internet is now the backbone of banking, commerce and trade. Our electricity would not run without Internet connectivity.
   
   Herein lies the danger of the Internet of tomorrow. Behind author Joe Menn's real narrative are the things that will scare even the casual email user. There are governments and cybergangs who through the deft magic of the right code and keystrokes can cripple the US or even the world economy.
   
   This is what's riveting about the book: Behind the protagonists... Barrett, the Russians, the Mafia and all, lies the true danger of an Internet that is so fragile. Yet we continue to pile more and more applications and businesses on top of it.
   
   The stories are fascinating... detective work, intrigue and all but the real story is that we're all in book.
   
   The book is a must read as it is the real thing.



5. Heard about the book on NPR when they were interviewing the Author. Sounded like a cloak and dagger story relating mostly to computer hacking, I was interested because I wanted to understand more about computer threats. Turned out to be more of story with almost no technical stuff.

5 comments about Lucky: A Memoir.

1. This book definitely needs a mature audience to handle. It describes in a lot of detail the rape of Alice Sebold and all of the court proceedings that followed. As having to deal with this in my own life, she provides gems of knowledge that really can only be learned from experiencing this type of event and it shows true genuine understanding of this problem. She really provides a lot of experiences that are personal but important because many rape victims will have to go through it (having people disbelieve her, feeling detached, changing in the eyes of others, the idea of saving herself or going unsaved). The book also proves that some rape cases can be solved in a court room but subtly reminds the reader that it usually isn't that way (with the other parts of her story) which is important to remember. I also feel that Sebold goes into details of pain that comes from rape that has nothing to do with the action, such as her relationships with others and how others sometimes just can't stand the idea of being around someone who has experienced such a terrible thing. Sebold discusses what no one really wants to; that sometimes as a society, people don't want to be near those who have suffered terrible events for some unknown reason. The only thing that I feel this book is lacking is explaining more about how she eventually healed. She mentions she did and it takes a long time for her, but the details aren't as descriptive as the beginning. I feel she discusses more the trauma than the healing (which is ironic given what she does write about in reference to the healing) however I do feel that is something maybe too personal to share so I can understand the lack of details. All in all, I feel it is a great book to help out as therapy, to help understand what it might be like, and just in all to read about what people want to forget about how life can be.



2. I was told to read this book in one of my college courses, and I never forgot how much it touched me. Unlike all the other books which had been assigned over the years, this is the one that remained on my book shelf long after I graduated. It is an inspiring book which touches your heart and helps you to understand how a person feels on their road from victim to survivor. I truly recommend reading this book...Never again will I call a person "lucky" after being attacked (read the book to understand this).



3. This book was brave and from a personal perspective it spoke to me. She was honest and not a bit of this memoir is inaccurate. It spoke to me personally, and I hope to everyone else who has been a victim of sexual assault or knows someone who has been. This type of crime does indeed shatter a person's life, and sometimes recovery takes a life time. She described her journey so well, and I am glad she was brave enough to write about it, and share her experience. Many victims of crime, especially rape and sexual assault, feel alone and unable to face what happened to them. let alone go to trial and write a book. Mrs. Sebold sets a great example for other women, and demonstrates there hope and recovery after something as traumatic as rape. I especially appreciated the information about PTSD, since I have dealt with that disorder in my own life.



4. Since I really liked "Lovely Bones", I was so excited to read another work by Alice, especially since it got such great reviews. How disappointing. There was little if any cohesiveness. The trial was the best part of the book, and after that--nothing.



5. Alice Sebold has gained much popularity with The Lovely Bones and is an excellent writer. This book is no exception. I do have concern that readers will be unprepared for the graphic nature of this book. If not prepared and given to a young reader, this will end with either lots of unanswered questions or feelings that need to be addressed very carefully. Because it is a true story, it does not come with a happy ending and a bow. It is life. Read with that in mind and if shared with young adult or teen women, discuss. Don't wait for questions, use it as launching pad for a very difficult conversation. Don't assume by the silence that someone has processed the magnitude of the subject matter. Talk. Talk. Talk again. This book will be with you for a long time.

5 comments about Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.

1. Anyone who accepts this book as fact should read the review available at [...]. This review points out errors and biases that are more than "small errors (as one reviewer stated)."
   
   Krakauer, who may have some strengths as a author, states his biases in the introduction. Why would I accept as fact a book written about a group by someone who has an axe to grind about that group? If those seeking reliable information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read only this book, they are being about as fair and objective as learning about general Christianity from Richard Dawkins. You might, in forming an opinion, touch on Dawkins, but you wouldn't want to form conclusions on Christianity from Dawkins alone. That wouldn't be honest. Krakauer missed badly in this one.



