Freezing Order: A True Story of Russian Money Laundering, Murder,and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath

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THE SUNDAY TIMES NO 2 BESTSELLER ** THE NEW YORK TIMES NO 1 BESTSELLER
More explosive, compulsive and gasp-inducingly, spine-tinglingly, mouth-dryingly, heart-poundingly thrilling than any fiction I have read for years, but it is all true Stephen Fry
Mind-blowing...Browder's battle for justice isat times terrifying, at times deeply touching Catherine Belton
A jaw-dropping expos by Putins anti-corruption nemesis DailyTelegraph

Following his explosive internationalbestseller Red Notice, Bill Browder returns with another gripping thriller chronicling how he became Vladimir Putins number one enemy by exposing Putins campaign to steal and launder hundreds of billions of dollars and kill anyone who stands in his way.

When Bill Browders young Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was beaten to death in a Moscow jail, Browder made it his lifes mission to go after his killers and make sure they faced justice. The first step of that mission was to uncover who was behind the $230 million tax refund scheme that Magnitsky was killed over. As Browder and his team tracked the money as it flowed out of Russia through the Baltics and Cyprus and on to Western Europe and the Americas, they were shocked to discovered that Vladimir Putin himself was a beneficiary of the crime.

As law enforcement agencies began freezing the money, Putin retaliated. He and his cronies set up honey traps, hired process servers to chase Browder through cities, murdered more of his Russian allies, and enlisted some of the top lawyers and politicians in America to bring him down. Putin will stop at nothing to protect his money. As Freezing Order reveals, it was Browders campaign to expose Putins corruption that prompted Russias intervention in the 2016 US presidential election.

At once a financial caper, an international adventure and a passionate plea for justice, Freezing Order is a timely and stirring morality tale about how one man can take on one of the most ruthless villains in the world.

Reviews

'I was hooked from the first paragraph. More explosive, compulsive and gasp-inducingly, spine-tinglingly, mouth-dryingly, heart-poundingly thrilling than any fiction I have read for years, FreezingOrderhas a stunning plot international conspiracy, malign and hidden rings of power and corruption, a dark threat to any hope of world order but with this stunning twist: it is all true... Browder with incredible courage, resilience and grace, and always at great risk to his personal safety and freedom continues to chase after Putin and his henchmen... This is real heroism, and what a cracking good read it makes for.' -- Stephen Fry
'Mind-blowing. Bill Browder takes us down the rabbit hole of Kremlin lawfare where down is up and wrong is right, and powerful Russian interests are trying to upend our legal and political systems. This personalaccount of Browder's battle for justice is at times terrifying, at times deeply touching -andleads inexorably to a vast money-laundering scheme the Kremlin will seemingly stop at nothing to cover up.' -- Catherine Belton
'[Freezing Order]tells the story of Browders quest to establish a global regime for sanctioning Russians involved in corruption and criminality. But it reads like an international spy thriller.If its subject matter werent so grave, the book could be said to have all the elements of a high-octane drama. Murder. Conspiracy. Piles of dirty money. Sexual intrigue.Freezing Ordershudders with the constant threat of assassination, abduction or sudden, extreme violence. It is a tense and gripping read. -- Jamie Susskind * The Times *
'Freezing Order is a gripping tale of assassinations, legal battlesand billions in cash. It would be entertaining fiction, butas a true story its a warning and a roadmap for fighting back against the waves of crime and corruption emanating from Putins Russia and other dictatorships. Bill Browder has shown that one man with courage can make a difference, and that even the most powerful regimes have weak spots. Its an inspiring message we should all heed, and with urgency.' -- Garry Kasparov
'This tale is full of villains - not just the Russians...but also the politicians, lawyers and judges in theWest who carry out the Kremlin's dirty work. Despite the complexity of the affair, Browder has made his story into areal page turner. Amid the horrorsbeing reported every day from Ukraine, it also provides a highly readable insight into the true nature of theregime that is responsible for them..' -- Peter Conradi * Sunday Times *
'Browders account of how he stood up to Putin in the face of danger, arrest warrants, and bullying is mandatory readingfor anyone who wants to understand the tactics of modern autocracy.' -- Anne Applebaum
'[A] zesty new book about the theft, extortion,intimidation, lies and murder that are the Russian states daily levers ofpower...a breakneck financialthriller compelling breathless attention...splendidly readable... One of the most sobering aspects of Browders rollicking,dangerous adventure [is]that late-period Putin has found it so easy to manipulateour western democracies from the inside.' -- Julian Evans * Daily Telegraph *
'Absolutely gripping.Bill Browders new book on the Magnitsky affair follows the money all the way to the top of Russias murderous kleptocracy. Freezing Orderought to be compulsory reading. Luckily it reads like a thriller.' -- Tom Stoppard
'Its an incredible story, told with pace and panache, that reads like a thriller. Theres something deeply offending to our sense of justice about an innocent man framed by powerful forces...but what is most troubling here is how acquiescent the western establishment has been to Russian crimes and lies.' -- Andrew Anthony * Observer *
'Bill Browder's thrilling new book digs deeper into the kleptocratic world enabled and supported by the Russian state, for the benefit of the most powerful and well-connected crooks in Russia and beyond. This exploration of the dark heart of corruption asks the question of what one person can do in the face of such insidious corruption, and makes us ask what we can find in ourselves to stand up and resist those forces that would steal, decieveand murder for their own gain.' -- Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat
'Riveting...An eye-opening expos of the lengths Putins cronies will go to hide their crimes and punish their accusers.' * Publishers Weekly *
'Anessential workby someone who understood long before the rest of the world did just how far corrupt Russian officials and businesspeople will go to defend their ill-gotten wealth, and how foreign lawyers, lobbyists and public relations firmsenable them...He expertly walks us through the ins and outs of various legal strategies and developments that include enoughhigh drama, plot twists and colourful charactersfor a movie.BrowdersFreezing Orderis not justa cracking good read-it is a reminder of the urgency of addressing the global plague of money laundering.' -- Timothy Frye * Washington Post *
'Could not be more timely in illustrating why the support of Russias super-rich and their funds have become crucial to Putins powerbase.' * Independent *
'Fast paced and engaging, Browders book reads like a spy novel, but it also makes a powerful and remarkably prescient case for the need to use all the legal and financial tools available to separate Putins financiers from their foreign-held bank accounts and luxury yachts.' -- Katie Stallard * New Statesman *
'Gripping reading...there is no question that Browders dogged persistence against a backdrop of undoubted stress and personal courage have made an important contribution in highlighting the failures of contemporary Russia and the west alike, and offered new tools with potential to try to redress them.' -- Andrew Jack * Financial Times *
'A must-read for fans ofRed Notice... Revealing and damning, exposing Putin and his minions as little more than greedy international criminals. A timely book combining mystifying financial shenanigans with a fast-paced crime saga.' * Kirkus Reviews *
'Riveting...An eye-opening expos of the lengths Putins cronies will go to hide their crimes and punish their accusers.' * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Bill Browder is the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and was the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005. Since 2009, when his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was murdered in prison after uncovering a $230 million fraud committed by Russian government officials, Browder has been leading a campaign to expose Russias endemic corruption and human rights abuses. Before founding Hermitage, Browder was vice president at Salomon Brothers. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Stanford Business School.