Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein

by James Patterson, John Connolly, Tim Malloy

A shocking true crime tale of money, power, and sex from the world's most popular thriller writer.

Jeffrey Epstein rose from humble origins to the rarefied heights of New York City's financial elite. A college dropout with an instinct for numbers--and for people--Epstein amassed his wealth through a combination of access and skill. But even after he had it all, Epstein wanted more. And that unceasing desire--especially a taste for young girls--resulted in his stunning fall from grace. From Epstein himself, to the girls he employed as masseuses at his home, to the cops investigating the appalling charges against him, FILTHY RICH examines all sides of a case that scandalized one of America's richest communities. An explosive true story, FILTHY RICH is a riveting account of wealth, power and the influence they bring to bear on the American justice system.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Crime, History, Politics

287 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2016

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The re-opening of the Epstein case, which previously went through the Florida state courts, and now being thrown into federal territory, got me to find this book and learn the most in the shortest time available. It was a good move, I think. The book, published in 2016 covered most of the tabloid sleaze and dirty tricks of men getting themselves caught in the #metoo-debacle. However, the book is a much more professional, and in-depth version of this sex criminal, perpetrator's life.

Lately it was Bill Cosby; Harvey Weinstein; R. Kelly; Bill Clinton; Jeffrey Epstein; as well as a few thousand other dark trees, yet not high enough to catch the storm winds of either social justice, nor media attention. It is rumored that since 2016, 1700 pedophiles already met their jailers who will face them each day for the rest of their lives. And NXIVM is still in the final round of verdicts.

In Epstein's case, his lawyers, in particular prof Alan Dershowitz and Guy Fronstin got him off in a closed, secret agreement with Florida's political appointed state attorneys, Barry Krischer, Daliah Weiss and Lana Belohlavek. Ken Starr and Jack Goldberger would later join Epstein's defense team. Dershowitz and another lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt in 2007, wrote a 23-page letter to the court which include Epstein's involvement in the Clinton Foundation."Mr. Epstein was part of the original group that conceived the Clinton Global Initiative, which is described as a project 'bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” read the July 2007 letter to the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida. “Focuses of this initiative include poverty, climate change, global health, and religious and ethnic conflicts.”

Can you imagine Hillary in curlers and slippers, asking Bill: "If I could get rid of 33 000 emails, why can't you get rid of 27 flight logs?" Yep, Bill is part of this saga.

Esptein secretly filmed the interaction between corporate titans, real estate tycoons, university presidents, Nobel Prize–winning scientists, princes, ex-presidents, and heads of state—mingling with beautiful women, and most of the time, under-aged girls (was it perhaps done for extortion or blackmail purposes?).

Epstein was a predator. His own sex addiction, lead him to the abuse of allegedly hundreds of under-age young women.

Epstein would basically have walked free, was it not for the federal prosecutor of the Southern District of Florida, R. Alexander Acosta, who stepped in and turned on the screws. However, the final verdict/agreement, left Epstein free to roam his world for sixteen hours a day for thirteen of the eigteen month sentence. Acosta explains in this press conference the detail of the events.

Currently there are a media madness going on to drag innocent people into this latest scramble for Epstein's soul...for political gain; and then there are others scrambling to drag favorite figures out of it as far as possible...for political gains. It's kind of vulgar to witness. New York Times: Jeffrey Epstein Was a Sex Offender. The Powerful Welcomed Him Anyway by By Jodi Kantor, Mike McIntire and Vanessa Friedman, July 13, 2019.

The book provides an excellent back drop to the current wave of arrests in the pedophile nirvana. Apparently a few high-profilers are scrambling for cover, since the new court case will unseal the original 2007 deal, with its secrets exposed to the whole wide world. Something tells me it's going to get ugly.

For instance, this week his mysterious—but well-known—ties to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel came to light. Mr. Barak denied any interactions with young women. Prime minister Mr. Netanyahu is currently battling fierce competition in a re-election campaign after failing to form a government after the elections earlier this year, and is being charged with 4 counts of corruption. Mr. Barak is one of his biggest opponents. Epstein heavily financed some of Mr. Barak's projects. The plot thickens.