2. In no-nonsense manner, Krakauer puts to the written page everything you ever wanted and didn't want to know about the Mormon religion. Though, I never wanted to know anything about Mormons before, this book told me more than I could ever have imagined. Evidently, a great deal of research went into this work.
   The setting:Imagine brutally killing someone- a relative, including one that is a baby and then saying you did it because God wanted you to. This is what the book is about. Two brothers, grown men walked into their younger brother's home and brutally murdered his wife and young daughter.
   Krakauer looks at the violent history that spanned over more than a hundred years and finally led to the murder. Many religions, not all have a violent histroy, but none so much as Mormonism. I couldn't help but be appalled by their actions throughout history and claiming it was all God's will. This is a great example of a religion gone wild and in reality, a cult hiding under the guise of a religion. Mormons claim to be Christians. However, the Book of Mormon they claim to come from God doesn't follow the Bible nor mention it in any way. In fact, they follow something entirely different.
   This book will more than open your eyes to the dangers of Mormonisn. You'll surely be more cautious when you see two young Mormon missionaries at your door in the future. I know I certainly will. Sadly, as in all regigions, I'm sure there are a number of people that are sincere in their beliefs, yet are misguided. As everywhere, the fanatics ride herd over everyone else.
   Forget the dangers of Muslim terrrorism. Mormons are homegrown terrorists. They counsel their followers to go on welfare under the guise of "bleeding the beast." They get away with not paying taxes, etc, all under the guise of following God's will. If this is what doing God's will means, I'd rather be an athesist.



3. Following is what I imagine Krakauer's thought process was when considering writing this book:
   
   "I could write a book about the history of Mormonism but those are already a dime-a-dozen. So, going that route won't make me a bundle of cash. Oooh. Oooh. I've got! I'll write a book about a couple of murders that are connected to Mormonism and in it I'll burn a bunch of pages recounting the history of the church. Awesome! Cha-Ching! Where's my laptop?"
   
   
   That's the kind of feel I got while reading this book. The murders that all the pre-press leads you to believe are the focus of this book are really just a back story. The real meat of this book is in the play-by-play history of the Mormon Church and religion. Truth be told the murders are really mundane by today's standards and Krakauer does nothing to spice them up. There is no mystery, there is no drama, and those involved are happy to tell anyone who will listen any detail. Hardly enough there on which to base a book...unless, of course, you've got something else in mind. Krakauer must have recognized that too because the murders take up about 20% of the book while the history of the church is covered in the rest.
   
   But, that's okay. Until I read this book I knew nothing - besides the name Brigham Young and that Mormons practiced polygamy - about Mormons, their church, their religion, their anything. So, for me, the fact that the majority of Banner is written like a Freshman intro to Mormonism course was not much of an issue. I was cool with reading where it started, who started it, how it evolved, the key players, the key events and a smattering of commentary.
   
   As evidenced by my 4-star rating, I liked this book. I was interested in learning about the roots of Mormonism and how it evolved. For a neophyte (me) it made for some very interesting reading.
   
   For someone already in the know however, you'll not likely find anything new here. Or if compelling true crime stories are what turn you on then this one will leave you still looking for a fix.
   
   What I didn't like was feeling like I'd been baited and switched and Krakauer's sometimes very overt opinions creeping into the writing from time to time (I wish I had saved an example, because sometimes it was like a wtf moment).



4. Under the Banner of Heaven written by Jon Krakauer is a book about Mormons. It uses a terrible crime from 1984 (the murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty) as a platform to study Fundamentalist Mormons and the bad side of religion in general. The reason this murders are used to highlight the bad side of religion is that the killers, Dan and Ron Lafferty, believe that God told them to kill Brenda and Erica. Dan in fact is remorseless and completely calm in jail and in every interview, he really believes it was a revelation from God.
   
   This book explains how the Mormon church came to be, giving us a short biography of Joseph Smith, detailing how the Church kept looking for a settlement and how it was growing around the charm of Smith. Smith's downfall was his polygamy as outsiders hated it and Mormons disliked it (throughout his life, Joseph Smith denied in public that he had multiple wives, even though evidence shows he had more than 20, several of them 14 when married to him). He was murdered. The next leader was Brigham Young, who made polygamy official in the religion after their long pilgrimage to Utah. After so many years together in the pilgrimage, the followers were willing to follow this decree that had grossed them out before.
   
   During Brigham Young's tenure, the Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred, a terrible massacre performed by the Mormons on a wagon from Arkansas. What really bothered me was how they agreed to let the wagon pass if they gave their weapons away, but then killed them all (except children under 5). It was a terrible crime, which has been very well documented.
   
