McMafia (Abridged): A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld Audiobook

" Glenny is an exceptionally capable and thorough investigative journalist. This big book reads like a collection of magazine articles. Despite the clever title, which hypes the book wonderfully, there is no over-arching (pun not intended, but hey) criminal organization dominating the world's grayish-black markets. As the author explains in a thoughtful Epilogue, today's global situation fosters an organic, bottom-up growth of organized crime, caused by the dual factors of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the concurrent deregulation of Western financial markets. "

" I got a lot of arrows from this pointing to some interesting syndicates, but it unfortunately suffers for that same reason. Each of the sections would make a great solo project, but there's just too much atomization going on here. "

" Well the cover looked good... But seriously it took me a while to get into the pace of the author. A common problem I have with British writers. No Biggy though. Overall the book was informative. But I think I was expecting a Michael Lewis type take on the world of the illicit which it was not. Am I all the smarter for reading this? Yes. "

" organized crime in easy reading "

" Despite the silly title, this book is borderline textbook-dense. The topic is interesting but the streams of individual names and background info, even though the chapters are short, made my eyes glaze over. I also found the jumps from place to place not very coherently tied together. But if you're looking for a series of academic-style case studies of organized crime in different settings, this is where you should turn. "

" An excellent, well-researched and detailed look at the unintended consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the globalization of financial markets on organized crime. "

" This is a dense, well-written, but ultimately boring and tiring book about global mafias. "

" Shitty setup. He could have done a much better job reviewing the topic... the actual content barely holds your interest. "

" A really good eye opener and fills in the blanks. A must read for anyone studying former east bloc developments. "

" Useful, I hope to see it one day published in Russian "

" A fast paced romp through the shady underworld of organised crime. An engaging read. "

" Superb study in the explosive growth in global organised crime and its symbiotic relationship with legitimate business and government. Fascinating and eye opening reading. "

" A bunch of loosely connected, but fascinating stories about the corruption mostly in Russia and Eastern Europe since 1989. "

" A good overview of how international organized crime works. No regrets in buying this book. Reads a bit like trivia at times, and perhaps could have covered more areas. "

" Very good insight into the world of organized crime "

" An excellent book that takes you through the world and helps you understand how the illicit economy is so intertwined to the licit economy even when one things they are not involved. "

" A book that is related to / relevant for my job, I would recommend this as something to help everyone better understand the world. "

" Holy Fuck. Glenny is a great journalist-writer, and this is a gripping, brilliant tale of why Russia is on its way to being the most corrupt society and corrupting influence in the world. Essential, in my line of work. "

" Unbelievably researched. Funny, shocking and most of all, considered. A must read for anyone interested in what makes the criminal world go round, and how the smallest indulgences we take affect a lot of faceless and nameless people to varying degrees. "

" Despite, as has been mentioned, the poor choice of title, a great book. Start to finish, a world journey through the illicit economy with detail hard to imagine how the author developed. I was thinking "wow" every chapter, basically. "

" Pretty provoking - certainly raised my awareness. "

" I got a lot of arrows from this pointing to some interesting syndicates, but it unfortunately suffers for that same reason. Each of the sections would make a great solo project, but there's just too much atomization going on here. "

" Rarely do we realize how much the licit and illicit economy are intertwined. So much so that the very notion that we can rid the world of the illicit is more along the lines of Santa Claus. "

" An interesting and readable book concerning the globe-spanning and ubiquitous effects of organised crime on people, economies, the environment and corrupt governments (who it often seems are all too willing to play ball with gangsters). "

" Fascinating...like Freakonomics for organized crime. A really interesting read, it illustrates the connections and parallels between legitimate and illegitimate economies in ways that I haven't seen before. "

" Depressing as all fuck, but very impressive work, both wide-ranging and meticulous. "

" A good overview of how international organized crime works. No regrets in buying this book. Reads a bit like trivia at times, and perhaps could have covered more areas. "