Mr. Barak also had dealings with disgraced ex-congressman Anthony Weiner and ex-husband of Huma Abedin. He was convicted of online sexting with a 15-year old girl. He was declared a serial child molester after his computers were seized by the police. Huma Abedin was vice chair of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for President. Irony: The court filing noted Anthony Weiner’s hypocrisy in having co-sponsored a 2007 bill aimed at forcing convicted perverts to list their email and instant-message addresses on the National Sex Offender Registry." SOURCE .

Epstein is a genius, according to some:"Those who believe in Epstein say that his intelligence works in a lofty and synthetic manner. “His mind goes through a cross section of descriptions,” says Joe Pagano, a financier. “He can go from mathematics to psychology to biology. He takes the smallest amount of information and gets the correct answer in the shortest period of time. That’s my definition of IQ.”

“He has the ability to make connections that other minds can’t make,” says Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize winner. “He is extremely smart and probing. He can very quickly acquire information to think about a problem and also to identify biological problems without having all the data that a scientist would have … He also has an extremely short attention span. Why?—it’s not that he’s bored. He has enough information after fifteen minutes so that you can see his mind thrashing about, as if in a labyrinth. And even to doubt an expert’s statements.”

Epstein enjoyed his sybaritic lifestyle and he did not hesitate to share it with many people. He was involved in science, particularly sociobiology.

On the 727 these days, he has been reading a book by E. O. Wilson, the eminent scientist and originator of the field of sociobiology, called Consilience, which makes the case that the boundaries between scientific disciplines are in the process of breaking down. It’s a view Epstein himself holds. He wrote recently to a scientist friend of his: “The behavior of termites, together with ants and bees, is a precursor to trust because they have an extraordinary ability to form relationships and sophisticated social structures based on mutual altruism even though individually they are fundamentally dumb. Money itself is a derivative of trust. If we can figure out how termites come together, then we may be able to better understand the underlying principles of market behavior – and make big money.”

He is an enthusiastic member of the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations.

As some collect butterflies, he collects beautiful minds. “I invest in people – be it politics or science. It’s what I do.”

Articles on Epstein, which cross-pollinate information with this non-fictional thriller:

- OCT. 28, 2002.
Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery By Landon Thomas Jr.

- DEC. 7, 2007. The Fantasist By Philip Weiss .
Epstein shares a common friend, Prof. Martin Novak, with a recent convicted professor Niles Lehman. PSU professor who posted child pornography on his blog gets 2.5 years in prison. Updated Jul 8, 2019; Posted Jul 8, 2019. .

Both professors are involved in the study of sociobiology and published papers together.

Martin Novak - Director for Evolutionary Dynamics, funded by Jeffrey Epstein through his Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation - works on the mathematical description of evolutionary processes, including the evolution of cooperation and human language, as well as the dynamics of virus infections and human cancer. He is also listed as "an Austrian biology and mathematics professor who heads the theoretical-biology program at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton."

Niles Lehman received the 2018 OAS Outstanding Scientist Award. He is a professor of Chemistry at Portland State, working to discover knowledge about the biochemical aspects of the origins of live. Niles has provided a strong foundation for the theory of RNA recognition as a driving force in the early evolution of life. His mathematical formula included the manipulation of human behavior change from selfishness to cooperation .

Bear with me. I have a very good reason why I specifically included these two scientists into this review, although they are not in the book. I just sleuthed them.

Two concepts wind through all these events: Enslavement. Control.

Jeffrey Epstein called some of his 'girls' his 'slaves'.
"22. Edwards learned that at around the same time, the Palm Beach Police Department also began investigating Epstein's sexual abuse of minor girls. They also collected evidence of Epstein's involvement with minor girls and his obsession with training sex slaves, including pulling information from Epstein's trash. Their investigation showed that Epstein ordered from Amazon.com on about September 4, 2005, such books as: SMI 01: A Realistic Introduction, by Jay Wiseman; SlaveCraft: Roadmaps for Erotic Servitude - Principles, Skills, and Tools, by Guy Baldwin; and Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners, by Christina Abernathy. See Receipt for Sex Slave Books (Exhibit "I"). SOURCE .

NXIVM's human experiments, conducted by Dr. Brandon Porter, in the Executive Success Programs is currently scrutinized by the State. Sex trafficking. Sex slaves. NXIVM Doctor Accused of Conducting Illegal Human Experiments in 'Fright Study' by Maria Perez On 5/5/18 at 5:44 PM EDT.

