Criminal Masterminds

Thinking big and thinking bad, fifty of the world's most notorious criminal masterminds have lied, cheated, murdered and swindled their way onto the pages of this book. Many of these miscreants had the brains and charisma to be successful in legitimate walks of life, yet they chose to take a different path - a path that perhaps got them richer more quickly, certainly in the cases of mobster Al Capone, robber Ronnie Biggs and drug baron Howard Marks, but which ultimately was to lead to their downfall. The impetus to cross the moral boundary into criminal territory is not provided just by a desire for great wealth, however, as this compelling narrative reveals. Consider the motivation of spies such as the Cambridge Four, terrorists such as Osama bin Laden and Carlos the Jackal and outlaws such as Bonnie and Clyde. The aims of such individuals transcend the merely material. Their criminality is driven by a need to exert power and then experience the thrill the exerting of this power brings in its wake. Criminal Masterminds provides a fascinating insight into the careers and character flaws of the most audacious reprobates that have come to the attention of the world's lawmakers. It will entertain, astound and sometimes shock you. It might even give you ideas...

Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. In this idyllic place, every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a treehouse. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else in Serenity. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from lying to the awful problems of other less fortunate places. Eli has never left Serenity. Why would he want to? Then one day he cycles to the city limits, and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking secret that connects their ideal, crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents. So they hatch a plan for what could be the greatest breakout in history. But will they survive? And if they do, where will they go from there? The first book in a thrilling new series from bestselling (non-criminal) mastermind Gordon Korman. “A terrific page-turner, full of unexpected twists and revelations. Buckle up.” —JAMES PATTERSON, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SERIES “Just when you think no writer can outdo Gordon Korman, someone does—Gordon Korman. Masterminds is a masterpiece—a mind-bending adventure in a shocking but all-too-possible present; a tale of friendship and ultimate sacrifice with characters who will reach inside you and not let go. It’s that rare book that scares you to the core while you’re laughing your head off. Warning: reading this book while trying to do anything else is dangerous—it’s that good. I can’t wait to know what happens next.”—PETER LERANGIS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SEVEN WONDERS SERIES

Provides descriptions of many criminal masterminds throughout history.

Mindset Training for The Criminal Mastermind is the instruction you need to move from low level thug to top dog. If you have ever wondered what it takes to enter the ranks of this elite club, wonder no more. There are practical and applicable pieces of advice that are imperative for anyone seeking the status of Criminal Mastermind... and it is a fun read for the average citizen too.

What if Sherlock Holmes had turned to crime instead of detection? THE CRIMINAL MASTERMIND OF BAKER STREET by Rob Nunn investigates this very concept. Holmes famously said that “when a clever man turns his brains to crime it is the worst of all.” A sinister influence is at work in Victorian London with Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson running a hidden criminal empire. THE CRIMINAL MASTERMIND OF BAKER STREET explores all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories through the lens of Holmes as a criminal while adding many new exciting tales of Holmes’ daring to delight its readers.

The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Masterminds trilogy from middle grade star author Gordon Korman. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things and James Patterson! After a serious betrayal from one of their former friends, the clones of Project Osiris are on the run again. Now separated into pairs, Eli and Tori and Amber and Malik are fighting to survive in the real world. Amber and Malik track down the one person they think can help them prove the existence of Project Osiris, notorious mob boss Gus Alabaster, also known as Malik’s DNA donor. But as Malik gets pulled into the criminal world—tantalized by hints of a real family—his actions put him and Amber into greater danger. Eli and Tori get sucked into even bigger conspiracies as they hunt down Project Osiris’s most closely guarded secrets—who does Eli’s DNA come from? With a surprising new ally and another cross-country adventure, the four will have to work together to overcome the worst parts of themselves if they are going to end Project Osiris once and for all.

The incredible true story of the decade-long quest to bring down Paul Le Roux—the creator of a frighteningly powerful Internet-enabled cartel who merged the ruthlessness of a drug lord with the technological savvy of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. “A tour de force of shoe-leather reporting—undertaken, amid threats and menacing, at considerable personal risk.”—Los Angeles Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews It all started as an online prescription drug network, supplying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of painkillers to American customers. It would not stop there. Before long, the business had turned into a sprawling multinational conglomerate engaged in almost every conceivable aspect of criminal mayhem. Yachts carrying $100 million in cocaine. Safe houses in Hong Kong filled with gold bars. Shipments of methamphetamine from North Korea. Weapons deals with Iran. Mercenary armies in Somalia. Teams of hit men in the Philippines. Encryption programs so advanced that the government could not break them. The man behind it all, pulling the strings from a laptop in Manila, was Paul Calder Le Roux—a reclusive programmer turned criminal genius who could only exist in the networked world of the twenty-first century, and the kind of self-made crime boss that American law enforcement had never imagined. For half a decade, DEA agents played a global game of cat-and-mouse with Le Roux as he left terror and chaos in his wake. Each time they came close, he would slip away. It would take relentless investigative work, and a shocking betrayal from within his organization, to catch him. And when he was finally caught, the story turned again, as Le Roux struck a deal to bring down his own organization and the people he had once employed. Award-winning investigative journalist Evan Ratliff spent four years piecing together this intricate puzzle, chasing Le Roux’s empire and his shadowy henchmen around the world, conducting hundreds of interviews and uncovering thousands of documents. The result is a riveting, unprecedented account of a crime boss built by and for the digital age. Praise for The Mastermind “The Mastermind is true crime at its most stark and vivid depiction. Evan Ratliff’s work is well done from beginning to end, paralleling his investigative work with the work of the many federal agents developing the case against LeRoux.”—San Francisco Book Review (five stars) “A wholly engrossing story that joins the worlds of El Chapo and Edward Snowden; both disturbing and memorable.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)