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American Kingpin
- The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, True Crime
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Publisher's Summary
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 26-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine website 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.
It wasn't long before the media got wind of the new website where anyone - not just teenagers and weed dealers but terrorists and black hat hackers - could buy and sell contraband detection-free. Spurred by a public outcry, the federal government launched an epic two-year manhunt for the site's elusive proprietor, with no leads, no witnesses, and no clear jurisdiction. All the investigators knew was that whoever was running the site called himself the Dread Pirate Roberts.
The Silk Road quickly ballooned into a $1.2 billion enterprise, and Ross embraced his new role as kingpin. He enlisted a loyal crew of allies in high and low places, all as addicted to the danger and thrill of running an illegal marketplace as their customers were to the heroin they sold. Through his network he got wind of the target on his back and took 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, Vanity Fair correspondent and New York Times best-selling 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, decentralized web advocates and the old world of government control, order, and the rule of law. Filled with unforgettable characters and capped by an astonishing climax, American Kingpin might be dismissed as too outrageous for fiction. But it's all too real.
What the critics say
“An astonishingly well-researched narrative.... Bilton's storytelling bears not so much as a trace of fat; the book he's conjured is so sharp and bright that it can be whipped through in the airport lounge before the flight takes off." (The Globe and Mail)
"Unbelievably riveting." (Casey Neistat)
“I dare you not to read this book in one sitting. Masterfully reported and written, Bilton’s book drops you hard into the dark heart of the most famous Internet crime to date. A first-rate thrill.” (Joshua Cooper Ramo, author of The Seventh Sense)
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What listeners say about American Kingpin
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P K
- 2019-08-04
Best Audible purchase I’ve made
Hands down the strongest Audible book I’ve yet purchased. Perfect narration, a driving, multifaceted narrative, and meticulous journalistic writing make for a phenomenal read. Can’t recommend it strongly enough, especially for readers with an interest in the dark web, drug policy, law enforcement, or cyber issues.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 2021-01-06
Incredible
Astoundingly entertaining , would recommend,
would read again
Pls keep writing nick
Love it great work
...
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-10-06
great story, terrible narration.
I love the underlying story, but the writing and narration makes it sound like someone is reading me a children's novel.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-08-09
Well written, excellent performance.
It takes a few listens to grasp all the nuances in the story, but the performance is riveting each and every time. Highly recommend.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tayla Smelser
- 2018-05-11
loved it
It was such a good book, totally fascinating. I wish Ross had agreed to be interviewed, it would have been cool to see what he had to say after all was said and done.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TimRules!
- 2018-03-24
Couldn't stop listening!
At once a fascinating and captivating look at an under-reported story. Author provided a fair assessment of a potentially controversial subject, and did so in a very entertaining way. Highly recommended!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ana
- 2018-03-07
Captivating
Wonderfully written and told story that I could not stop listening to. Well worth the buy.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2021-07-18
A fascinating tale
This was a particularly well written account, and was so thoroughly researched, that it read almost as a fictional thriller. How one slightly misguided young man with a website idea could flip himself to the dark side and put him on a path to destruction was interesting. The junctures where he could have walked away were captivating. A good listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Randy
- 2021-06-18
It’s “Bitcoin” not “Bitcoins”
Ok great story and also top notch narration. But the continuous error of saying “Bitcoins” instead of “bitcoin” is fairly annoying. If you have 100 Bitcoin, it’s still singular. Cmon son
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-05-31
Amazing
I did not particularly hate anything from this book and I would recommend this book to any adult who like a thrilling story!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Casey
- 2017-09-20
Simply...Amazing!
This book has a bit of everything. There are people I found myself pulling for, people I wanted to see get what was coming to them and some people that alternated between those two possibilities.
It had intrigue and backstabbing and some gold old fashioned government turf wars to boot.
I loved everything about this book and did not want to stop until I had finished the whole thing. This has to this point been my favorite nonfiction audiobook release of 2017!
23 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victor
- 2017-05-18
An honest portrait of DPR
Nick Bilton dives deep, veeery deep, into the life of Ross ulbricht and his creation: The Silk Road. The book is written like any fictional story with the only difference: it's all wierdly true. Nick Bilton has put so many hours research before writing this book I remember thinking "how the hell would he know this? I guess he must have made it up to make it sound better" while listening to it, but at the end you realize he probably didn't. A must read!
84 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- stuartjash
- 2018-09-10
Book felt like a fictional thriller
This book was intense. It read just like a thriller would. Intrigue, mystery, running from Feds. I finished this book in two days. It was absolutely captivating, and I'll definitely be re-listening to this one over and over.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nicktirebiter
- 2017-05-07
Well written, Well read, Gripping story
Artfully written amazing story. Nick Bilton presents a story that competes with any fiction suspense thriller. And, of course it's actually true - something you have to keep reminding yourself as you listen to the book. Bilton perfectly combines his talent as a reporter with a genuine gift as a story teller - good cadence and a light but nice touch of drama.
57 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B.J.
- 2018-01-02
You'll be telling your friends about this book.
This amazingly well-researched book got hold of me and wouldn't let go. Every part of it is interesting -- the dark web, the whole concept of the Silk Road and the man behind it. I learned, I thought about what was in it, and the narration was perfect. That's a 5-star book.
25 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victoria J. Veech
- 2017-05-11
amazing book!!!!
once I started listening I couldn't stop. I wish all books on here were that good!!
25 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kathy in CA
- 2018-01-20
Mesmerizing! Fascinating! Chilling! Amazing!
American Kingpin belongs right up there with my best-ever listens. I became totally obsessed with the book. It was all I could think of during the several days it took me to finish it. All the while, I fretted about being done too fast. However, I am keeping open the possibility of a second listen, if need be.
In summary, this is the true story of a very intelligent, idealistic young man with libertarian leanings. His beliefs led him to start a sight on the darknet called the Silk Road where initially any illegal drug could be acquired and delivered by your friendly mailman right to one's mailbox. As the book progressed, you could see how this initially likeable young man's morals and beliefs became gravely distorted. Other products were permitted for sale, more egregious and cringe-worthy than illicit drugs! It appeared that for our protagonist, the Dread Pirate Roberts or DPR (as he subsequently called himself), the sky was the limit!
This darknet site was phenomenally successful and became a billion dollar enterprise. As you read this incredibly well-researched story, you might have the hairs stand up as you see how DPR's dream evolved into something he never envisioned and how there was no turning back for him. He would do WHATEVER it took to keep his identity hidden and and to maintain total control over his Silk Road website. You will be on the edge of your seat during the hunt for his identity by various government agencies, including but not limited to the FBI and the DEA.
I have never felt more like a fly on the wall in so many people's lives, and I loved every minute of it! The author, Nick Bilton, did his homework very thoroughly. I felt like I was absorbed into his story. Adding to my enjoyment was a great narration by Will Damron.
This book is very highly recommended! Don't miss it.
22 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Ken
- 2017-05-21
A great narrative look into a fascinating story.
The narration was great and the author turned what could have been boring and tedious geek speak, into something that really draws you in.
22 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2017-05-18
Best listen in a long time
This book kept my interest in every chapter. This was a great example of what really goes on in the world. I would recommend this book to everyone
21 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 2017-05-16
Couldn't stop listening
This is a great story. If you like breaking bad you will enjoy this book.
29 people found this helpful