The Bezzle

Martin Hench #2

by Cory Doctorow

New York Times bestseller Cory Doctorow's The Bezzle is a high stakes thriller where the lives of the hundreds of thousands of inmates in California’s prisons are traded like stock shares.

The year is 2006. Martin Hench is at the top of his game as a self-employed forensic accountant, a veteran of the long guerrilla war between people who want to hide money, and people who want to find it. He spends his downtime on Catalina Island, where scenic, imported bison wander the bluffs and frozen, reheated fast food burgers cost 25$. Wait, what? When Marty disrupts a seemingly innocuous scheme during a vacation on Catalina Island, he has no idea he’s kicked off a chain of events that will overtake the next decade of his life.

Martin has made his most dangerous mistake trespassed into the playgrounds of the ultra-wealthy and spoiled their fun. To them, money is a tool, a game, and a way to keep score, and they’ve found their newest mark―California’s Department of Corrections. Secure in the knowledge that they’re living behind far too many firewalls of shell companies and investors ever to be identified, they are interested not in the lives they ruin, but only in how much money they can extract from the government and the hundreds of thousands of prisoners they have at their mercy.


A seething rebuke of the privatized prison system that delves deeply into the arcane and baroque financial chicanery involved in the 2008 financial crash, The Bezzle is a sizzling follow-up to Red Team Blues .

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller, Science Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, ebook

First published February 20, 2024

About the author

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing and the author of the YA graphic novel In Real Life, the nonfiction business book Information Doesn’t Want To Be Free, and young adult novels like Homeland, Pirate Cinema, and Little Brother and novels for adults like Rapture Of The Nerds and Makers. He is a Fellow for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an exciting book.

It *is* an utterly fascinating book.

As an L.A. native, I simply loved the history here of everything from L.A. to Catalina. I loved the fact that I knew every intersection mentioned in the book.

But it definitely wasn’t exciting. It’s a methodical study of California – race, politics, the prison system, and finance. And it’s horrifying and eye-opening. I did enjoy Hench and his friend, but saw them as more of a vehicle for a blistering expose of a for-profit prison system and the people who benefited from it.

A good book, but definitely more about message than story.

• ARC via Publisher

[Kara Babcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’re not paranoid, the saying goes, if they are actually out to get you. That’s what Scott Warms and his friend, narrator Marty Hench, learns in The Bezzle. Cory Doctorow tackles the unscrupulous American private prison system in this book, demonstrating how capitalism’s death grip on the carceral state has resulted in harm beyond the physical cruelty of solitary confinement or guards turning an eye to violence. Nowadays, it costs people money to be incarcerated—money most of them don’t have—and any pretense that the system is designed for rehabilitation has been dropped in favour of pure profit for private equity. The resulting book is, in my opinion, the typical mixed bag one gets in a Doctorow novel: terribly fascinating infodumps explaining systems most of us had no idea existed behind the scenes of our society mixed with unremarkable characters with about as much personality as one of those tiny bags with two biscuits you get as complimentary snacks on Porter flights. I received a copy in exchange for a review.

Marty Hench is a forensic accountant. He makes his living auditing companies suspected of wrongdoing, and he makes twenty-five percent of whatever such malfeasance he can uncover. Thus, his work is seasonal—after he finishes a job, he takes a few months off to relax and live off the proceeds. Sometimes he vacations on Catalina Island as a guest of his friend, Scott Warms, who made his millions selling his start-up to Yahoo! during the dot-com bubble and never looked back. However, when Marty interferes with a tycoon’s pyramid scheme on the island, Scott ends up with a target on his back that. From there, the story develops into an exploration of the injustice baked into the justice system, from traffic stops with corrupt cops to plea deals and private prisons. As Marty learns more about how unfair the system actually is, so too does the reader, in excruciating financial detail. Can Marty and Scott beat the house?

This is a loose sequel to Red Team Blues, the first book to feature Marty Hench. However, aside from some vague allusions, that’s about all the two books have in common: I haven’t read the first book, and I can say that The Bezzle stands alone.

