Red Notice: A True Story of Corruption, Murder and One Man’s Fight for Justice
- Downloads：4207
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-02 07:53:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Bill Browder
- ISBN：0552170321
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here
In November 2009， the young lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was beaten to death by eight police officers in a freezing cell in a Moscow prison。 His crime？ Testifying against Russian officials who were involved in a conspiracy to steal $230 million of taxes。
Red Notice is a searing exposé of the whitewash of this imprisonment and murder。 The killing hasn't been investigated。 It hasn't been punished。 Bill Browder is still campaigning for justice for his late lawyer and friend。 This is his explosive journey from the heady world of finance in New York and London in the 1990s， through battles with ruthless oligarchs in turbulent post-Soviet Union Moscow， to the shadowy heart of the Kremlin。
With fraud， bribery， corruption and torture exposed at every turn， Red Notice is a shocking political roller-coaster。
In November 2009， the young lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was beaten to death by eight police officers in a freezing cell in a Moscow prison。 His crime？ Testifying against Russian officials who were involved in a conspiracy to steal $230 million of taxes。
Red Notice is a searing exposé of the whitewash of this imprisonment and murder。 The killing hasn't been investigated。 It hasn't been punished。 Bill Browder is still campaigning for justice for his late lawyer and friend。 This is his explosive journey from the heady world of finance in New York and London in the 1990s， through battles with ruthless oligarchs in turbulent post-Soviet Union Moscow， to the shadowy heart of the Kremlin。
With fraud， bribery， corruption and torture exposed at every turn， Red Notice is a shocking political roller-coaster。
Reviews
Karin
，
Just finished listening to this book。 I am glad I listened to it because the first part about 'high finance' was a bit dry。 But holy cow （I would like to use stronger words）。 I can't imagine being in this situation。 In the last chapter， he says "If I am killed you all know who did it"。 I got the chills more than once and even cried。 Yes， it was that moving and frustrating。 Just finished listening to this book。 I am glad I listened to it because the first part about 'high finance' was a bit dry。 But holy cow （I would like to use stronger words）。 I can't imagine being in this situation。 In the last chapter， he says "If I am killed you all know who did it"。 I got the chills more than once and even cried。 Yes， it was that moving and frustrating。 。。。more
Ross Beck-MacNeil
，
（read as e-book）What’s it about？It’s the story of Bill Browder， the events leading up to the death of Sergei Magnitsky， and the Browder’s work afterwards to get laws passed that would punish the perpetrators。 Bill Browder is the leader （owner？） of Hermitage Capital， which used to be a large and successful hedge fund operating in Russia。 However in 2005， Bill Browder was denied entry to Russia。 He figured that his shareholder activism had touched a nerve， and shutdown operations in Russia， pullin （read as e-book）What’s it about？It’s the story of Bill Browder， the events leading up to the death of Sergei Magnitsky， and the Browder’s work afterwards to get laws passed that would punish the perpetrators。 Bill Browder is the leader （owner？） of Hermitage Capital， which used to be a large and successful hedge fund operating in Russia。 However in 2005， Bill Browder was denied entry to Russia。 He figured that his shareholder activism had touched a nerve， and shutdown operations in Russia， pulling out money。 Hermitage Capital’s offices were raided and it’s Russian lawyers harassed。 One of them Sergei Magnitsky， tax lawyer， discovered that the police had used seized documents to get a fraudulent tax refund for around $250 million， issued in the name of one of Hermitage Capital’s companies， but going to the police officers。 Magnitsky was arrested， accused of perpetrating the fraud in collaoarion with Boweder and subjected to inhumane conditions。 He died in 2009。 After his death， Bowder campaigned to bring Magnitsky’s tormentor’s justice， and succeeding in the passing of the so-called Magnitsky laws that were used to sanction those repsonsible for Magnitsky’s death ， as well as other abusers of human rights。What did I think？I liked it。 An easy read。 It does a good job of illustrating the gangster state that Putin has setup。 