The tabloid freak show, frankly, does not interest me. I want to know what happened to humanity. We're dealing with the fruits, the germination of the seeds of social change planted even as far back as the eighteenth century during the Age of Enlightenment. Humans have been disappointing since forever. Even Genesis, chapter three, mourned the loss of the true , the good and the beautiful.

Everything the world previously hold sacred was going to be excluded in the Enlightenment, including the true, the good and the beautiful. In its place science introduced the 'one size fits all'- rationale. Objective knowledge. Those who embrace that would be considered 'enlightened' and those who reject it would be regarded 'savages' or 'primitives'. The world got reconstituted in a sterile, impersonal, mechanistic, one-size structures. Everything was included: demographics, politics, society. Everything now had to be understood through metrical, quantitative, numerical, industrialized format. The true, the good and the beautiful were now left to the individual to discover through self-identity. Enlightenment was a good thing initially. Our generations went overboard with it.

What happened in all these cases of control, are the consequences of this. Dropping the truth, the good and the beautiful, resulted in the loss of virtue. The Divine meaning of purpose got lost. The nobility of our inner motivation vanished. The distinction between Love and Lust blurred. It's a cross-cultural phenomenon. Women are still treated as slaves, commodities to be bought, sold, forced into marriages (in some cultures it begins at the age of 8 or 9; even today some cultures require women to wear wigs and other covers in public; Keith Raniere of NXIVM branded his sex slaves with his initials).

Enslavement. Control. Where does pornography fits into the modern 'Enlightenment'?

Dr. Judith Reisman explains in her books on Dr. Alfred Kinsey, how it all fitted in:
1) Sexual Sabotage, How One Mad Scientist Unleashed a Plague of Corruption and Contagion on America;
2) Kinsey, Sex and Fraud-The Indoctrination of a People;
3) Kinsey, Crimes and Consequences-The Red Queen and the Grand Scheme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgAH...

Was Epstein the funder of questionable research? Who are the lab rats? Are children educated or indoctrinated? Enslavement. Control. The draining of desire and passion. Cognitive impairment.

Ironically, it's an age old concept. Even Plato recognized this. In effect he said that Love is provoked through beauty. Anything we deem beautiful attracts us. A gravitational pull. We tried to embody beauty into our cultures. That's the difference between a cathedral and a shack. Love surrenders itself to the object of attraction. What are we teaching our kids today?

Plato said Lust was different. Lust does not seek to surrender itself to the objection of desire. Lust seeks to control and to dominate.

It all fits together. We live in a supersized global structure of lust: control and dominate. As simple as that.

Epstein was/is one of the major international players. Still is. He was brilliant enough to get into the upper elite. But greedy enough to trip over his own lust for power and control. All indications are there, that his new ordeal will expose much more than anyone ever suspected. Or, if the tabloids can get their way, the bigger threat of this event, namely the serious elimination of real happiness (freedom of choice, the search for truth, the good and beauty) will be buried as deep as possible, since our version of the 'Enlightenment must continue, while political agendas must be completed. That's all that counts. Politics. That's what this is all about. Nothing more, nothing less.

Scientist must continue exploring the manipulation of human behavioral change from selfish to cooperation. Epstein be damned. Did our modern 'Enlightenment' turned ugly on us?

Conclusion: It doesn't matter what Epstein believed in or supported, whether he was a good man or not. Someone got angry and want him out. Others are  hunting for his little black book...for political gain.  It's a brutal political fist fight to death. It should have been about the children instead.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yowza. This was an addictive, can't-put-it-down read! James Patterson has partnered with John Connolly and Tim Malloy to try his hand at true crime and it was mind blowing. I hadn't heard of Jefferey Epstein before reading this and it was like peering into the lifestyles of the rich and famous and how excessive money can buy you sex with minors with little legal reprimand. I was drawn in by the sheer audacity of this guy. The list of high profile guests seems endless, but a few were mentioned with particular interest. Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

This morning I read an article in The Washington Post about Jefferey Epstein and his connection to Donald Trump. The focus was mainly on Trump's nominee for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta. In 2007 Acosta was U.S. attorney that let Epstein off on a non prosecution deal which included 18 month prison sentence(only served 13 + liberal privileges in a jail) for felony solicitation of underage girls. Epstein had a loaded defense team of high profile lawyers and Acosta was simply "out lawyered" was stated in the article when he was questioned at the Senate confirmation hearing 4/22/17.

