Kleptopia

Kleptopia, a gripping and meticulously researched real-life thriller by award-winning investigative journalist Tom Burgis, unravels a vast and terrifying network of global kleptocracy and corruption. Burgis takes readers on a harrowing journey across continents, from the corridors of power in the Kremlin and Beijing to the treacherous sands of the Kazakh desert and the boardrooms of London. This exposé reveals the insidious flood of dirty money that is propping up dictators, enriching oligarchs, and undermining democracies around the world.

A body is discovered in a burned-out Audi. Bullets claim the lives of workers in the desolate Kazakh desert. An election in Zimbabwe is brazenly rigged. A British banker is silenced and humiliated for daring to expose the truth about the City of London, which serves as a global piggy bank for blood money. Through these striking and chilling anecdotes, Kleptopia vividly illustrates the human cost of corruption and the collusion of those in power.

With a narrative pace akin to the best fiction, Burgis paints a disturbing portrait of how these kleptocrats and their cronies have woven a web of deceit and exploitation, spanning from Moscow and Beijing to Riyadh and even the Trump White House. Kleptopia presents readers with a wake-up call about the scale of the conspiracy - a dangerous alliance of thieves who are systematically looting the world’s riches.

This book is not just a call to arms, but a sobering reminder of the fragility of the institutions and freedoms many take for granted. Burgis’s keen investigative skills bring forward revelations that are both jaw-dropping and deeply unsettling, challenging perceptions of global political and financial systems.

An Economist and Washington Post Book of the Year 2020 and a Sunday Times bestseller, Kleptopia has garnered high praise from critics and readers alike. George Monbiot of The Guardian states, “If you think the UK isn't corrupt, you haven't looked hard enough… This terrifying book follows a global current of dirty money, and the murders and kidnappings required to sustain it.” Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, warns, “When you pick this book up, you won’t be able to put it down.” Ben Rhodes, bestselling author of The World As It Is, adds, “Gripping, disturbing and deeply reported.”

Riveting, horrifying, and frighteningly relevant, Kleptopia is a must-read for anyone concerned about the state of the world’s political and economic health and the dark forces at work behind the scenes.