Good thing that Browder brought it to light when he did， helping to dispel the West’s illusions。 Took a while， but with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine， we’re finally pushing back。 Without Browder’s work， we might have abandoned Ukraine。 I noticed that he describes a lot of women as “attractive” which is， like “his opinion man” so whatever。 But still a bit unnecessary and jarring。 Christina Freeland was one of the women with that description。 Her appearance in the book was a good reminder that before she became a cabinet minister， she was a journalist exposing these kind of corruption stories in Russia， so she is currently well equipped to respond to Russian aggression and tactics。 。。。more
Jane
，
Fascinating and horrifying read about Russian corruption， deceit， lies， and abuse directed at whistleblowers whoi discover/identify and publicize corruption and the people behind it。 People in Russia have absolutely no freedom of speech and can be detained indefinitely or killed for speaking out。 Cross Russia off your future travel wish list。
Stephen
，
Would make for a riveting political thriller if it weren’t so terrifyingly true。
Richard
，
An engaging read for most of it， with a little lull in the back half before picking up again。 Browder is clearly immensely career-driven and bold。 I left with another alarming perspective of corruption in Russia， and mixed feelings about Browder himself （admittedly guided by my own set of values）。
Anet
，
😔
Steph
，
I read this on the recommendation of a friend and couldn’t put it down。 It was simultaneously gripping and heartbreaking and it’s shocking to think that these atrocities in Russia are ongoing。 Would strongly recommend the read
Beth E
，
Whoa。 What a book， and what a story about the less-seen-side of financial dealings of other countries。 I think one thing I was struck by， having just spent so much time reading about England and the middle ages。。。 is a similarity between how kings would lock people in the Tower of London， without charges for years and left them dependent on family to bring them clothes， food， etc。。。 and how Russia， in the 21st century， appears to do the same。 Wow。
Andrew Crofts
，
As good as any thriller The ultimate insider’s view of Putin’s Russia， and what it takes to thrive and survive amidst the corruption and danger。
Lori
，
I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed the narrator’s voice， a voice can make or break a book for me， but I have to say the narrator’s voice when he spoke in the last chapter would have been nice to listen to throughout also。 A listed this book to read a year ago and after the War began in Ukraine decided to pick it up。 It brings home again how corrupt we keep hearing that Russia has been and still is。 And it seems that Putin has a very long history of death behind him。 I found I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed the narrator’s voice， a voice can make or break a book for me， but I have to say the narrator’s voice when he spoke in the last chapter would have been nice to listen to throughout also。 A listed this book to read a year ago and after the War began in Ukraine decided to pick it up。 It brings home again how corrupt we keep hearing that Russia has been and still is。 And it seems that Putin has a very long history of death behind him。 I found the book very interesting and insightful into the Country， Economics and those that weave in and out of that World。 What a terrible， awful， sad story for Sergei Magnitsky and his family。 I can’t imagine the hurt from that。 。。。more
Iris Gruenebaum
，
A compulsive read for anyone researching Russian lack of transparency in its legal system。Bill Browder is to be commended for his tenacious battle for righteousness in a legal system despised by the Putin administration which is corrupt beyond measure。
Jill
，
Unquestionably the best true crime story I've ever read。 It's a human rights story， but it also has very exciting coverage of stocks， econ， etc。 Browder is a compelling storyteller， and I was so caught up in his telling of what unfolded in Russia， that I was very disappointed when the book ended。 It was phenomenal。 The writing is 4。5* - especially when you take into account that Browder is no writer by profession。 The book is a byproduct of his experience。 The only reason I don't give it 5* is b Unquestionably the best true crime story I've ever read。 It's a human rights story， but it also has very exciting coverage of stocks， econ， etc。 Browder is a compelling storyteller， and I was so caught up in his telling of what unfolded in Russia， that I was very disappointed when the book ended。 It was phenomenal。 The writing is 4。5* - especially when you take into account that Browder is no writer by profession。 The book is a byproduct of his experience。 The only reason I don't give it 5* is because of the profanity。 All of it was citing dialogue， but I still could have done without it。 If it weren't for the profanity， I'd recommend it to anyone。 As it stands， I'll recommend it to a few， warn them of the profanity， and tell them not to audiobook it like I did。 It is an especially relevant story in light of what Putin is currently doing to Ukraine。 。。。more