   The book also gives some history behind the Fundamentalist Mormons, where they settled, how they live their lives. It is incredible how backward these civilizations are, infringing on human rights. A settlement where incest and rape run rampant. I was surprised to find out that the Mormon group in Chihuahua (my home state) is actually a fundamentalist sect (although maybe there are more Mormon colonies in Chihuahua, but at least one of them is Fundamentalist). After reading these details, I understood a little better why Texas tried to take all the children away the YFZ Ranch.
   
   It was interesting to read reasons about why the religion survives and what makes it appealing. I think one of the keys is that they believe in a very personal relationship with God, one that makes people believe they can have revelations and such. This would also explain why there are many splinter groups (although Christianity also has many splinter groups, so the one on one belief is not the only factor).
   
   It was surprising to me to find out that Joseph Smith didn't make the polygamy aspect public and that polygamy was close to dying with him as most people were against it and their were prophet candidates that were against it. I was also surprised that polygamy in Utah lasted for a long time, essentially until 1890 officially and about 30 years more unofficially.
   
   The Lafferty case is tragic. The more I would read about the case, the more frustrated I would get. It is just so wrong that people can do this evil and then use God as a shield to explain their actions. Ron Lafferty clearly was wishing their deaths and then felt bogus revelations (although, within my belief system, a revelation is bogus by definition) to kill his sister-in-law and niece. It was crazy to find out that Allen (Brenda's husband) found out about the revelation, yet didn't tell Brenda or the police. Allen's knowledge of the "revelation" is disputed, however there is strong evidence that Ron's mother knew about it the day before and a group of Fundamentalists actually heard the revelation in their group, one of the people notarizing that he felt Ron was going to kill four people, yet never telling the police.
   
   From time to time I've switched between being anti-religion or just someone who doesn't follow any religion. This book shows me that I should be anti-fundamentalist. The main problem with religion is believing in it literally, above human compassion. I am okay with people following a religion as long as they are not fundamentalists, people that believe they can talk to God, that God speaks to them directly, that they have revelations, etc. This people are a danger to mankind.
   
   A sad book, that made me think a lot about religion and taught me some history. I recommend it.



5. The cover of this book states that the book will focus on the murder of a woman and her infant daughter in 1984 by "two brothers who believed they were ordered to kill by God." In fact, the 372 pages barely talk about this murder. Rather, it is a long and totally exhaustive history of the Mormon religion--starting with a young Joseph Smith up to conversations with contemporary members and former members of this religion.
   
   Contrary to what others have said in reviews, I don't think that Krakauer attacks this religion at all. He even states in his author's remarks that "I was irresistibly drawn to write about Latter-day Saints not only because I already knew something about their theology, and admired much about their culture..." Readers may feel this way because, though there were times of major religious opression for LDS, there were also some pretty disturbing things going on within the walls of some portions of this religion from the perspective of those who do not believe in plural marriage or marrying children. It inevitably makes mormonism seem very cult-like. Further, the Laffery brothers are at the heart of this novel and they were the extreme and completely different from what the current LDS seems to stand for (according to other members interviewed). The author includes interviews from people that were negatively impacted by some of these disturbing events as well.
   
   If I had known it would be page after page of the history of the religion, I wouldn't have read it. It does go back to the Lafferty boys several times, but ultimately it wasn't a story about them or about Brenda Lafferty (the murdered young mother that I thought this would be focused on). In fact, there were so many names that it became confusing and impossible to keep track of all of the people that Krakauer writes about.
   
   If this book had been cut in half, I wouldn't have given it one star. But - it was so very exhaustive that there were times that I thought that I just couldn't finish it.

5 comments about Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History.

1. "Flawless" is an exciting and interesting true crime book. I love the eye-catching cover--the diamonds on the cover are iridescent.
   
   The first part of the book set up the crime: who the criminals were, what their personalities were like, and the previous crimes they'd committed. It also explained the technology the criminals had to overcome, and a bit about how diamonds are processed (from digging them from the ground to selling the finished stones in the Diamond District) and how they've been stolen during these stages in the past.
   
   Everything came together very nicely in the second part as the authors described the actual theft and investigation. Because of the initial information, it was clear what a breathtakingly bold crime was committed. Even knowing the general outcome, my heart was pounding due to the suspense in these scenes. Very well written.
   
   They also described the difficulty of trying the criminals, who had gone over the border to another country, and the fallout for everyone (the thieves, those who lost items, the building security, etc.).
   
   The book contained a general map of the layout of the Diamond District and of the Diamond Center so that the descriptions were easy to follow. Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written book to those interested in true crime and detective stories--especially to readers with an interest in diamonds.
   
   
   I received this book as a free copy from the publisher.
   