Even within the book, there are distinct parts. The first third is the most dynamic in that it involves Marty’s interaction with the greatest number of people at once—paradoxically, it also might be the least interesting part? I kept waiting for the inciting event, and it eventually arrives, but it takes far longer than I expected for Doctorow to get us into the story. Once we’re in it, the novel becomes seventy-five percent Marty talking to the reader and twenty-five percent Marty talking to one other person, a series of two-hander vignettes that punctuate the equilibrium of exposition Marty supplies about how the prison system in California is nefarious and exploitive.

As far as what I learned from The Bezzle: I already knew the private prison system was bad, and I knew some of the details, but this book sketches an even bleaker picture. Y’all really let it get that bad, huh? (I am aware, as a Canadian, I should not throw stones given my country’s own awful track record when it comes to detention and detainment.) The way that Marty gradually uncovers just how bad it is works really well to help people who are less familiar with these systems get a glimpse into how they work (and they do work, as designed—it’s simply that they are designed to siphon money from the poor to make the rich richer, rather than rehabilitate).

As far as this being an entertaining novel goes … well. Marty and Scott are about as thin characters as you can get and still have them breathing on the page, so to speak. All I really know about Marty is that he is well-off, savvy with the numbers, loyal to his friends, but somewhat of a loner and single—but presumably into women given his occasional comments about how attractive they are. (Let’s not even get into how the only significant female character is a classy sex worker with a heart of gold. Oh, and there’s also a female prosecutor who shows up near the end for like two-point-five seconds.) Scott similarly gives me richie white playboy vibes.

Now, I want to give Doctorow some credit: he’s clearly designing these characters to be satirical exaggerations of the archetypes involved in Silicon Valley. The Bezzle is essentially a parable of the financial turpitude of the last quarter century, with Marty playing the role as a David mosquito taking a tiny yet juicy bite out of Goliath. So the fact that these characters are little more than sketches is almost certainly intentional. I’ve seen Doctorow have greater range than this before. On the other hand, I’ve not seen him have much greater range than this, and none of this changes the fact that, ultimately, this book has little in it that makes me connect with these characters.

Indeed, Cory Doctorow is a dichotomous author for me: I seem to enjoy his nonfiction but, at least as I have matured into adulthood, find his fiction lacking. In part, I suspect this is because both end up as vehicles for his polemics. My politics and Doctorow’s are often in alignment (and even if they weren’t, Heinlein would attest that I don’t mind myself a polemical work of science fiction—that’s kind of what the genre is for). No, it’s because his polemics are so thinly veiled, his characters so uninteresting beyond their service to the plot, that in some cases the books seem to turn into Socratic dialogues. I do love that he’s a firebrand of a nerd who hyperfixates on subtle slivers of injustice and then magnifies them into entire novels. The Bezzle is no exception here—but I still liked it, enough that I might go back and check out the first book in Marty’s series.

So if you want to hear more about how prisons (especially privately run prisons) suck, but you’d rather read a novel instead of a nonfiction exposé, The Bezzle is for you. It’s a burn-down-the-system, fight-the-power paint-by-numbers novel, which is not a bad thing—exactly what I have come to expect from Doctorow, yet comforting and satisfying in its own way.

Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be a political thriller, sort of, with a convoluted setup and very odd pacing. The opening section is at the end of the dot.com boom, when Martin and a pal get involved with a small-time scam on Catalina Island that involves, of all things, overpriced fast-food hamburgers. The friend pleads guilty to two felonies after an entrapment (I think). It wasn't a credible setup: the fall-guy is a white millionaire!

This setup was for Doctorow to campaign against the private-prison scam and the three-strikes and you're out mandatory-sentence business. Valid points, but I wasn't in the mood for political lectures when I was looking for light entertainment.

Doctorow is a good writer and he almost pulls this off despite the heavy political baggage. Plus it's short. For me this was a 2.5 star read, and I'm rounding it up. Left me feeling grumpy. Most readers were happier with it.

[Eilonwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second techno-finance mystery (is that a genre?) featuring hidden-money-sleuth Martin Hench was just as good as the first. Rather than following from the first book, it starts 20 years in the past, so it doesn't matter if you read this book without reading the previous one.

These are short and biting, with much social and political commentary. And this has become a favorite series for me. I hope a few more follow, and quickly!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A (relatively) focused plot, a convincingly diabolical villain and most of all, absolutely chock full of interesting tidbits and insights into scams, pyramid schemes, copyright law, tax auditing, the prison-industrial complex and other fascinating, important topics well-suited to Martin Hench, forensic accountant.

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Martin Hench very much, but I liked the first adventure better, although this one had more compelling characters. Unfortunately, the story itself, in my opinion, suffers a downturn in the middle that makes the whole thing very cumbersome to follow, almost as if the author had (again) used a fictional story to explain some of the horrible things that happen-or have happened, or continue to happen-in the United States.
Of course he did it on purpose, no doubt for anyone who has at least once dealt with this Doctorow, the problem, however, is that when fiction becomes a bibliographical thesis, the dilemma for the reader who cares more about the story than, in this case, the drama of American prisoners, is trudging along. I speak for a friend clearly. That aside, I anxiously await the third volume of the trilogy to find out how Martin Hench became the character I have come to love.

Mi piace moltissimo il personaggio di Martin Hench, ma la prima avventura mi era piaciuta di piú, anche se questa aveva dei personaggi piú avvincenti. Purtroppo la storia in sé, subisce secondo me una flessione a metá che rende il tutto molto macchinoso da seguire, quasi che l'autore avesse (anche stavolta) utilizzato una storia di fantasia per spiegare alcune cose orribili che succedono - o che sono accadute, o continuano ad accadere - negli Stati Uniti. Ovvio che lo ha fatto a posta, non ci sono dubbi per chiunque abbia almeno una volta avuto a che fare con questo autore, il problema peró é che quando la narrativa diventa una tesi bibliografica, il dilemma per il lettore a cui interessa piú la storia che, in questo caso il dramma dei carcerati americani, si trova nell'arrancare. Parlo per un amico chiaramente. A parte questo, aspetto ansiosamente il terzo volume della trilogia, per scoprire come Martin Hench é diventato i personaggio che ho imparato ad amare.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bezzle is a lecture on a bunch of broken systems within our society that are loosely tethered together by a flimsy plot about a forensic account who meets people interacting with / working through said broken systems. It was exhausting and boring and plodding. The characters were the barest of sketches, because they were merely vehicles for the broader social commentary author Cory Doctorow wanted to make. This should have been a NYTimes Opinion piece or something; it shouldn't have been marketed to us as narrative fiction. What's more: if you're educated about these systems, this book was a feeble echo chamber. I'm not sure anyone picking up this book needs an education on the history of psychedelics or pyramid schemes or how the rich hide their money. Also, the idea that a rich, white man in California would be thrown in prison for having some cocaine on him is ridiculous. C'mon, Doctorow, that would never happen.

Two stars rather than one mainly because Doctorow is a clever person who has important things to say. He just chose the absolute wrong medium for this particular message.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Bezzle is the second book in the Martin Hench series. Hench is a forensic accountant, helping companies find missing money. He makes enough money to live comfortably on, and is able to do his own side work. After he upsets some of the ultra-wealthy, he becomes involves a decade long endeavour to help a friend, and take down the wealthy who are using the privatized prison system as a personal playground and mark.

I always go in to a Doctorow book expecting to learn something. I’m not American, so this time around I learned all about privatized prison systems in American and how they’re really just a big ol’ money making machine. I actually had to go and research a lot of the things that were mentioned in the book because I kept thinking, “No, no. This is made up to make the book more interesting. To make the villains seem worse. That can’t actually be true.” And every damn time, it was true. It was upsetting. And I think that’s what made me love this book so much more. Somehow Doctorow made an exciting, interesting, and funny book, all while showcasing private prisons and the problems they have.