Peter Ellwood
，
A readable account of Bill Browder’s experiences of Russian corruption and lawlessness。 His writing style is chatty and flowing and the book often feels more like an airport novel than a （mostly） non-fictional account of a remarkable episode。 He sets out to be dispassionate and documentary， but he gets carried away with literary aspirations soon enough – for example I was struck by an early phrase he used to describe a flight to Murmansk: “the cabin smelled of tobacco and old age”。 Quite slick I A readable account of Bill Browder’s experiences of Russian corruption and lawlessness。 His writing style is chatty and flowing and the book often feels more like an airport novel than a （mostly） non-fictional account of a remarkable episode。 He sets out to be dispassionate and documentary， but he gets carried away with literary aspirations soon enough – for example I was struck by an early phrase he used to describe a flight to Murmansk: “the cabin smelled of tobacco and old age”。 Quite slick I suppose， but what， exactly， does that mean？ And when he talks of mosquitos the size of golf balls you know he’s over the hills and far away。 This is never quite a dispassionate， documentary account。The first hundred pages or so offer an interesting insight into how someone utterly unqualified for the task could drift into buying and selling half of Russia by the age of 30， and you can only admire the drive and energy that got him there。 Still， there is something a bit faux-naïf about that same tone because he cannot quite conceal that he too has a fair amount of admiration for his drive and energy。 Either way， I bought the book to read about the corruption he encountered in Russia， not a self-admiring biography of a wheeler-dealer’s youth。 As a prelude to the main theme it has its place of course， but a more professional writer might have covered it in two or three pages， not one hundred。 By the time I had reached page two hundred I was beginning to get more than a little impatient with his writing style。 There is a slight tendency throughout towards an ego-inflating breathlessness， and it does nothing for his credibility。 A small example， in the context of his attempts to regain an entry visa: ”We went straight back to the hotel and got on the phone to London。 Normally it takes three or four days to gather all the documents needed for a Russia visa application， but the team stayed up all night working on it and by 8。00 a。m。 the fax machine at the hotel spewed out the paperwork” Sure Bill， the team stayed up all night。 As it happens I had to apply for Russian visas quite often over the same period， in the same atmosphere of xenophobia – and I never had any difficulty assembling the paperwork， alone， in a matter of minutes。 A footling example of course， but page after page of this chest-pumping has a cumulative effect。The pity of it， for me， is that the subject matter of the book as a whole is of such immense importance; it really does not need to be hyped up in this airport-novel fashion。 The level of corruption， unscrupulousness and sheer criminality in Russia is mind-boggling， it speaks for itself。 No one can read of it and not be shocked。 And what Bill Browden achieved in getting the Magnitsky Act in place is historic， fantastic。 But something as big as that would surely benefit from being set out soberly and calmly。That comes to a head in this humble review: one’s first temptation is to react to the momentous historic content and award five stars。 But this is a review of BB’s book， not of history; and I’m afraid he lets his subject matter down badly。 He’s clearly not an experienced writer， and more’s the pity， because the subject matter demands it。 The text is a cross between a Lee Child crash-bang-wallop novel and The Diary of Adrian Mole: excruciating detail at times， endless references to “eyes rolling”， BB’s heart ”racing in panic”， “my mind raced into overdrive” （yet again）， and endless bits of confected local colour such as a woman pausing to finish off her mascara before she answers the door （BB was not even in the country to witness it）。 