   Reviewed by Debbie from Different Time, Different Place
   (differenttimedifferentplace. blogspot. com)



2. Well researched and such a page-turner!! A really enjoyable read with great facts and restraint.



3. A group of thieves pulled off a perfect robbery in 2003. The alarms didn't trip and no one was injured. Making it out with over one hundred million dollars in diamonds and jewels. The police were able to find out who the culprits were but they were baffled by how the heist went so smoothly. The big dog of the group was an Italian man named Leonardo who worked out of a Diamond Center office. Scott, a law graduate and Greg, an author, teamed up to find out what really happened during one of the most notorious robberies ever.
   
   This book is brilliantly written and reads like an awesome action movie. I'm a sucker for true crime and Flawless really is flawless.



4. Seventy percent of the world's diamonds are traded in Antwerp. The Antwerp Diamond Center was thought to be one of the most secure buildings in the world. But on 2/5/03 a band of Italian thieves, after 27 months of casing the building, made off with an estimated $300 - 500 million in diamonds, cash, and other valuables - without violence or even threats. The heist even included documents authenticating their value. The safe room was two floors underground and protected by a light sensor, motion detector, and infrared heat detector. Each of the safe deposit boxes had been locked with a key and a three-letter combination known only to its owner - yet, more than half were emptied. The room itself was secured with a foot-thick, double-locked bombproof steel door armed with a magnetic alarm, as well as a locked, gated inner door that could only be opened with a buzzer from the control booth on the main floor. Both doors were locked at the end of every business day. Opening the vault required a special foot-long key, and knowing the three-letter combination. Closed-circuit TV cameras monitored the building's entrances, corridors, and elevators, as well as the small foyer at the vault entrance. Heavy, rolling metal barriers covered the locked plate glass doors. One of two caretakers was always on duty - opening the garage doors for tenants needing entry at odd hours. Vehicular traffic in the area was largely banned - those allowed had to pass over police-actuated cylinders that normally were up. The entire outside area was covered by CCTV.
   
   Heist preparations began in 2000 when Leonardo Notarbartolo rented an office and safety-deposit box at the Diamond Center - $500/month. Leonardo claimed to be a jeweler - true. He was also reputed to be a jewel thief in his home town (Turin), but no one checked. Notarbartolo carried a satchel, modified to accommodate a small video camera and its lens. While inside the vault during business hours he was able to film without observation because the layout provided lots of blind spots for customer privacy. After learning that the vault's manufacturer and the building's date, his locksmith partners in Italy were able to obtain detailed specifications. Similarly with the video surveillance equipment, badge readers, motion detectors, garage door controllers, etc. He was also able to obtain building blueprints to 'assess possible office expansion.'
   
   Over time, Notarbartolo learned the nobody watched the security cameras after hours, the location of the security tapes and the recorders, and that manufacturer recommended security updates had not been installed. Unbelievably, he also learned that the key to the vault was kept nearby in an easily broken-into closet. His accomplices determined that the garage doors operated on one of 1,024 pre programmed radio frequencies - an electronic scanner could find the right one in a maximum of 30 minutes. (Newer equipment reset the codes after every use.) They then could build their own remote control for immediate access. The safe-deposit boxes were supposed to have been upgraded to substitute a steel inner faceplate for the original thin gray plastic. Since the building owners had only done this for a few boxes, the gang was able to build a device that could bend the inside deadbolts for most of the boxes and pull out their contents.
   
   Styrofoam and hair spray were sufficient to knock out the motion detectors - also not upgraded to detect this. Fortunately for the thieves, the magnetic alarm on the vault was installed outside of the door - not inside like it should have been. The solution to taking it out of service without setting it off was creating a small device that held the pieces together after being unbolted from the vault and casing. Prepaid cell-phones were bought for untraceable communication between gang members.
   
   The actual heist began just prior to midnight on a holiday weekend. By luck the caretaker had left to meet his brother for drinks. How the thieves bypassed the vault combination code is still unknown - probably the caretakers didn't bother to reset it when closing. (Electronic locks automatically do so.) The inner-gated door was forced open. They broke into 109 of the 160 safety-deposit boxes; some could not be opened because the plastic shield had been upgraded. The stolen diamonds and jewels weighed some 44 lbs - only the most valuable were taken. The crooks called for their car and driver about 5:30 A.M., and then escaped to Notarbartolo's apartment. The next day it was back to Italy.
   
   Notarbartolo, however, hadn't put much effort into determining where to dispose of the incriminating trash that included the videos that had recorded their actions. This was found early the next day by a self-appointed caretaker at a wooded reserve area who religiously patrolled and picked up the area. The tapes proved unreadable, but various receipts, etc. were. Another valuable source of clues was the mess left in the vault - including a half-eaten sandwich with Notarbartolo's DNA. The police had identified Notarbartolo and one of his accomplices as suspects before the thieves arrived back at their Turin homes.
   
