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Rating: 
Summary: entertaining but biased
Review: As as law enforcement officer involved for the past 20 years in the sorts of crimes described in this book, I can tell you that the book is right on target. It is totally accurate. And it is to the point. The stories are vivid examples of how money distorts the criminal justice system. The survey about cocaine being present on US currency is accurately reported, having been conducted by US Customs in Miami. As for lawyers pleading not-guilty when they have every reason in the world to know that their clients are guilty, it is not putting the prosecution to the task, it is moral bankruptcy!
Rating: 
Summary: THE book on the subject
Review: Hard to know what the previous reviewer is writing about, because it is certainly not this book. The Laundrymen is the basic text on the subject, which is why it is required reading for my criminology/law students. It is clear, concise, highly readable and highly recommended. Robinson's sequel, The Merger, is also on the reading list.
Rating: 
Summary: What is he talking about
Review: Jeff Robinson writes with absolutely no regard for the reader. He does a poor job relaying the complicated details of the various money laundering schemes and relationships detailed in the book. You need a diagram to keep up with all the various characters he introduces. I recommend that you look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Money Madness!
Review: Jeffrey Robinson knows more about money than any freelance writer has a right to! I've read Robinson's fiction, and this reads like a novel. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your relationship to laundered money), this is a true account of the way money makes the world go round (and vice versa). An amazing accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: how to hide your money and (almost) get away with it...
Review: This book is a very good basic introduction to money laundering. There are some very good chapters or parts of chapters, including: a description of the basic money laundering process, examples of how FINCEN uses CTR data, descriptions of Carribean (and other laundering havens') bank secrecy policies, etc. Many of the chapters degenerate into countless real-life examples of laundering schemes in painstaking detail. Overall, however, there is a lot of good, useful information in this book geared towards readers who are looking for a basic overview of money laundering.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but reach exceeds grasp
Review: This book provides an overview of how money laundering works; since so much of money laundering is in support of the drug traffic, the author also spends time on the drug business.
The introduction and conclusion are worthwhile, but much of the vast middle of the book is simply throwing case after case at the reader, with little direction. There is an interesting section on Noriega.
Even as a layperson, I saw several errors in the book. For instance, Robinson writes that "practically every bill in circulation throughout the entire country bears microscopic traces of cocaine. In other words, practically every bill in circulation has at some point been used in a drug deal." The conclusion of the latter sentence is not only unwarranted by untrue.
There is a two-fold reason much of our currency contains traces of cocaine. First, the chemical structure of cocaine is such that bits of cocaine easily lodge in the microscopic crevices of US currency. Second, US currency is regularly counted by bank and post office money counting machines, which exert enough pressure on money to strip off some paper fibers and expose the cocaine, distributing it among other bills being counted. Microscopic cocaine on currency does _not_ mean that the money's been used in a drug deal.
Robinson shows a fundamental misunderstanding of criminal justice when he claims a not guilty plea is equivalent to the suspect's lawyer lying on the suspect's behalf, or countenancing perjury. Instead, a not guilty plea is simply putting the government to its proof.
The book is definitely interesting and readable, yet the mistakes I've noted and others have pointed out indicate that it's not a trustworthy source of information.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but reach exceeds grasp
Review: This book provides an overview of how money laundering works; since so much of money laundering is in support of the drug traffic, the author also spends time on the drug business.
The introduction and conclusion are worthwhile, but much of the vast middle of the book is simply throwing case after case at the reader, with little direction. There is an interesting section on Noriega.
Even as a layperson, I saw several errors in the book. For instance, Robinson writes that "practically every bill in circulation throughout the entire country bears microscopic traces of cocaine. In other words, practically every bill in circulation has at some point been used in a drug deal." The conclusion of the latter sentence is not only unwarranted by untrue.
There is a two-fold reason much of our currency contains traces of cocaine. First, the chemical structure of cocaine is such that bits of cocaine easily lodge in the microscopic crevices of US currency. Second, US currency is regularly counted by bank and post office money counting machines, which exert enough pressure on money to strip off some paper fibers and expose the cocaine, distributing it among other bills being counted. Microscopic cocaine on currency does _not_ mean that the money's been used in a drug deal.
Robinson shows a fundamental misunderstanding of criminal justice when he claims a not guilty plea is equivalent to the suspect's lawyer lying on the suspect's behalf, or countenancing perjury. Instead, a not guilty plea is simply putting the government to its proof.
The book is definitely interesting and readable, yet the mistakes I've noted and others have pointed out indicate that it's not a trustworthy source of information.
Rating:
Summary: how to hide your money and (almost) get away with it...
Review: This is a review of the updated 1998 edition of this book. This book is a very interesting read on world crime. The book details, quite correctly I imagine, the fact that the motivation behind most organised crime is one thing - MONEY!The best way to hit back at organised crime is confiscate the proceeds and benifits of crime, money and assets. Unfortuntley, the criminals today are a sophisticated (at the top) as the people chasing them. There are also many countries, who lacking other resources fall back on "confidental" financial services as a way to make a living. In many ways it's hard to blame these smaller countries and economies going into the money laundring business as globalisation and the corporate greed of the 1st world economies marginalise "traditional" economies and communities. It's a fact of life that people will make money any way they can - and if you are desperate enough you'll take the illegal or semi-illegal route. This book takes you into the murky world of swiss banking - and it's NOT like the movies. Numbered bank accounts are a thing of the past. How the columbians got shot in the foot when they set up the mexican drug trade in a fit of diversification. It also details how while crime has gone global in a big way, law enforcement has only done so sparodically, and not much will change until international co-operation is better organised. This book just goes to prove that you can do a lot with banks if you are willing to pay the fees, know the world's tax havens (and their limitations) - and that cash is not always king (because then you need to go through the bother of washing it). An illuminating and frightening book, which I'm sure is just the tip of the iceberg.
Rating:
Summary: also check out "The TakeOver" their Other Book.
Review: This is the ultimate book to the understanding,and art of money laundering, but it's also very informative,and an intresting book period, if you ever wondered how narcotic dealers, and cartels, launder thier money here it is, in black and white, it's also a book to all you wannabe Secret Service out there, who want's to counterfeit laundering,and counterfeiting, this book is a great addition to anybodies library, me personally, I read books like this all the time, "for informational purposes" ;o)
but it's a great read, if you've got the time, this book will put you in the light, a fascinating topic, told in a very entertaining way. thank you. ~ Michael Vincent
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