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books epitomizes white privilege. The justice system seems to add insult to injury, essentially dehumanizing the minor victims simply due to their significantly lower tax brackets.

I'm glad that I read this book, because ignorance is not bliss; but in the interest of full disclosure, the subject infuriates me.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filthy Rich.......Filthy Man

Before I read this book I had no idea who Jeffrey Epstein was. Now that I have read the book I do remember hearing his name somewhere over the past couple of years and I'm sure it's because of the things he did that was in this book. He may be a filthy rich man but he is definitely a Filthy Man. How disgusting! How could people who know this man still be associated with him? These people are just as bad as he is as far as I'm concerned. James Patterson, John Connelly and Tim Malloy did a wonderful job writing this book. I'm happy that it was published with James Patterson's name on it because I know that it reached more people because of it. Bravo, great book!

[Scott Rhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich people suck.

This can be taken several ways, of course. In common parlance and slang, “suck” is often used to describe something that is offensive or awful. In another way, “suck” can be used to describe the act of drawing people in, either inadvertently or intentionally, to something by sheer force of gravity or will.

I personally agree, for the most part, with the former, but my use of the word in this review is more in line with the latter definition.

Take Jeffrey Epstein. He was a rich guy in Palm Beach who did stuff with money (many rich people do stuff with money: it’s why they’re rich), usually other people’s money, and, in turn, made a whole shit-ton more money.

Now, this, in itself, does not make him suck. And, in truth, the act of making a shit-ton of money is not necessarily why rich people suck. It usually has more to do with how they use their money.

See, Epstein used his money frivolously, although he would have disagreed vehemently. Epstein loved massages; often getting two or three full-body massages on a daily basis. Now, using one’s money frivolously to buy massages doesn’t necessarily make one suck. It makes one frivolous.

The reason Epstein sucked is because he used underage girls---some as young as 14---to do the massages. The rub? He would occasionally be naked, he would occasionally force the girls to be naked, he would occasionally molest them, and, in some cases, he would forcibly have sex with them. Then, he would pay them anywhere from $200 and up to ensure that they would shut up about it.

For a lot of these girls, $200 was a lot of money, especially for only an hour’s work. For many, Epstein’s other sexual predilections were simply an annoyance they felt that they had to put up with. Only a few of these girls figured out the truth of what was going on: they were being raped and then paid off by the rapist to remain quiet.

In all, Epstein sucked in nearly forty different girls into his web of perversion. In 2005, the police in Palm Beach started an investigation. What happened after the police had enough to take him to court, though, was another form of rape, of justice.

“Filthy Rich” is a nonfiction account of Epstein’s horrific sexual crimes and the subsequent crime committed by the justice system and Epstein’s billionaire friends who, for decades, let him get away with his crimes. Written by James Patterson, John Connolly, and Tim Malloy, the book describes how---with enough money, power, and leverage---one can almost get away with just about anything in this country.

I say “almost” because Epstein initially served time. Never mind that it was a slap on the wrist and a slap in the face to his victims. In 2008, as part of a plea deal, he served only 13 months (in which he was allowed occasional “leave” to go home during the day, as long as he was back in his prison cell at night) and was given impunity for any future accusations of sexual offense.

If you think that is sickening, think about this: he was convicted of hiring a prostitute, which means that the justice system clearly deemed a 14-year-old girl who was forced to have sex with a forty-something man a prostitute, simply because she accepted the $200 he paid her. And if you have the audacity to respond to that with “Well, technically, that is the definition of a prostitute” then you suck.

In July 2019, Epstein was federally convicted of sexual trafficking. Thankfully, he only served a month of that conviction before he either committed suicide or was murdered in his jail cell. It doesn’t really matter because it was a win for justice either way.

Epstein sucked in these girls, whose lives would never be the same, but he also managed to suck in an array of enablers, apologists, and accessories who turned a blind eye, ignored, or simply let him do the horrible things he did. People like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Alan Dershowitz. Fellow rich assholes who also suck.

