I kept putting this book down and was not able to get through it despite the fact I am very interested in the subject of the book. I enjoyed the writing and how the information was being laid out. I hope to pick this book up again soon and finish it. This is a book for true-crime fans and even for those thriller, suspense, mystery readers looking for something just a little different.

I didn't find this book interesting at all. It seemed more like a screenplay that a novel. The subject matter was described in terms that were obvious to the reader, and the conversations were very stilted.

This was an insane tale - proving, once again, that truth is stranger than fiction... Ratliff underwent an incredible amount of research and detective work for this one and it shows. The tale of the unraveling of Paul Calder Leroux's criminal empire was astonishing. The breadth and depth of his brilliant and evil machinations were almost unbelievable - as was the way it all wound up falling apart. The ending (such as it is; things are not entirely wrapped up because they are still ongoing) was not very satisfying, if you're looking for justice in any form, but that is (after all) often the case... Still, the journey to that point is a marvelous assemblage of facts and extrapolations painstakingly pieced together over years. The format - back-and-forth narration that tracks the development of the case across time - was engaging and interesting and the writing style was a great blend of compelling narrative and factual recitations. There's a LOT here; the read isn't particularly quick because it's very detailed and at times a little repetitive (not in a bad or inappropriate way, but because of the nature of the investigation and subsequent prosecution), but it is an altogether mind-bending story that draws you in even if you find yourself needing a break from it every now and again. It can be wearying to read about the unrelenting nature of greed and power-hunger, at least to me, but each time I picked the book back up again I was almost immediately drawn right back into the thick of things. It's a wild ride, particularly when you consider that most readers probably had no idea any of it was happening (I certainly didn't), despite the potentially world-altering threats posed by so many of Leroux's activities. It is a weird, intense, scary-in-its-implications read, but one I quite enjoyed for all that.

OMG!! I would give this book 10 stars if I could! The Mastermind is the true story of Paul LeRoux, a "psychopath" in control of numerous criminal schemes. This story is fascinating, and would make an incredible movie.

There are A LOT of names in this book - too many to actually keep up with, in my opinion. I would have been well-served to keep a notebook handy while reading to keep track of all the characters that contributed to this true crime story. Also, I skimmed the "notes' at the end of the book - I suppose they were necessary, but for a reader like myself, they were superfluous.

I would recommend this book to readers of true crime, and to everyone who has seen all the ads for online drugs and wondered how that type of "pharmacy" actually works.

A “genius” and a “freaking madman” are just two of many words that have been used to describe THE MASTERMIND. This ingeniously written narrative is a composite of a massive amount of facts compiled during years of research about an individual whose first name was listed as “UNKNOWN” on his birth certificate and a month later was officially given the name “Paul Calder Le Roux” by his adoptive parents. He was born on Christmas Eve in 1972 in a country then called Rhodesia to a 17-year-old mother who had already decided to put him up for adoption. Some family members had thought that his birth father was either a soldier from South Africa who had traveled to Rhodesia to fight the war, but others recalled that his father was a Zimbabwean, and married. It had been speculated that the fact that Le Roux was not given a name, any name, at birth had haunted him, and perhaps that was part of his motivation to seek to be someone, to be known.

This fascinating well-developed story will explain how Le Roux, a brilliant self-made software programmer, single-handedly become extremely rich by creating an online pharmacy network which sold tens of millions of prescription painkillers to Americans for nearly a decade. He then used that fortune to create a self-made international criminal empire whose scope was considered to be “simply staggering” by a U.S. federal prosecutor.

Albeit filthy rich, Le Roux’s persona was inconspicuous as he usually wore his standard uniform of flip-flops, shorts, and an oversized T-shirt. He also complained about spending $2 a shirt for dry cleaning and limited his employees to $85 a night for lodging during business trips.

This expertly interwoven tale explains the back stories of the investigators, the pharmacists, the reporters, operators, mercenaries, the mole, the sting, and the trial. I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release of this book as it is one of the most fascinating non-fiction books that I have read in a long time. This perspective on international relations makes it a highly recommended read in my book! Well done!

Reading this book, it is hard to believe that it is a true story, well reported by Ratliff, a Wired contributor. The reach of Paul Le Roux. I never heard of him before this book but he is very much a modern day criminal who has global reach, programming prowess, and perfidy beyond comprehension. The story is told both from the pov of his criminal enterprises and the law enforcement personnel that took him down, after long years of careful research and tracking his activities. Once you start you won't want to put this book down. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
You have to wonder why Paul LeRoux would waste his time and talents in the dark side of the drug world? He was a brilliant man that could have made a difference with his mind. His talents would have allowed him to legitimately earn a decent living.
This book takes you into the darkness of his world hoping to figure out why he did what he did what he did. You will walk in his shoes and see things like he did. This author keeps you on your toes with every turn of the page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Evan Ratliff and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

This is a true story that reads like a fictional book. Evan Ratliff had an amazing life...and then it all went to crap. This is a very interesting story, and it kept me hooked throughout the whole thing.

Obsessive,intriguing and stranger than fiction.
This true story about a brilliant villain will show you a hidden world where the interaction of internet,drugs and hitmen creates a extraordinary drama...Nos stop reading guaranteed.