   Just as police were concluding their initial on-scene and in-town investigation, Notarbartolo returned to the Diamond Center. His intent was to give an appearance of 'business as usual.' Instead, he was questioned, arrested, and eventually served six years. Three others were caught and jailed for three years. None of the loot was recovered.
   
   Bottom-Line: If you have valuables, install your security equipment correctly, and keep it updated. If you're a jewel thief, finish your food and plan ahead on how to dispose of incriminating evidence.



5. The heist movie is a Hollywood standard, so when a real heist is made, it is necessary for those telling about the real heist to compare it to the movie versions. Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell have repeatedly done this in _Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History_ (Union Square Press). They repeatedly refer to the 2001 remake _Ocean's Eleven_ when telling the story of the 2003 burglary of an office called the Diamond Center in the heart of the Diamond District in Antwerp. The movie is funny and exciting, and over-the-top unbelievable; the real crime as recounted here is the same, but given the detail with which it is reported by means of the play-by-play descriptions of protectors versus burglars, the unbelievability shrinks away to frank admiration. The team that took maybe half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash, and precious metals were highly skilled technicians. Sure, they were robbers, and they bilked a lot of innocent people out of their money, but still, just like in the movies, you wind up rooting for the burglars and hoping the good-guy cops won't catch them. In the story told in _Flawless_, that's almost the way it turned out.
   
   Leonardo Notarbartolo got his admission to Antwerp's famous because he had a jewel business in Turin, but he there not to do business but to be the legman for the "School of Turin," a group of professional technicians whose expertise is robbery. Much of the first half of _Flawless_ shows just how Notarbartolo "cased the joint," a considerably more involved process than the movies depict. If a movie showed what he did, it would be a boring movie. For over two years, he pretended to go to work in his office, and while he had the run of the building, he carried a shoulder bag with a concealed video camera in it. He looked at wiring, hardware, security procedures, and took the tapes back to his team in Turin, where they assessed them and considered where he needed to be filming the next go around. The main way that the robbers succeeded is that, although they used plenty of hardware and lockpicking, they exploited human error, finding when the guards took shortcuts. Some of their tricks were decidedly low-tech: the motion alarm stopped sensing anything when it was sprayed with hair spray; the heat detector went cold when encased in styrofoam; the light sensor went blind when covered with a bit of electrical tape. The lock boxes within the vault, however, had to be cracked with a special tool they had designed for the purpose. It all went smoothly; one of their biggest problems was that there was such a wealth of treasure they could not carry it all out. On the morning of the next workday, when guards, administrators, and police sequentially became aware of the theft, they found watches, gems, and even a brick of gold on the floor. The burglars had made off with better goods, and had scrupulously cleaned up after themselves, leaving no clues.
   
   If the gang took advantage of human error to gain its access, it was human error that tripped up them afterwards, and without giving too much away, the crime was solved by revelations from a cranky retiree who felt personally responsible for a tiny patch of Belgian forest and was hugely offended if he found garbage dumped there. It should be noted that the gang did not follow the movie convention of a double-cross; they were thieves, but there was certainly honor among them, even as the investigation tightened upon them. Four of the men, including Notarbartolo, were arrested (there may have been others involved), and went to jail. They are all out now, and what is more significant, the loot is still missing. It would seem that for the trouble of relatively short jail terms, they kept unimaginable wealth. Notarbartolo himself may be looking for a handy way to launder his spoils; he told a completely different version of the heist tale to _Wired_, and he and the author of the article may be producing a movie based on it. Another heist movie, coming soon to a theater near you.

5 comments about The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.

1. I did not receive the book I ordered. When I contacted Thrifit they responded very quickly and refunded my money immediately. Based on their customer service, I would give them another try.



2. This book alternated between the construction of the Chicago World's Fair and the story of H.H. Holmes a serial killer operating in Chicago at the same time.
   
   I was a lot more interested in the serial killer story line than the World's Fair construction story line. It brought back my high school days when I read true crime almost exclusively. Because the serial killer part was less than half of the book, I didn't feel like it was developed as it could have been.
   
   Architecture buffs will like the construction story line more than I did I'm sure. I had trouble keeping all of the different men who were involved straight and some of the more technical references went over my head.