There’s something about the way Doctorow writes as well. Some of it feels like it should be info dumps, there’s long sections explaining different systems, or cryptocurrency, or whatever, and it shouldn’t feel as interesting as it is. He makes what could be dry info dumps interesting. Maybe it’s the character of Hench, there’s the perfect amount of sass in this character while talking about it all, or maybe it’s just how accessible all the writing is, but it keeps me engaged even when it’s not something I might be interested in learning or understanding.

I mentioned that it was a funny book. The friendships that Hench has, the shenanigans at the start of the book, it was hilarious. The Bezzle manages to take some really unsettling topics about prisons, and add in just the right amount of humour to balance it all out. It doesn’t make light of what’s going on in the story, or take away from the real-life situations it references, but it uses that kind of black humour that works to push through. I know that kind of humour doesn’t work for everyone, but I found it so well done in The Bezzle.

All in all, I can’t recommend this book enough. I can’t recommend Cory Doctorow enough. And as much as I enjoyed Red Team Blues, you don’t need to read it before The Bezzle if you click more with the synopsis of this one. They use the same character, but they do work as standalone books. You should read both, but if you want to start with The Bezzle, it won’t hurt your reading experience.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

This was great.

[Florin Pitea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Cory Doctorow seems to have entered, like the late, lamented Sir Terry Pratchett, in a stage of preachy didacticist writing. Still great stuff to read and very relevant, too.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another financial thriller novel about forensic accountant Martin Hench, who unravels the money trail of ill-gotten gains for 25 per cent of the take. In this one, he foils a pyramid scheme on Catalina Island that deals with importing fast food (no fast food franchises allowed on Catalina), but falls afoul of the kingpin who controlled it.

Like most Doctorow books, this is really about the intersection of technology and capitalism, and how organizations (whether government or corporations) use technology for evil purposes. Since the focus is on financial shenanigans, we see a distressingly depressing view of the prison-industrial complex as Hench's friend is railroaded into prison and so Hench learns how private industry has taken over the prison management business to milk it dry by cutting all costs and extracting as much money as possible from the prisoners.

While there is a hopeful ending, of sorts, this can be a difficult book to read as we learn how easy it is for private industry to subsume government's responsibilities and make people suffer for profit. It's nothing that attentive people don't know about how capitalism works, but this is not a happy-go-lucky caper novel; it's a serious exposé of the prison-industrial complex, albeit in fictional form.

[Jeroen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains so much political and social commentary, that it reads as several shows of John Oliver, but without the humor.
It really took me away from what might've been an interesting story.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Alone among the various forms of larceny [embezzlerment] has a time parameter. Weeks, months, or years may elapse between the commission of the crime and its discovery. This is a period, incidentally, when the embezzler has his gain and the man who has been embezzled, oddly enough, feels no loss. There is a net increase in psychic wealth. At any given time there exists an inventory of undiscovered embezzlement in — or more precisely not in — the country’s businesses and banks. This inventory — it should perhaps be called the bezzle — amounts at any moment to many millions of dollars. It also varies in size with the business cycle." (The Great Crash 1929, by John Kenneth Galbraith)

It amazes me how much I have have loved both of Doctorow's books about a forensic accountant. Like Marty Hench's acquaintances would say .. that sounds boring. But these books are far from boring.

Unlike Red Team Blues, this book is set much earlier in Marty's career, perhaps even close to the height of his skills and powers at taking down the scams of the rich and powerful. I liked how it showed Marty's fundamental belief that data can be a powerful force against those who think they have control of everything. Marty's stories seem inherently linked to the rise of Silicon Valley, but it was nice here to see Marty helping locals on Catalina Island who get caught up in a Ponzi scheme they don't see (they are "living in the bezzle"), but that makes him some powerful enemies. It was also nice to see the kind of powerful people who have come to owe Marty favors, and how he uses it to fight back when his enemies take on him and his friend (a Silicon Valley millionaire ... Marty doesn't assume everyone is bad who has money, just most of them).

The story is told in retrospect, occasionally with interjections from an older Marty ... I kind of hope he's telling it to the girl he works to be trustworthy for in Red Team Blues.