I’ll be honest: I’m not a fan of Patterson, so I almost didn’t read this book. I’m glad I did, though. Much of Patterson’s trademark shitty fourth-grade-level writing is at a minimum in this, as nearly 75% of the book is actual transcripts from police interviews or courtroom proceedings, letters, or other primary sources.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filthy Rich by James Patterson, John Connolly, and Tim Malloy brings the horrible crimes of abuse and money together for all to see. I picked this up from the library. It is a frustrating subject and I am so tired of seeing the rich get away with terrible crimes! Epstein, even when he knew he was being watched, he continued to recruit young girls as young as 14! So arrogant! He also hub -bubbed around with other millionaires such as Trump, Clinton, and the Duke of York.
This book is nauseating in the way the system failed the victims and society. There is a lot of great detail in here but I couldn't digest it in one go, it is too upsetting to me! I am sure the reader will read a lot of information they never expected. Using and abusing girls, abusing our legal system, undercutting the girls rights...
Now to purge my stomach and shower in bleach! Eww!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needing a book to help fill a small gap before the end of the year, I turned to this James Patterson piece that has been collecting dust on my TBR shelf for a while. Patterson does not usually delve into non-fiction, but when he does, the reader can expect something of high quality (which surely begs the question, why does he torture his fiction fans with tepid writing at times?). He has teamed up here with two other authors, John Connelly and Tim Malloy, to add further depth and impact to the already troubling narrative. The brief dust cover commentary left me with some idea of what to expect as I looked into the life of Jeffrey Epstein, particularly his criminal behaviour, though nothing could have prepared me for the salacious nature of Epstein's crimes or how money seems to have paved the way to his receiving a light slap on the wrist. Patterson et al. present the Epstein situation as one where a billionaire is able to use his financial holdings and penchant for young girls to fuel his own sexual gratification. Epstein employed an assistant and a few 'scouts' to bring other teenage girls (14-17) to his home in Florida, where they were told to offer him massages, clad sometimes in a pair of panties and, at other times, nothing at all. Epstein knew the girls' ages, though he made it perfectly clear that he did not care. Sometimes a massage turned into sexual gratification for Epstein, as detailed on numerous occasions, with an outlandish recounting of events. While the police built a case and used some early girls to report on his actions, the lewd behaviour seemed to continue, where the girls were paid from $100-300, depending on what they were asked to do. Epstein seemed to be aware of the mounting case, but did not stop or seek to alter his approach. When the police acted and the Federal Government pressed charges, Epstein was able to call in favours and use his clout to defy all legal precedent, entering a plea and receiving minimal jail time (and the time he did spend was a joke). From there, the book explores the man, his far-reaching connections, and how being associated with him ruined some people. It is baffling to see this book progress, as the reader's stomach will likely turn with each passing chapter. Wonderfully presented for such a horrid situation, it allows the reader to see that money can buy freedom and how the rich can be completely clueless about the laws the commoner must follow. I cannot think of a group of people who would 'like' this book, but it is a well-crafted piece that will surely blow the mind of many, without taking too long to devour its contents.

My interest in James Patterson is tepid at best, but this book has surely shown why I can sometimes applaud this author. Patterson use of Connelly and Malloy to craft this book, helping it flow and deliver a razor-sharp punch, complete with short chapters and a 'to the point' narrative for which Patterson is so famous. Patterson et al. push the reader into the middle of his horrific mess of sexual assault, child prostitution, and lewd pleasure-seeking, through a series of recreated interviews and conversations with victims of Epstein's behaviour. What might be most stunning about the presentation of the book is that the victims tried to distance themselves from the acts, or even downplayed them. This emerges throughout the early part of the book, which pulls the reader in and forces them to want to know more, as if there is an addiction of sorts at play. The reader must know what happened (even if they remember the tabloid reporting) and how it all came crashing down. Interestingly enough, Patterson et al. make a point of showing that the normal course of justice seems to have been bastardised and Jeffrey Epstein was handled with kid gloves throughout. Even the required jail time left much to be desired. The evidence was there, the victims seemingly had lots to say about what happened to them, but high-priced lawyers and some glaring gaps in the legal system seem to have permitted Epstein to waltz through unscathed. This story is not one that even Patterson could dream up as he churns out pieces faster than most readers can type a review. Perfectly titled for its hideous abuse of the legal system, this book shows how money does talk and the laws are only for those who cannot circumvent them, even when children are being abused and the perpetrator does not deny it. Pardon me, as I need to vomit now that I have done my reviewing duty.

