The Siberia Job by Josh HavenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"The Siberia Job" is a quick read, which says a lot for how much it pulled me in. Apparently based on real-life stories shared with the author, the book explores the world of the post-USSR scramble for ownership of companies and industries that were supposed to be for the benefit of the people of Russia. Instead, modern-day carpetbaggers swoop in to try to take control of money they hadn't earned (unless you consider their ability to invest tiny amounts of "hard currency" earning anything) before Russian oligarchs can build their own empires with little more right to it than the American and European "investors."
While John, Petr and Anna are interesting characters, and I will admit to rooting for them at points (they're better than their murderous opponents), their way of getting rich is very questionable morally. If you like Gordon Gekko-style raiders, you will like them, but if that turns you off... well, then not so much.
Their view is that their approach will help make the new Russia rich, too, but it seems very unlikely that the average Russian is going to benefit any more under this new regime than they did under the old Communist one.
Still, an interesting book and a page-turner. I'm not the fastest reader, and I was through it in two days.
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