LoveReading Says
What began as three friends wanting to end the decades-long civil war in a far-away country is now an award-winning organisation, Global Witness, dedicated to rooting out worldwide corruption. Patrick Alley and his colleagues shine a light into dark places. They go where angels fear to tread and ask questions others are afraid to ask. They move within the dark underbelly of the super powerful, the wealthy yet wicked people prepared to exploit anything and everyone for their own benefit. They risk all, funds, reputations and life itself to bring the truth to the eyes of the public.
What we learn is that super-villains described by the likes of Fleming, Forsythe and Le Carré are not simply figments of their creative imaginations. These people exist. Whether it be the manipulation of share prices, the secret provision of combat jet fuel to the Russians or the industrial scale trafficking of wild animals, Alley opens our eyes to the appalling reality where organised crime masquerades as legitimate business.
A fascinating read, if a little uncomfortable. And an education as to what really goes on behind the scenes.
Matt Johnson
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Terrible Humans Synopsis
'Few people have shown more commitment to investigative journalism than Patrick Alley. His latest book is a vivid, compelling testament to the importance of revealing corruption and wrong-doing and shining a light into dark places, wherever in the world they are.' -Peter Geoghegan, author of Democracy for Sale
A small number of people, motivated by an insatiable greed for power and wealth have driven the world to the brink of destruction. They are backed by a pinstripe army of enablers (and sometimes real armies too) and are the super-villains of corruption and war. Some of them hold power greater than nation state and the capacity to derail the world order. Propping up their opulent lifestyles is a mess of crime, violence and deception on a monumental scale. But there is a fightback: small but fearless groups of brilliant undercover sleuths closing in on them, one step at a time.
In Terrible Humans, Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness and the author of Very Bad People, introduces us to some of the world's worst warlords, grifters and kleptocrats who can be found everywhere from presidential palaces to the board rooms of some of the world's best known companies. Pitted against them, the book also follows the people unravelling the deals, tracking the money and going undercover at great risk. From the oligarch charged with ordering the killing of an investigative journalist to the mercenary army seizing the natural resources of an entire African country, this is a whirlwind tour of the dark underbelly of the world's super powerful and wickedly wealthy, and the daring investigators dragging them into the light.
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PRAISE FOR Very Bad People:
'Reads like a John le Carré novel but is, in fact, very real.' -The Big Issue
'Part true crime tale, part investigative procedural, this is the account of the brilliant and necessary superheroes of Global Witness, whose superpower is the truth.' -Edward Zwick, Director of Blood Diamond
'Very Bad People reads like a non-stop high-speed chase' -David Farr, Screenwriter, The Night Manager
'Simply riveting. Don't miss it.' -Misha Glenny, author of McMafia
'A clear-eyed account of a world poisoned by dark money, and a welcome reminder that resistance is possible.' -Irish Times
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781800961999 |
| Publication date: |
10th April 2025 |
| Author: |
Patrick Alley |
| Publisher: |
Monoray an imprint of Octopus |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
352 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Biographies & Autobiographies
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| Other Genres: |
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