Kudos Messrs. Patterson, Connelly and Malloy. You've shed light on this horrendous collection of events and shown that even the likes of Donald Trump had enough sense to steer away from this man. If that doesn't prove how awful Epstein is, nothing will!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point I could get my Ph.D. in Jeffrey Epstein. And who would've ever thunk I'd give James Patterson a Fiver? Hell, she hath frozen over.

[L.A. Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction book published in 2016 and written by James Patterson and two investigators who worked with him fill in all the details up through late 2015 on Jeffrey Epstein's history of allegedly sexually exploiting underage girls. It includes depositions, reports from the Palm Beach Police, and Acosta's statement in 2011 describing the amount of evidence for the charges he brought. (The local prosecutor had completely backed away from making charges.)

Patterson & his investigators don't pull any punches on the details. It's surprising that the sordid details in this book alone were not enough to raise interest in Epstein's crimes back in 2016.

[Koren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare jaunt into nonfiction for this well-known author. Could fall into the category of 'lifestyles of the rich and famous'. The main character thinks he can have whatever he wants, including young, underage girls. I wont give away what happened to him but it will make your jaw drop. Worth the read to read about some famous people connected with this guy, including one former president and one current one, and one English prince. I liked how the book was laid out and moved along quickly with short chapters, which works out good for busy people who like to get to the end of a chapter before they put the book down. A quick read, I read about 20 pages before I went to bed and finished it the next day

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another wretched story from the Patterson camp, this one based on a real-life criminal, or is he? 1 of 10 stars

[John Robertson · Rating 1 out of 5]

While it did expose the disgusting behavior of Jeffrey Epstein and the failings of our justice system, the book overall was a convoluted mashup of court interviews, transcripts and narrative set pieces that jumped around with no true logical order, especially the last third of the book.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Opening: Mary: February 2005
It’s a typically slow South Florida Sunday, and Mary’s staring into the mirror, trying to wipe the morning cobwebs away from her dark, sleepy eyes.
She’s a pretty girl, tiny—just five feet three inches tall—but tanned and athletic, with curly black henna-streaked hair.* Her bedroom’s a playland of pinks and pastels, stuffed animals, and boy-band posters. But Mary’s a teenager now. Fourteen years old. She even has a boyfriend. He’s cute and popular. Joe† is the heartthrob of her school, and Mary’s feelings for him are new to her, powerful, hard to untangle. She’s thinking of Joe as she presses the Play button on her iPod.
The MP3 player’s on shuffle. There’s no telling what song will come up, and Mary’s head drops dramatically in anticipation. Then a loud, sexy throb spills out of the earbuds: Britney Spears. The bass line takes over, and she starts to dance, moving her hips as she lip-synchs the lyrics:
With a taste of a poison paradise…

Nothing highlights a poor writer than a 'just the facts, ma'am' essay. Patterson is certainly impoverished. However, I do salute this first foray into exposing Epstein and cohorts to the disinfecting sunlight, which sent me helter-skelter into research. All the criminality gumph is publically available to the likes of you and I, no password needed, no expertise required, so happy rummaging campers!

“Epstein lives less than one mile away from me in Palm Beach,” author James Patterson tells The Post. In the 11 years since Epstein was investigated and charged by the Palm Beach police department, ultimately copping a plea and serving 13 months on one charge of soliciting prostitution from a 14-year-old girl, Patterson has remained obsessed with the case.



https://nypost.com/2016/10/09/the-sex...

https://cloverchronicle.com/2019/01/0...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here. Dumpy, creepy, young loner grifts his way into the company of powerful people. He becomes wealthy, not by inheritance or hard work. It's truly gross how many indulged or looked away while Epstein ruined the lives of children. So many children. It was reported on the news recently, the jail he died in is being closed and demolished. A fitting end.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patterson, a prolific writer of popular fiction, made a rare change of venue in taking on this non-fiction work after becoming interested in the strange case of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein's story is one of a extremely wealthy 50-ish man who recruited dozens of high school aged girls to give him massages ​while partially undressed or naked, ​and then sexually assaulted them. Unfortunately, ​after the local police department collected evidence against Epstein, the local prosecutor declined to fully prosecute. Epstein was a wealthy donor to many charities and politicians, and there's a question as to whether or not this influenced the prosecutor's decision. Only after hearing the prosecutor's decision did the West Palm Beach police department send the same evidence to Federal Prosecutors, who pursued the case. However, Epstein assembled an all-star legal team, including O.J. Simpson defense attorney and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, President Bill Clinton Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr, one of the Kennedy family defense attorneys, etc. With resources like this, Epstein was able to plea to a minor charge, was given only an eighteen month sentence. Worse, he only served thirteen months, and managed to do that in a work release program which allowed him to leave the facility for sixteen hours a day, six days a week.