The Martin Hench books are immensely entertaining, and this isthe kind of book you just have to keep reading. But along the way, Doctorow makes some telling critiques of capitalism and the U.S. approach to governing by just laying out how they can go wrong.

I pre-ordered the book, and I'm glad I did.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong second outing for forensic accountant/shaggy neo-noir hero Marty Hench.

Doctorow writes with a passionate point of view and a strong social conscience. He is mad about the private prison industry and its abuse of human rights in the name of profit, and he illustrates how the whole ugly scam plays out in a thrilling and grounded narrative.

Ever the booster, he can't resist throwing some book recommendations into the story, but his enthusiasm for them is so genuine that it comes across as ingratiating. There's only one recipe in this one (after what felt like at least three in Red Team Blues), and it's presented in a way that moves the plot forward so it feels less like a distraction this time around.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was aware of most of the real life issues and much of the minutiae that Doctorow rolled up into yet another joy of forensic accounting known as a Martin Hench series novel.
This only made me more engaged as I read about Martin and Scott’s adventures.

I also enjoyed Wil Wheaton’s narration on my Libro.fm formatted version of the audiobook. (Including the prime number joke at the end)

I look forward to the next novel in the series.

[London Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. I love Cory Doctorow's work, and I love the way he presents facts about the world we live in, even in his fiction. But this book was something else, told as a story within a story, The Bezzle is truely something. Dont even get me started on the twist.

Truely Doctorow's Martin Hench is an amazing example of a character so smart they make terrible choices. For all the right reasons, mind you. It is with hindsight that both the character and the reader understand just how dumb the character was in his choices.

Throw in an education about corporate scams, and the American Prison industrial system, and you have this book.

[Michael McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong follow-up to Red Team Blues one of my favorite books last year. I love the Travis McGee vibes I get from Marty Hench, the forensic account of last resort. There is always a didactic element to Doctorow’s work, but this one provides an in depth look at how for profit prisons profit by abusing their wards. It maybe wasn’t as exciting as RTB, but it was still a gripping read. Excellent. Looking forward to more.

[Philipp Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Bezzle," the latest work by acclaimed author Cory Doctorow, is a novel that delves into the intricacies of personal relationships set against the backdrop of corporate America and its prison system. This review aims to dissect the novel's key elements, including its narrative arc, thematic depth, character development, and Doctorow's unique storytelling approach.

Doctorow's novel is a tapestry woven with the threads of personal tales and societal critiques. The narrative follows the protagonist's journey through a web of corporate machinations, exploring themes of autonomy and the impact of technology on individuality and society. The author skillfully interlaces personal anecdotes with broader social commentary, creating a story that resonates on multiple levels.

The characters in "The Bezzle" are crafted with meticulous detail, undergoing tangible growth throughout the novel. Doctorow's protagonists are not static; they react, evolve, and adapt to their circumstances, providing the reader with a sense of progression and depth. This dynamic character development is a testament to Doctorow's ability to create relatable and multidimensional figures within his narrative.

Doctorow's prose is characteristically sharp and engaging. His ability to construct vivid scenes and complex characters with an economy of words is commendable, offering readers a seamless and immersive experience. The author's voice is consistent and distinctive, imbuing the novel with a sense of authenticity and originality.

In conclusion, "The Bezzle" is a compelling addition to Cory Doctorow's oeuvre. Its blend of personal storytelling and social critique, paired with robust character development and Doctorow's distinctive prose, makes for an enriching read. As we anticipate the third installment in the series, it is clear that Doctorow continues to push the boundaries of genre and thematic exploration.

[Lionel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bezzle is a prequel to Cory Doctorow's first book about Martin Hench, "Red Team Blues". Like it's predecessor, it's a fast-paced story about about a technical guy fighting the capitalist forces of evil who enjoy nothing better than coming up with horrifying new ways of extracting money from the most helpless people in society. How Martin & his friend finally end up ahead of the game is very satisfying, & the education on real life financial scams you'll get along the way might save your life - or at least your life savings.