3. I expected to like the serial killer aspect of this work the best. However, I found myself totally captivated instead by all the details of getting the World's Fair of 1893 underway in Chicago. The Ferris Wheel was invented for this fair as American engineers vied to come up with something at least as good as the Eiffel Tower, made for the Paris Expo (by Ferris of Pittsburg). Bill Cody had his Wild West show next door to the fair and it was wildly successful. The planning for the fair was incredible. The difficulties were enormous. Health problems affected the project on every level. On one hand, there were constant worries about protecting against typhus and cholera outbreaks. On another level, the men in their 50s and 60s in charge of the fair had medical problems which couldn't be fixed so they just suffered or, even worse, one of them would just die upon getting anything the least serious. One pivotal person was knocked out just by needing an appendectomy. It killed him. Although the city was covered in grime from coal and gas lamps, electricity was brought to the world's fair. That alone made everything look spectacular. I would love to get into a time capsule, see the fair for a day or two, get right back in and come back to modern life. This is because the fair is super intriguing and it would be quite an experience. However, we would find the privations of living back then unendurable for more than that. There is a serial killer with his own hotel adjacent to the World's Fair. He's pretty interesting but not really necessary to the outstanding detail of the World's Fair.



4. Set in the chaos of late nineteenth century Chicago, Devil in the White City is one of the most meticulously researched and engrossing books I've read in years. It's a page turner. I would be reading on a week night and look up to find it was 4 am. The book hones in on two fascinating events of the late 1800s: architect Daniel Burnham and the construction of the World's Fair, and the notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes. Chicago at the time was full of dualities, simultaneously a place of wild possibility and total despair. Burnham (and many others, including Olmsted, who designed Central Park) set out to achieve the impossible against all odds, creating a "white city" set against the backdrop of a dark and rough metropolis. Concurrently, Holmes preys on naive young women coming to the city seeking adventure and opportunity, constructing a "murder castle" in which he would slowly lure in his victims and murder them.
   
   Recommendation: This book encompasses so many interesting facts and subjects, it's got something for everyone. Highly recommended.



5. My wife's book club thought this was a winner. It cascaded to me after she read it. It is a gripping story for both men and women. Not a light read. It teaches lessons about about building things and human nature. After reading the book you will want to talk about it with friends or your spouse. Any city who builds for an event, World's Fair or the Olympics, can be put in perspective by this book. Times may have changed but human strengths and weaknesses are timeless.

5 comments about Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage.

1. After nearly thirty-five years in the trenches as a trial lawyer, I am rarely surprised. As an early adapter to information technology in pretrial investigations I have long used Google and Google Earth to gather information on my opponents. Trial lawyers know that knowledge is power and that a little bit of information revealed at the opportune moment can convince a reluctant witness to reveal more than was intended.
   
   Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy exposes the naiveté of such limited investigations. There is in fact a new industry largely staffed by by former intelligence officers (from many countries) who use their spycraft to aid corporations in complex litigation and in making trading decisions. These techniques include using publicly available spy satellite imaging to study the consumption of coal at power-plants to predict when a plant might go offline. Such information can be useful to an energy trader since even a temporary loss of generating capacity produces spikes in prices. Effective interrogation techniques focus on verbal and non-verbal indicia of deception that can be organized systematical to gain the upper hand in depositions over even the most determined witness.
   
   Not every technique employed by these former spies requires a big budget. Good information can be acquired on the cheap by budget limited lawyers willing to study these methods and improvise accordingly.



2. "Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy" begins with the interesting premise that it's a jungle out there. The concept is soon overwhelmed by an over attention to detail (Javers describes every storefront in Washington) and by too little fact checking (Itasca Illinois is west of Chicago, not east, in lake Michigan). Enjoy the Bob Edwards Weekend >>[...]<< interview on NPR and save your money and time for something else.



3. Businesses have a long tradition of going to great lengths to maintain an advantage on their competitors (think of the old line "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"), but with "Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy" Eamon Javors demonstrates how that goes well beyond the typically thought of "competitive benchmarking." When I worked in telecommunications I was witness to the lengths my own company would go to in order to gain a competitive advantage, and the stories here sound fairly familiar. And it's not just multinationals and Fortune 500 companies that are doing it; businesses of all sizes get in on the act. As Javers points out repeatedly many companies are unbelievably lax in handling and disposing of sensitive information and how easily they make it accessible to their competitors. The information age has only exacerbated the problem for companies who've proven inept at securing their networks, email, and discarded computers. But technology has allowed those engaging in corporate espionage to move beyond passive collection of information to more active means of gathering data, even utilizing social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook for their purposes. There truly are no bounds for espionage and again, it is simply amazing the amount of information readily available for the taking.
   
   What's also amazing is that no one has taken on this subject, and especially covered it with such flair. Javer's writing is very crisp and lively, keeping the reader engaged and dying to read more of these exploits. In many respects the corporate espionage going on today isn't far removed from state-sponsored spying and espionage and employs many of the same techniques and technologies. The proliferation of free agent spies is also quite surprising as corporations can't be sure whether they could become double-agents and flip equally valuable information to other corporations. In the end it becomes a wilderness of mirrors, but endlessly fascinating. Javers spends little time on the ethics or morality of spying and espionage, but there's little point in pondering it since so much of what is gathered is given so freely. "Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy" is a great lively read that's hard to put down and it will certainly make you think twice about how much information you're making readily available! I've given it five stars in spite of some editing problems with the advance copy I'd read. From other comments I've seen it appears it still suffers from some editing errors, but they only slightly detract from this otherwise fascinating read.



