Red Notice

Seems appropriate to post this review today with the sad news that Russian dissident Boris Nemtsov has been killed. Can it be anymore evident the once promising nation of Russia is now run by thugs and gangsters? By posting this I’m probably forever cutting off any chance of returning to Russia. But I don’t care. Enough is enough.

As if we needed anymore evidence of the outrage that is Putin, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice tells Bill Browder’s story as a successful Russian investor being taken down because he had the audacity of challenging corrupt oligarchs. Not only did they go after his multi-billion dollar fund, they took control of his company, used it to get illegal tax refunds worth hundreds of millions, then arrested the attorney trying to protest their actions. That attorney died in prison, a victim of a corrupt system. Adding even more insult, the Russian government puts the dead man (and Browder) on trial in a sham trial.

It is shocking, sad, and maddening. I love the Russian people who I have met, and enjoyed my visit their years ago. It is a country with amazing skill, talent, and promise. But it has fallen under the spell of some very nasty people who will do anything to keep power and get richer.

You really do need to read this book. If you want to understand the political landscape over the next decade, this is great background. And if you want to hear of how an injustice can easily take over a nation, this is the book to read. As long as some Russian mobster doesn’t cut them off, I give the book two thumbs up.