TL;DR: It's a standard Cory Doctorow novel, & if you've liked his previous work, you'll like this one too.

Highly recommended!

[Adam Hough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a lot of books have me avidly reading my way through in order to find out what happened, but this one does. Partially a thriller, partially a polemic on fraud and the prison industrial complex, it’s fascinating and an entirely engrossing read.

A prequel of sorts to “Red Team Blues”, this is set chronologically earlier but with a wrapper indicating that it’s being told as a sort of flashback tale. It follows Marti Hench during the late 2010s and his experiences with political and ethical corruption and police abusss, with the occasional foray into technology, encryption, copyright and good food.

Well worth your time.

[Robert Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science fiction author Cory Doctorow has taken a stand against big corporations, in particular the use of Digital Media Rights to lock people into particular companies. So much so that the audio version of his new book, The Bezzel and the previous book in this series, are being offered through Kickstarter rather than through Audible (Amazon). This little bit of background might give prospective readers an idea of where Doctrow is coming from in this particular series in which his protagonist is a forensic accountant and his targets are dirty corporations.
Doctrow introduced forensic accountant Martin Hench in Red Team Blues. That book was a day after tomorrow thriller about crypto-currency. No knowledge of that book is required to enjoy The Bezzle which is a flashback novel, set in 2006 and charts Hench’s involvement in bringing down a local Ponzi scheme and then becoming an expert on the privatised Californian prison system. Doctrow is using Hench to explore various periods in US corporate history. A third Hench book Picks and Shovels, due next year will take Hench back to his early days in the 1980s and the rise of the tech giants
The Bezzle starts in the town of Avalon on Catalina Island, a playground for the wealthy off the coast of California. Hench is taken there by his friend Scott Warms, who has made his own money by selling out to Yahoo!. They soon find that the population of the island have become the financial playthings of a super-rich investor. It is in this section of the book that readers who don’t already know learn the meaning of the title: ‘The Bezzle’ is a term coined in the 1930s to describe the time between when a con starts and when it is revealed where everyone is happy as they believe they are making money even though in reality there is not enough money to go round. The rest of the book involves Hench’s investigation into the California prison system which was privatised and sold off to private equity firms to the benefit of the state and the great disbenefit and cost of the inmates.
There is plenty of explanation and exposition in The Bezzle but it is fascinating and engagingly delivered by Hench. The whole story is also pretty depressing as Doctrow, through Hench takes apart the greed that fuels American society and the breaks constantly being given to big business at the expense of the populace all in the name of making money. So The Bezzle is a bit of an angry book, but Hench never gets angry, he just methodically gets even, which is much more satisfying.
In the Martin Hench books Cory Doctrow has created an unlikely but extremely likeable hero who gives him a vehicle for exploring and exposing the worst of American corporate excess. The Bezzle is a fascinating and scary look at what Doctrow calls the “shitty technology adoption curve” where “tech’s worst ideas are sanded down on the bodies of the people least able to defend themselves… before those bad ideas are imposed on the rest of us.” And with the inexorable rise of technology these issue impact on all of our lives and we can only take action if we understand them.

[David Woodcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronicling the Fall of New Rome

Starts slowly setting the background. Sneaks up on you with devestating revelations. How long can a nation that permits these atrocities continue to exist?