And his endless tendency to insert redundant adverbs！ It drove me nuts by the end。 He never “walked down the street”， it was always “I walked purposefully down street”; never “I picked up the phone”， always “I picked up the phone compulsively”。 For me， it cheapens his serious subject matter beyond repair。 Less is more， BB。 At the end of the day I was left wondering why a man who had already made so very much money felt the need to write a low-quality airport novel。 Nonetheless， read it for the weakly-written but still-astonishing content。 。。。more
Kris Gb
，
Un libro que todo el mundo debe leer。 A book everyone needs to read！
Bhaskar Singhal
，
The world needs more Bill Browders to expose such authoritarian regimes。A must read。
Curt R
，
This book gives you an incite into the Russian mindset。 A good read for the world situation now。
Kalbregt-Jan
，
Opzich wel mooi verhaal dacht ik zo
Smh624
，
Reads like a fictional crime thriller。。。sadly it's a true story。 I had a woefully inadequate understanding of the state of Russia since the fall of communism。 This book is a first hand experience of the kleptocracy and evil being perpetrated on the Russian people and the rest of the world。 Reads like a fictional crime thriller。。。sadly it's a true story。 I had a woefully inadequate understanding of the state of Russia since the fall of communism。 This book is a first hand experience of the kleptocracy and evil being perpetrated on the Russian people and the rest of the world。 。。。more
Mac
，
In Red Notice， Bill Browder recounts his life story focusing on his Russian experiences。 In the first part， Browder learns to invest in Russia， at the time an untapped marketplace…he identifies hugely undervalued companies…then he creates strategies to take advantage of the investment opportunities he has uncovered。 Those strategies are very successful， and Browder develops a thriving business even though the stock market surges and falls and a divorce forces him to travel from Moscow to London In Red Notice， Bill Browder recounts his life story focusing on his Russian experiences。 In the first part， Browder learns to invest in Russia， at the time an untapped marketplace…he identifies hugely undervalued companies…then he creates strategies to take advantage of the investment opportunities he has uncovered。 Those strategies are very successful， and Browder develops a thriving business even though the stock market surges and falls and a divorce forces him to travel from Moscow to London every other week to visit his son。When Browder runs into Russian government interference and when one of his lawyers， Sergei Magnitsky， is arrested， tortured， and ultimately murdered， Browder becomes a human rights activist seeking retribution。 Specifically， Browder pushes for US legislation， The Magnitsky Act， to punish Russian officials responsible for Sergei’s murder and to honor Sergei’s memory。 Additionally， Red Notice itself is dedicated “To Sergei Magnitsky， the bravest man I’ve ever known。”Though Browder’s writing never soars， the tale is well told， the chronology is clear， and the progression from investor to crusader is compelling reading。 For added drama， the book’s title highlights Browder’s ongoing risk that he himself may be arrested， then extradited to Russia for trial， imprisonment， and torture。 As the book says， “An Interpol Red Notice is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today。”Unfortunately， current events intruded on my appreciation for the story。 Browder details the corruption， evils， and horrors of Putin’s officials， and Magnitsky’s story is specific， personal， and tragic; Sergei suffers greatly before dying， leaving behind a wife and two sons。 In turn， Browder dedicates his life to human rights activism。 However， with the war in Ukraine currently dominating the news， I needed no convincing that Putin’s regime is evil and depraved。 Sadly， aspects of Browder’s story， though different in detail， are somewhat redundant considering Russia’s war in Ukraine。 That’s not to blame Browder for publishing Red Notice in 2015; it’s to give confirming （and unfortunately， redundant） evidence that Putin’s regime is inhumane。 。。。more
Joseph Novellino
，
Brilliant！ Thank you for your courage， Bill！
Joe
，
Wild horrible story involving Putin and his crony oligarchs and party hacks， but fascinating read。
P
，
Too long。 Kind of boring。 Poorly written。
Aditya
，