4. For anyone looking for a fresh take on espionage that goes on in the world of 2010+, this is not the book for you. If you want a vision of the span of corporate espionage through time, this book gives a nice overview of the evolution of the craft.



5. I've always been a fan of learning about the spy game. And I had always heard stories of how it pertained to the corporate world but never anything in depth. When I heard of this book, I expected a book based on facts that would place you squarely in the modern day corporate espionage arena. What I got, though, was something entirely different.
   
   The book is a way too condensed version about the history of private eyes and how they're being used in today's fashion, with an extremely heavy concentration on the history aspects and who's connected with who. When I say "way too condensed", it is because it feels compact and hard to follow. You can read two paragraphs and it will jump through a complicated web of 15 people to get to where the author wants you to be. At times, all the names and connections can grow confusing. It also has a disorganized feel that seems to jump all over the place. You'll learn about the Pinkertons in the 1800's, follow them through a spiderweb of contacts to modern day, then jump back to 1800, all within 10 pages.
   
   The book can also be dry at times, as it is written by an investigative reporter and never seems to shed it's journalism feel to become an in depth, captivating story. I'm not saying all journalists who are also authors write this way but this is definitely how Mr. Javers does in this case. It feels that most of the book follows a pattern like this...for 300 pages. Interweb was owned by John. John was a former CIA detective of 30 years and had known Russ. Russ brought Fred and Hank aboard, both NSA veterans, who then recruited Steve. Steve, allegedly, worked with Aaron, best friends of Garth. Now that Garth was aboard with Interweb, they could finally recruit Bob. The men went to work in an office in Washington, DC.
   
   If you are extremely interested in the corporate espionage world or a private investigator history buff, I'd recommend it. But outside those qualifications, it doesn't warrant the full retail price tag.

5 comments about No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller.

1. This book's value lies in it being written by Harry Markopolos, who was largely a lone voice in the wilderness for several years warning about the Madoff hedge fund operation being a Ponzi scheme. His book is valuable in gaining an insight into why he believed in his deductions and persisted in trying to get the SEC to properly investigate and act against Bernie Madoff. The written style is a bit loose at times but it is refreshing that he didn't get a ghost writer to write the book for him. In my opinion Markopolos exaggerates the risk to his physical safety posed by Madoff and this gets a bit much at times. I fully agree with him as too the level of incompetence displayed by the SEC (not that I believe any other international regulators would have fared any better). The book is worth a read in seeking to understand the whole Madoff scheme but I doubt it will be the definitive study into the matter.



2. Almost as shocking as Bernie Madoff's admission in December of 2008 of the biggest Ponzi Scheme in the history of American Finance was the revelation by Harry Markopolos in a congressional hearing in February of 2009 that the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) had been informed about the fraud on numerous occasions since the year 2000, nearly a decade earlier. During that hearing Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York admonished the high-ranking officials of the SEC, saying "We thought the enemy was Mr Madoff. I think it's you." Which really sums up what Harry Markopolos' book is really about: a strange love triangle between himself (and his small team of amateur investigators), Bernie Madoff, and the SEC. That the SEC would end up playing a role almost as reprehensible as Madoff's by not shutting down a Ponzi Scheme masquerading as a hedge fund is the most incomprehensible aspect of the entire story. They had all the evidence under their noses save the dead bodies. But they would come later.
   
   Even near the beginning of the book, something is amiss with the New York branch of the NEC. Markopolos prepares a lengthy presentation to one of their high-ranking officials in 2000 to explain why Madoff is at the very least doing something blatantly illegal, and most likely running a Ponzi Scheme. Trade front-running would have been bad but at least investors would not have lost their money. However, a Ponzi Scheme of Madoff's magnitude is like a supernova of frauds. Unfortunately, during Markopolos' entire presentation, the official just stares. He doesn't even ask one question. He simply "didn't get it". And this is a recurring theme of the book, how over and over again tries to get the NEC to seriously look at Madoff's numbers. They apparently didn't even make one phone call to verify whether Madoff had actually completed any of the trades claimed by his paperwork. The fact was he never made any because a Ponzi Scheme is not about making money, only raising money.
   