The incredible and true story of the downfall of Paul Le Roux—the creator of a frighteningly powerful Internet-enabled cartel; a ruthlessness drug lord with the technological savvy of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Its just an online prescription drug network. Yet it supplies hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of painkillers to Americans. Supply and demand,yes, and Americans are demanding their drugs. The business becomes a multinational criminal conglomerate. Yachts are carrying $100 million in cocaine. Safe houses in Hong Kong are filled with gold bars. There is methamphetamine, weapons deals, Mercenary armies and this is all worldwide! The encryption programs are so sophisticated that the government could not break them.

Paul Calder Le Roux is the man behind it all. He’s a genius and uses his talent, such that American law enforcement could never imagine.

Every time , DEA agents got close to Le Roux, he would slip away. It took relentless investigative work, and a shocking betrayal from within his organization, to catch him. And when he was finally caught, it was still not over. Le Roux struck a deal to bring down his own organization and the people he had once employed.

Reader, I feel you will be engaged in a riveting, unprecedented account of a crime boss set the digital age.

Fantastic story that centers on Paul Leroux, a code writing killer who is involved with prescriptions over the internet. This all sounds benign right? Okay, now add a female realtor in the Philippines, shot by a 22 under each eye, then a dash of hit-men, arms dealers, cocaine and meth, and other nefarious activities and you will find yourself caught up i a story so wild you will have to remind yourself that THIS IS A TRUE STORY.

Outstanding work here!!

What a massive story, packed with vivid details and chock full of twists and turns! I love this book, and I look forward to exploring its structure and pacing with my students. I love discovering nonfiction that I am certain will captivate each student reader, researcher, and writer.

The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. Scary, scary, scary! This author, journalist Evan Ratliff, spent years following/investigating the trail of programmer Paul LeRoux, who managed to build a drug cartel from Sillicon Valley. This reads like so many action movies about international drug cartels. It brings those 'scripts' to real life. This massive account does bog down with complicated details of the investigation. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3 Stars

Loved this book. True crime isn't my usual genre, but it flowed so well. The writing style was great. The only downfall to this book was the slow start. I like to be gripped from page one.

Thank you #NetGalley for an early copy of #TheMastermind

The Mastermind by Evan Ratliff is a non-fiction true crime book that focuses on the rise of Paul Calder Le Roux. Le Roux was a drug Lord of international consequence. He was unique in that he was a techie, his specialty being encrypting software to enable the purchase of legal pharmaceuticals over the internet.

This story concerns a criminal organization that conducted business on six continents and involved thousands of people. Amongst the various international crimes involved, are acts of hitmen, international arms dealers, and illicit drug smuggling.

Ratliff engaged in exceptional research in order to write this book. He spent several years conducting interviews and reviewing documents in addition to working with various police agencies, local and governmental, foreign and domestic, including Interpol, the FBI, and the DEA. Although he encountered rampant corruption along the way, in addition to missing, murdered, or just plain terrified witnesses, Ratliff persevered to determine how the various criminal acts were connected.

I would recommend this book to fellow fans of the true crime genre. Especially those who enjoy a good conspiracy theory. There are not many books I would recommend to my dad, but this is one of them.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this free e-ARC.

Great book. It was intense and full of suspense. The writing style was superb.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal
by Evan Ratliff is so out there that if it were fiction you would say that the story was impossible. But that is what makes great non – fiction. A story too crazy to be believed. As the saying goes; the truth is stranger than fiction. And after reading The Mastermind, you will believe that saying.
A realtor is killed, and pharmacies are filling scripts over the internet. Hitmen, arms deals, coke, and meth all conspire to make for an incredible investigatory book written by a very talented reporter/author.
The action occurs throughout the world as the reader is drawn into a violence-filled environment fueled by money, technology, and greed.
The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal is a fantastical adventure into a world that we may hear about but are not a part of. Read this and you will be a part of that world.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

This non-fiction book is about the extraordinary rise to power of Paul Le Roux who became a drug lord of international consequence without ever producing anything. His expertise was in encrypting software so that legal pharmaceuticals could be bought and sold over the internet. In the beginning all the drug sales were entirely legal. He contracted with small town US pharmacies with good reputations and also contracted with doctors of good repute.

It’s a fascinating expose of how easily he put all this into play and how he was able to evade the law once the business entered more shadowy exchanges. It was also fascinating to me how he was able to establish a global empire by the time he was just 41!!

A lot of research has gone into this book. It was quite a noteworthy effort.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and from the publisher, Random House, in exchange for an honest review.

I received a proof copy of this book for free from netgallery in return for a review. First, I will start by saying that the title of the book is so appropriate! Paul Le Roux is definitely a brilliant man, albeit a twisted one. Ratliff does a great job detailing all of the various ventures that Le Roux was working, and believe me...there are many! In some ways, the level of detail is overwhelming, but I think that’s a necessary evil in a story this complex. All the while I was reading this I couldn’t help but wonder how I hadn’t heard this story in the media. But, I am very glad that I read this book and I will look for other works by this author.