Imagine John le Carre， John Grisham， and Michael Lewis contributing to a book about high finance and Russia - goosebumps， right？ Red Notice is important， more so in times like these when Russia is rummaging through Ukraine。 It's a true account of what really successful people can face when standing up against Russia。 Stanford grad， BCG， hedge fund trader， top shot business owner， and everything changes in a blink of an eye。One can read this book for different reasons but perhaps the major one ca Imagine John le Carre， John Grisham， and Michael Lewis contributing to a book about high finance and Russia - goosebumps， right？ Red Notice is important， more so in times like these when Russia is rummaging through Ukraine。 It's a true account of what really successful people can face when standing up against Russia。 Stanford grad， BCG， hedge fund trader， top shot business owner， and everything changes in a blink of an eye。One can read this book for different reasons but perhaps the major one can be to understand more about how Russia works。 Russia is mystic， shrouded in a certain invisible veil， and Red Notice literally lifts it off。 The book is extremely fast-paced， no lingering over architecture or history of any pavement， you sit in the ride， and boom！ The book can be hard for people who are sensitive to the depiction of atrocities but hey， c'mon we are talking about Russia and its prisons。 The book does feel like a journey up the mountains， changing courses abruptly but that's how it happened。 One moment you are in the Californian summers and second， you are in the dismal winters of Poland and then in Moscow， the pages will take you places。 Red Notice is cold， most of the story has a touch of harsh winters and hardships。 It isn't colorful， people are dressed in shades of black and white， and there is a lot of legal commotion。 The locations are dismal - Poland， Eastern Europe， the Russian frontier， and all the Siberian vibes。 It feels at times like Cold War espionage， with plenty of spies， detectives， and cops on cross-border calls， emails， and faxes。Reading Red Notice one can be awed， depressed， motivated， or inspired depending on what you are。 As always books like these show us how money works and how money alone can do things nothing else can。 。。。more
Anne Haack
，
What an incredible story！ Easy to read， eye opening， and a total tearjerker at the end。
Mekerei
，
Truth is stronger than fictionThis reads like an Archer novel。 I heard a radio Browder gave; it pricked my attention and I wanted to know more。 I couldn’t put this down。 Hard to believe these are the lengths Russians will do to cover their tracks。 Unfortunately I’m sure they have now learnt how they need to hide these crimes from outsiders。Their sheer arrogance is unbelievable， perhaps this is how criminals justify their actions。Worth reading。 Four and a half stars
James H Griffitts
，
Why can't more books read like this？ And Adam Grupper's audio performance is spot on。 Highly recommend this important book。 Why can't more books read like this？ And Adam Grupper's audio performance is spot on。 Highly recommend this important book。 。。。more
VahalaSly
，
Bit undecided on this one。 It was a very interesting story， and was written in an ok format， but I felt like it was stretched wayyy too much。 This book could have easily been half the size it was。 The last chapters especially were a struggle to go through - they should been summarised and written in a more concise manner。 The chapters about Bill's marriages/divorces should have been cut all together。4 stars for some chapters， 2 for others。 3 overall。 Bit undecided on this one。 It was a very interesting story， and was written in an ok format， but I felt like it was stretched wayyy too much。 This book could have easily been half the size it was。 The last chapters especially were a struggle to go through - they should been summarised and written in a more concise manner。 The chapters about Bill's marriages/divorces should have been cut all together。4 stars for some chapters， 2 for others。 3 overall。 。。。more
Evelyn Petschek
，
4 1/2 stars rounded up。 Fast-paced and hard to put down， a memoir that reads like a political thriller。 An exposé of the corruption and cruelty of the Russian regime， and the tale of how a hedge fund manager becomes a human rights crusader， successfully advocating for the Magnitsky Act in the US and globally。 Great audio narration。
Lakin Hall
，
A very interesting story adjacent to the privatization of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union， rise of Putin， how the oligarchy works
Lauren
，