   If Madoff had been Al Capone and Markopolos brought members of the SEC to the hideout, showed them the machine guns, the bootlegged booze, and a guy tied to a chair with a rag in his mouth, the members of the agency probably would have stared at it and said "Is there something wrong?" They can't seem to put together in their minds that a hideout with guns, booze, and a prisoner may mean criminal activity is occuring. You would think that at least some of these officials would have had the decency to ask some questions. Even one question. Markopolos shows them all the red flags, and they wouldn't even pick up the phone to verify Madoff's trade partners. Apparently word on Wall Street was that Madoff was a fraud because no one had ever seen him trading. But the officials rationalize, well Madoff is such a respected member of the community, we can't imagine he would do anything wrong. It's out of the question that he would be running a Ponzi Scheme, but we'll investigage whether he's front-running the stock market. Well, he couldn't have been doing that. Even with all the guns, the booze and the prisoner, they let him off the hook. That was 2006.
   
   Three years and thirty billion dollars later, Madoff's Ponzi Scheme collapses admidst the economic downturn as thousands of investors needed to pull out of Madoff's fund. But of course there was no fund. Madoff knew he was finished but he had finished his investors as well. But the SEC could have saved investors billions of dollars if they had listened to Markopolos who was conducting a private investigation without any compensation whatsoever which is chronicled throughout the book. He was doing the job of the SEC with a few dedicated people who live, breathe and sleep numbers. The SEC seems to live, breathe and sleep strict law regulations, but they don't understand financial mathematics, and therefore they can't recognize finance fraud even if it's brought to them on a silver platter. Markopolos' recurring point throughout the book is that SEC enforcement officials need more than a law degree. They need to be financial and mathematical analysts who can scrutinize and evaluate the story the numbers tell. Most of the officials were lawyers with almost no real-life experience in finance. (One wonders if any of them ever had even one course in calculus or derivatives.) No matter how many creative means by which Markopolos tried to demonstrate that Madoff's numbers were simply too good to be true, the NY SEC just couldn't get a handle the numbers. Only members of the Boston branch of the SEC understood but they had neither the jurisdiction nor the relationship with the NY office to do anything about it. Apparently their relationship was akin to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. But this is not just about losing a baseball game. This is about the financial integrity of the United States.
   
   The most reprehensible act on the part of the SEC was not just their complete incompetence but their unwillingness to even admit failure to a congressional committee as if they answered to a "higher authority" than Congress. When asked specific questions, they quoted the operations manual as if that will somehow shield them from all inquiry. Absolutely appalling. Who do these people think they are by citing executive priviledge for one of the biggest blunders by a federal agency in US history? You'd think they had rationalized their further noncooperation in the interests of "national security". Who were they afraid of? Saddam Heussin? They certainly weren't protecting Madoff investors, and of course they never did. They didn't even have the decency to apologize and admit where they went wrong.
   
   At the end of the day, Markopolos' brilliant yet sobering book is about how numbers don't lie. Numbers don't care about reputations or resumes. They simply are what they are. What Markopolos pointed out to the SEC that they just couldn't grasp and couldn't admit they couldn't grasp was how a guy could get 2000 hits in a single season when there's only 162 games? This doesn't seem like rocket science. The numbers told Markopolos that Madoff was a fraud but the SEC looked at everything EXCEPT the numbers. It begs the question whether more was going on at the SEC behind closed doors, maybe to protect someone regarded as untouchable in the industry. Thank God Al Capone was not treated this way.
   
   In a History Channel documentary, one of Madoff's victims is asked what she would like to see happen to Madoff. Her answer is poignant: She said she couldn't say it on television. That pretty much sums up the extent of this heartbreaking episode of ruthless crime, shameful failure and gross negligence. The only heros are Harry Markopolis and his team. But unfortunately for the victims, Superman, i.e. the US Government, didn't get there in time to stop the Joker.



3. How long did it take to uncover and expose a $40 billion crook? Ten years.This book details something that is important for our society - how to ensure that the people that manager our money are not criminals. However, after reading this book, I am kind tired of it. In a way i wasted 10 hours just to learn facts, but never learned how to do better. So for that reason i take 2 stars. I also would reccomend that you buy and read the books of Toby Crabel and Linda Raschke on trading futures and stocks. They are real hedge fund traders. At least you can do something yourself, instead of giving your money to the next criminal. See if you can find them on ebay.



4. Truth is stranger than fiction. This story is so interesting and well written. He treats the reader like a baby and explains in baby steps how he uncovered the Madoff fraud. If I can understand it, why couldn't the well educated SEC workers? The most basic point that he presented was that the volume of certain securities traded were too low to accomodate Madoff's claims. It would be little work to just confirm this fact alone..and yet, lives are ruined.
   Although this is a fascinating book, it would have been much more interesting if stretched longer and added more family life into it.
   But Awesome book!!



5. Stunned to see near-zero cost electronic copy of a hardback for $15.71. Amazon sells Michael Lewis much more readable The Big Short for $15.00 for the complete hardback book. Shun digital greed by passing this one up.