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  • Marching Powder

  • A True Story of a British Drug Smuggler In a Bolivian Jail
  • Written by: Rusty Young
  • Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney, Rusty Young
  • Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (34 ratings)

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Marching Powder cover art

Marching Powder

Written by: Rusty Young
Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney, Rusty Young
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Publisher's Summary

San Pedro is Bolivia's most notorious prison. Small-time drug smuggler Thomas McFadden found himself on the inside. Marching Powder is the story of how he navigated this dark world of gangs, drugs and corruption to come out on top.

Thomas found himself in a bizarre world, the prison reflecting all that is wrong with South American society. Prisoners have to pay an entrance fee and buy their own cells (the alternative is to sleep outside and die of exposure), prisoners' wives and children often live inside too, high quality cocaine is manufactured and sold from the prison.

Thomas ended up making a living by giving backpackers tours of the prison – he became a fixture on the backpacking circuit and was named in the Lonely Planet guide to Bolivia. When he was told that for a bribe of $5000 his sentence could be overturned, it was the many backpackers who'd passed through who sent him the money. Written by lawyer Rusty Young, Marching Powder – sometimes shocking, sometimes funny – is a riveting story of survival.

©2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd (P)2010 Macmillan Digital Audio

What listeners say about Marching Powder

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

Interesting story !

Loved this book when I read it years ago. Sadly, the audio version just lacked something for me. The narrator reading as the British Thomas McFadden didn’t do right by me …. Great narrator, but didn’t fit the British vibe for me and I often forgot Thomas was British. Some elementary elements also I thought in terms of writing and story telling. I may have gotten my fix of this book after one read, one listen.

3.9 / 5

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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awesome.

this this book was amazing, very interesting. the narrator done an amazing job as well.

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  • Kat
  • 2019-01-21

Very intriguing and well told.

I really enjoyed this book. The story of his experiences is crazy. A recommended read.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Ugo
  • 2020-09-28

Listen to it! Great narrator. Great story.

First off, this is a great story about a real life, events, people.

If your interested in prison life, drug smuggling but more importantly about pain and suffering and redemption... of leading a life completely unique.. of community and friendship and corruption.

The killer is that the narrator does an absolutely amazing job, switching voices and very easy to understand with great pace as well. Read it. Enjoy it.

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A truly thrilling read

This was an excellent story, one that's hard to believe actually happened in real life at times. The narrator did a wonderful job too, giving a number of characters different and consistent voices. Would definitely recommend.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievably believable

A true story that will blow your mind. Every time I thought I had gotten used to this upside down world that is being described, something new would come down the pike. Incredible, well-written and excellently narrated.

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