McMafia

A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld

By: Misha Glenny

Narrated by: John Lee

Misha Glenny's groundbreaking study of global organized crime is now the inspiration for an 8-part AMC crime drama starring James Norton (War and Peace), Juliet Rylance, and David Strathairn.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the deregulation of international financial markets in 1989, governments and entrepreneurs alike became intoxicated by dreams of newly opened markets. But no one could have foreseen that the greatest success story to arise from these events would be the worldwide rise of organized crime. Today, it is estimated that illegal trade accounts for one-fifth of the global GDP.

In this fearless and wholly authoritative investigation of the seemingly insatiable demand for illegal wares, veteran reporter Misha Glenny travels across five continents to speak with participants from every level of the global underworld--police, victims, politicians, and even the criminals themselves. What follows is a groundbreaking, propulsive look at an unprecedented phenomenon from a savvy, street-wise guide.

©2008 Misha Glenny; (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“A terrifying tour of the violent underworld of globalized crime.”
–New York Post

“Eye-opening…Engrossing.”
–The Miami Herald

“Besides demonstrating Glenny's courage, his book exhibits at least two other characteristics of special importance: First, he provides insightful sociological perspectives about why certain nations spawn especially widespread and virulent organized crime networks. Second, he explains how policies in certain nations (mainly, but not exclusively, the United States) generate unanticipated ripple effects in the structures of other nations' criminal underworlds…Searing.”
–The Seattle Times

“A bravura piece of globe-trotting reportage, "McMafia" traces the origins and maps the reach of every major known transnational criminal network operating in the 21st century . . . engrossing.”
–San Franciso Chronicle

“Immensely informative and more than slightly scary.”
–The Washington Post

“A vividly recounted journey through a dozen of the world's most potent gangs, cartels and transnational mafias.”
–The Wall Street Journal

For anyone who wants to understand the 21st century, this illuminating and page-turning book is essential reading.
–Emma Thompson

“‘Behind every great fortune,’ said Balzac, ‘there lies a great crime.’ Misha Glenny has updated this aperçu for our own time.”
–Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great

“A riveting and chilling journey . . . Readers yearning for a deeper understanding of the real-life, international counterparts to The Sopranos need look no further than Glenny's engrossing study.”
–Publishers Weekly

“In this well-researched and riveting account, Glenny does for crime what he did for the Balkans. He dissects the international criminal organizations that run much of the world’s economy and explains how the criminal underworld has both benefited from and contributed to globalization.”
–Joseph Stiglitz, author of Making Globalization Work

Deep Insight

This was a great book and EXTREMELY insightful into a world that only gets a iceberg tip worth of coverage as most shows and news tends to cover. I honestly hope for a second book.

Great

Any additional comments?

So much crime, so much corruption. Author puts all this mayhem into context -- globalization, international and domestic politics. Not sure if Misha Glenny writes for The Economist but it's that style.

The best audiobook I have ever heard!

If you could sum up McMafia in three words, what would they be?

Depressing, well told.

What other book might you compare McMafia to and why?

This book vaguely reminded me of Dope, Inc. in terms of the strong focus on telling a story rather than a litany of facts.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but he is perhaps the best I've heard so will be sure to look for other works by him.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Organized crime, coming soon to a town near you.

Any additional comments?

Misha Glenny is an effortlessly brilliant author. Her spectacular phrasing and word choice keep the narrative both beautiful and tight, but she never lets her prose get in the way of the people, places, and events she's describing. She structured this book well, and John Lee's narration is world class.

Excellent book - good for repeated listening

You might not want to listen to this if you're involved with marketing illegal drugs to teenagers, but there are only one or two chapters which discuss the complete and utter failure of our government organizations to protect us from illegal drugs. This is hardly a radical notion and if you don't know someone whose life has been ruined by illegal drugs despite the fact that they're not supposed to be available for purchase, you've been very fortunate. The reviewer who stopped listening halfway through missed some excellent chapters on organized crime in Asia, btw. Those who prefer to live in denial should give this one the swerve. However, if you're interested in the topic and you're already somewhat familiar with the fact that corruption might exist in your home country too, then this is probably the book for you. I'm glad I didn't listen to some of the more negative reviews.

A Must Read

Would you listen to McMafia again? Why?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

A brilliant book by a brilliant writer. He tackles an extremely important subject and brings to light how the globalization of criminal enterprise may affect the rule of law everywhere. Very well written and is a must read.

Excellent overview of global organized crime

This is a well-written, exhaustively-reported book that takes you in-depth to all parts of global organized crime. I found the section on the Balkans and Russia to be particularly enlightening, not just about the mafia but also in how Glenny explains the overall history of these regions through the lens of lawlessness. I feel like I finally understand what a Russian oligarch actually is.

If anything, the book gets a bit dull towards the end due to the repetiveness of each national history. The same story seems to unfold everywhere, but I only really got bored in the book's final sections.

Brilliant

Simply brilliant..a must read. You will see every business from a different perspective after reading this book.

Overall pretty good

Great book. Narrator switching accents when speaking the American quotes was odd. Sounded like Ewan McGregor in The Men Who Stare at Goats.

McDisturbing

Did you know that organized crime is responsible for an estimated 15 to 20% of the world GDP (counting tax evasion)? Or that narcotics accounts for about 70% of criminal profits, with energy, guns, prostitution, and gambling making up the bulk of the rest? I didn't know any of this - and I'm not sure I'll be able to think about "the economy" ever again in the same way. Written by a journalist, but with an insiders perspective and a novelists sense of character and pacing, McMafia is one of the best books I read in 2008.

Great book

Those who criticized the book for criticizing US policy under Bush 2 clearly weren’t listening or understanding how short sighted his policies were.