[Benjamin Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you told me before I read these books that my favourite hero was going to be a forensic accountant I would never have believed you.
Martin Hench is an outstanding character who navigates the financial crimes of evil “geniuses” in tech while being a kind and decent human.
Heartwarming and illuminating at the same time. Well done Corey Doctorow!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should care more about the law and the inner workings of finance. I really should. The problem for me, and many others I suspect, is that it is mind-numbingly dull and hard to process to get at the nugget of information that gives you the leg up over people like me. The Bezzle shows just how beneficial a knowledge of accounting and finance law can be for manipulating not just the average Joe, but everyone not willing or capable of understanding it. In the book, it starts with a relatively small Ponzi scheme on Catalina Island. But when Marty and his friend Scott help a local blow it up, the man behind it decides to play the long game with much bigger tools. It ends up with Scott in jail and both he and Marty fearing for their lives as they try and hold the untouchables accountable for their crimes, something that is unsurprisingly hard to do. The plot feels distressingly believable, which can make it hard to read. It tends to get into the finance laws weeds that I should pay more attention to, but that I get bored reading about. There is also a part of the book that goes off on a tangent that doesn't really add anything in my opinion. The book is relatively short length-wise but is dense on details that can drag it down for anyone looking for pacing and action, not the ins and outs of finance law. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that Doctorow tries to teach us about something with these stories. In this edition of Martin Hench we learn about Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. Marty gets involved in a helping someone who got themselves into a Ponzi scheme. It ends up causing him much more trouble than he anticipated. We also get to learn about some of the issues that incarcerated people and their families have to deal with, including visitation, books, safety, exploitation of email services and many more. The one issue that Doctorow does mention but does not play up enough in my opinion is that these issues disproportionately affect people of color. People of color are much more likely to be incarcerated.

The story was good, but I didn't like it as much as Red Team Blue. Oh, yeah, one more warning. This book has a lot of references to recreational drug. It portrays it as a very acceptable thing, so if that is not your cup of tea, then those parts may make you uncomfortable.

[Chrys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, scathing and disturbing. This was pretty terrifying reading, especially for someone living in the UK who’s been watching everything being privatised, especially our beloved NHS.
Money breeds contempt and corruption, I honestly don’t know why we teach their brand of success as being aspirational.
This was excellent, really entertaining and enjoyable, I am looking forward to reading the first book in this series. The characters were really well written, and I loved the friendship between Marty and Scott. It showed what is really important in life.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect blend fast paced intrigue and technology. The author draws from his work as a techno-activist and blends that knowledge with compelling characters and interesting stories.

This book lived up the high bar that was set by Red Team Blues. I don't know how many more Marty Hench books there will be but I'm here for all of them.

[Alexandra Floread · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved hearing Cory Doctorow speak when I went to the book talk for The Bezzle but actually reading the book was quite a different experience. The book was written sort of like a monologue with tangents that were sometimes relevant to the story and sometimes not, so I ended up losing the plot a bit. It was clear that the author feels passionately about all these issues but there were too many shoved into such a short book that I am left feeling confused about the main point. Also I still just can’t read too in depth about money, but that’s a me problem.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it better than the first one. He does a really good job mixing fact and fiction.

[Martti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ups, I managed to read this second book in the Marty Hench series before the first one. Fortunately I don't feel it's a tightly coupled series and I think the author also confirms that in the fore- or afterword. It's one of his Kickstarters for DRM-free audio-and ebooks. I supported them all, naturally. But got distracted by the publishing order. I just wanted something good to read in between the terrible moldy old books I've been pushing through as a stupid dare.

Cory is at home in tech and law, which is always a two edged sword to read. It's so well researched that you start wondering if it's not too real. Maybe some names have been changed, but that is the world most of us live oblivious to. Or at least don't have that much direct contact as the protagonist tends to have. Which makes it borderline as much of a horror as it is real.

Furthermore, I always admire how in addition to this detailed world also the actors can be so well defined with a couple of paragraphs that you feel you understand what they're about and have known these people for years.

Couple of memos. It seems that large US has couple of islands also to go with the huge continent. Near the LA there is a shady island that gave a name to one macOS version called Catalina.

The word bezzle is a time period when the mark does not yet realise it has been a victim of a scam. Like the period when participants eagerly expand a pyramid/Ponzi scheme even though the long-term benefactors are probably only a few on the top.

I hope this here is only a caricature of the private prison system in the US. And an exaggeration into the malicious capitalism running amok, but I fear it might not be.

The audiobook is read by the magnificent Wil Wheaton and I'm so happy to have supported this witty piece of anti-DRM culture. I hope more people find their way to the DRM-freedom and audiobook platforms like Libro.FM where among others also Doctorow's books are available.