Once Upon a Time in Russia

March 2, 2015
Mezrich aims to repeat the success of 2009’s The Accidental Billionaires—the basis for the movie The Social Network—with this breathless account of two billionaire oligarchs in post-Communist Russia. In the feeding frenzy after the Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse, venal businessmen grew rich as the bankrupt government sold state-owned companies at fire-sale prices. Boris Berezovsky, an early beneficiary of the sell-off, recognized talent in Roman Abramovich, a younger entrepreneur, and became his krysha (protector). Both flourished until Vladimir Putin became premier in 1999. Berezovsky underestimated Putin’s desire to eliminate the influence—thought not the wealth—of the oligarchs. They quarreled; Putin attacked Berezovsky, drove him into exile, and may have had him (and at least one associate, Alexander Litvinenko) murdered. Abramovich, who proved more amenable to working with Putin, continues to prosper. This is lowbrow journalism at its best: recreated dialogue, the author’s insight into everyone’s thoughts, characters and actions tweaked to protect sources and maintain a fiercely cinematic pace. Nevertheless, the bizarre events described in the book happened more or less as described, and between the action sequences, Mezrich, almost as if by accident, reveals the sad story of how Russian resources and infrastructure were looted by the fortunate few. Agent: Eric Simonoff, William Morris Endeavor.

May 1, 2015

Mezrich (The Accidental Billionaires) aims to shed light on the mystery of contemporary Russia by focusing here on the oligarchs who profited from the "privatization" of state assets after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. The author pays particular attention to businessman Boris Berezovsky (1946-2013) and his associates. We follow Berezovsky's rise and prodigious financial successes to his exile in the UK and his eventual mysterious demise. This is a tale of skullduggery and chicanery if ever there was one. One of the more informative and sinister aspects of the tale is the relationship of the oligarchs to Vladimir Putin. Mezrich provides a biographical sketch of the Russian president and his ascent to the pinnacle of power and then his moves to rein in the oligarchs. Along the way, the author highlights the corrupt and lawless state that Russia has become today. VERDICT This sensationalist though useful account sometimes veers into the coarse and crude. Ideal for readers of Russian history who enjoy an edge-of-your-seat delivery, and especially timely after the assassination of Putin opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.--Edward B. Cone, New York

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2015
Mezrich (The Accidental Billionaires, 2009) turns his keen journalistic eye to Russia in the early 1990s. The socialist state had collapsed, and the door was wide open for capitalism to transform the country. The problem was, Russia was a country full of people who had no idea how to be capitalists. As the country underwent a massive political and economic upheaval, a new societal class emerged: the oligarchs, Russians who used the new economic freedoms (not to mention the almost complete lack of governmental oversight) to become fabulously, spectacularly rich. Mezrich focuses on two such men, a mentor and his young protege, who accumulated staggering wealth before personal differences tore their relationship apart. One man went on to continued prosperity; the other met a tragic end. Mezrich's ability to tell a true (and well-documented) story, in a way that makes it look and feel like the most involving of narratives, is nearly unparalleled. He is one of the few writers whose name on a piece of nonfiction guarantees not only quality but also interest, no matter the subject, and this fine book is one more example of just how talented a storyteller he is.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)