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Preview
  • American Kingpin

  • The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road Drugs Empire
  • By: Nick Bilton
  • Narrated by: Will Damron
  • Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (2,291 ratings)

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American Kingpin

By: Nick Bilton
Narrated by: Will Damron
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom – and almost got away with it.

In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything – drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons – free of the government’s watchful eye. While the federal government were undertaking an epic two-year manhunt for the site’s elusive proprietor, the Silk Road quickly ballooned into a $1.2 billion enterprise.

Ross embraced his new role as kingpin, taking drastic steps to protect himself – including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever, the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren’t sure even existed, searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet.

Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind, New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns, lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It’s a story of the boy next door’s ambition gone criminal, spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning, anonymous, decentralised Web advocates and the old world of government control, order and the rule of law.

©2017 Nick Bilton (P)2017 Penguin Audio
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What listeners say about American Kingpin

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

The power of the internet, another example.

Powerful example of the potential to rise against law and order. Using avenues that simply cannot be accessed by anything other than the internet.

Will Damron is an excellent narrator in my opinion.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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a very interesting and well written / read account

a very interesting and well written / read account
i really enjoyed it and look forward to more like it

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping

Well read and faced paced - loved it.
Quite a story that makes you consider who really are the bad guys.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Very well detailed and narrated masterpiece.
Enjoyed every second of the book.
Thank you for the brilliant journey underground!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

a very interesting read

You can learn a lots from this book if you want to. I enjoyed it very much.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant story and narration

This was a great true story and so brilliantly told. I don't normally listening to something like this, preferring business books, but had it recommended to me and what a great story it was to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Listen to this book in 2 days, excellent.

excellent book, well written. only put it down as i had to work. an insight into the dark web and silk road which i had heard about but never really new much about.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great

This is an audible 'must listen too!' ! fantastic from start to finish. Simply brilliant

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing

A real life Breaking Bad.
Excellent story of a modern version of online gangsters.
Brilliant.

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hooked from the start

great insight into the workings behind the dark web and silk road. the story's a game of cat and mouse. great listen

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