Reading this book during the on-going news of Bill Cosby's legal case​s​, and the breaking news of Donald Trump's admissions of grabbing and kissing any woman he wants because he's a celebrity only makes the case of Jeffrey Epstein sound worse. ​ ​Celebrities and the ultra rich too often seem to find loopholes in the laws and courts which make them all but immune from being treated like most citizens in criminal cases.
​
​While the specifics of the case are seedy and sad, and it's a story worth telling, it seems as if Patterson was rushing to be first to print the details of this case. Many of the legal cases referenced in the book, involving ​lawsuits brought by the victims, remain pending. ​I'm left wondering if Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz will be found guilty of also abusing one of Epstein's young girls, as accused? ​Will new evidence be obtained leading to new charges? Now I'll need to look for the update to the book, or await another book discussing Jeffery Epstein legal battles. ​

July, 2019 Update: I was please to note that the case is not over, and in early July, 2019, Epstein has been arrested in New York and is currently facing Federal charges for these sexual abuses. Hopefully, more to come.

[Zana]

DNF @ 12%

Too pop nonfiction for me. I prefer Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story.

[Mary Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite different from his usual stuff, but I still enjoyed it.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how i ended up here but glad it's over....

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the completion of this slim work it is difficult to know whether to laugh or cry. Jeffrey Epstein, in a controversial deal with the prosecutor, admitted to a felony count involving sex and young, high school-aged, girls. He live today in Manhattan as a registered sexual offender, and it is reported that he still entertains young women - whether he has learned anything at all from his conviction seems open to question. His life has flavored those of many others around him, and makes one sympathetic to the aberrant behavior of fathers(or other family members) who would kill or castrate those involved in such activities with their young loved ones.

James Patterson, at one point, is characterized as being obsessed with the actions of Jeffrey Epstein. Alan Dershowitz, who successfully got Epstein his 'sweetheart deal' punishment, ends up defending himself in related legal shenanigans involving other lawyers and victims. Believe it or not, both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump end up with cameo appearances in this sordid story. Bill accepted a ride on an airplane to a place where these kinds of things take place, although in this case nothing comes to light of what he may have actually done. Trump comes up because he refused to tolerate whatever it was that Epstsein was doing at the property associated with the Trump name. A somewhat more direct connection comes up when Prince Andrew (yeah, Fergy's ex) has to go explain to the queen just what the heck he was doing with those young women on the boat.

A number of months back a friend shared an article with the title something like, 'It's Not All About Sex,' which article title I think is given the lie here. Epstein used a young girl to procure his masseuses. When you listen to the interviews, you have to come away wondering just what the heck was going through these girls' minds when they got involved. $300 for rubbing a guys legs (etc.) and then not fleeing when told to removed articles of clothing - all because their friend brought them and suggested "it'll be OK - you won't have to hardly do anything."

Evil continues to lurk all around us, and we seem to continue to ask for ever more.

[Rick Reitzug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quit this book halfway through because, quite frankly, it had gotten repetitious and boring. I did learn a bit about the perverted Jeffrey Epstein but, as with the other James Patterson non-fiction book I've read (the one about Aaron Hernandez), the book seemed superficial in its probing of the troubled individual who is its subject. The choppy structure of the book (3-5 page chapters) interrupted the flow and just did not work for me. On the plus side, I did learn a bit of factual information about Jeffrey Epstein but additional seedy tales from his life hardly seemed worth my time to discover. In summary, this is the 3rd James Patterson book I've read (including also, "The President is Missing") and I just don't see the attraction in his books (best-selling author in the world?!). They read like the product of someone who cranks out 10-15 new books a year. I guess that's because they are...

[Snakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epstein was sort of like the O.J. Simpson of sexual abuse. Demonstrates how much of the “justice” that’s meted out in the States revolves around money. Another patently guilty criminal walks out of the courtroom with a minimal sentence because he’s rich. Justice in America is definitely not blind to the almighty dollar and is frequently a farce.

[Mehrsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to wash my eyes and ears after the first 1/3rd of this book. The second portion was better, but it was all a bit too tawdry for me. Also, it's outdated as he ended up in prison. But definitely put Dershowitz away forever too. Disgusting. All of them

[Dara S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am, as the author is, curious as to what Epstein is doing today. I am guessing he is still after young girls. I hope that the young girls exploited by Epstein and others find peace.

[Nancy Yager · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked up Filthy Rich by James Patterson, John Connolly, and Tim Malloy, I assumed it was a new release because Amazon Kindle recommended it to me. Only after reading did I realize it was published back in 2016—nearly a decade ago. Given everything that has happened since then, I found myself wishing the book had been updated to reflect more recent events.

As a story, Patterson does what he always does: he makes it read fast and smooth. The book is easy to get through, and it lays out Epstein’s crimes in a way that’s clear and understandable. For its time period, it gives a good overview of what was known and publicly discussed. If you’re looking for a narrative that explains the scandal as it was unfolding in that moment, this book delivers that.
That said, I was looking for more. I had hoped for an in-depth, factual analysis with behind-the-scenes details and explanations that went further than headlines. Instead, the book stays fairly surface-level, sticking to what was known at the time and not digging much deeper. Given what we know now, it feels incomplete.

Overall, Filthy Rich works as a snapshot of how the Epstein case was seen when it was first published. But if you’re searching for a comprehensive, up-to-date account, this book won’t give you that. It’s a good starting point, but it left me wanting the fuller picture.

[Michele A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story, we are given the investigation, plea of guilty, time spent in prison and various lawsuit accounts against Jeffrey Epstein. The book chronicled the beginning of the case, the way the local, state and federal government officials handled the prosecution and all of the various ways that the victims were failed by these people. While the book did encompass most of what transpired with Jeffrey Epstein, neither one of the 3 authors were able to interview Epstein himself. While there were references to affidavits, correspondence and other materials, the story would have been better for me if he were interviewed. To say what he was accused of was reprehensible is an understatement. The fact that he was able to use his network of friends to get him out of trouble disconcerting. At the end of the day - the victims were left with the ability to sue him civilly. All of the lawyers surrounding this matter were suspect and each side used gorilla tactics against the other. It left me saddened at the state of our legal system at the end.

[Elizabeth O'Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unputdownable. Sickening. Fascinating. Gross use of money and power.

Surprised that Epstein didn't get this book squashed, although I never saw any marketing for this, so maybe his money did some silencing.

Want to know more on Epstein? Want to hear the sickening things? This book has it all.

Just. Wow.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first non-fiction book written by James Patterson I've read.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love an epilogue to this nonsense now that he's dead

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Filthy Rich (audiobook) by James Patterson, John Connelly and Tim Malloy read by Jason Culp.

This is such a disturbing story and this book just scratches the surface of what was going on. I was kind of curious as to why Patterson chose to write this book about Epstein. It seemed to me to be kind of out of place, but come to find out they were neighbors. Apparently being rich doesn’t necessarily protect you from the predators. It can actually put you in the vicinity of some of the most dangerous predators of all.

[Suzanne Ritvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to James Patterson for bringing the truth to light!

Jeffery Epstein is a psychopath and alleged sex offender. He has bought his way out of prosecution (as well as his wealthy friends) as he continues to molest teenage girls. If you know the difference between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, this story of abuse and cover-ups will be very familiar. Especially when billionaires on one side of the intercoastal prey on young girls and then walk away, leaving their staff, intimidated police and famous dream team attorneys to make it all go away. This is the O J Simpson story for the very wealthy. Mr Epstein should have served hard time for his offences. With this book at least the girls/women from West Palm will have their stories told and the world will recognise what a monster Epstein and his famous cohorts are. I have to admit that parts of the book are hard to read and will make you angry but it's important for us all to see how justice favors the wealthy. Thanks to James Patterson and his fellow contributors for a great job!