Freeze Order; Bill Browder; 2022; Simon & Schuster; 313 pgs, Links, acknowledgements

​My main frustration with this book is that it has a lot of players and no index! There is no excuse for the lack of an index in today's world. As it is, for example, if you had forgotten who "Vladimir" is in the book,  you had to read-back in the book to find a mention that defines him. This can be very frustrating when some players are referred to by both their first and last names alone.

This is the sequel to Red Notice, Browder's excellent book on a subject that has had a huge influence on international politics… namely the Magnitsky Act. This law, now adopted by more than 34 countries, including Canada, allows countries to seize the assets of international criminals and the sponsors of terrorism. Putin is the big fish in that pond, and he is worried. Much of his wealth resides outside Russia.

The book starts well before the book Red Notice was published and could be characterized as  a diary of Browder's experiences as he published the book and  pushed the Magnitsky Act around the world...  And, of course, Putin's attempts to get him.  

If you have not read Red Notice, you should do so before you read this book. Spoiler alert:  if you have not read it but plan to, stop reading this now!

Browder set up a investment company in Russia which made millions. Putin stole the company and 230 million dollars, accused Browder of stealing that very same money, threw Browder's lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in jail, and tortured him to death.  Browder created the Magnitsky Act to punish Russia and has made it his life's work. Putin wants him dead.

The book  reads like a Hitchcock movie script (think The Man Who Knew too Much, or North by Northwest). The innocent victim (Browder) goes to a lawyer to get help fight to the Russians. The lawyer's name is John Moscow (really!). He digs into Browder's case and helps him. But months later, he was working for Putin! John Moscow used his inside knowledge to harass Browder in an attempt to get him onto Russian soil. This is against all legal tenets but it took many court appearances to get the western courts to eject  Moscow from the case.  One lesson of this story is that the law, designed to protect the innocent, can be turned into a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Moscow is a perfect example of what everyone hates: a crooked lawyer.

The story goes on, at times almost comically, in its cloak and dagger clichés. The clichés turn out to be real. Another minor observation: the Russians (i.e. Putin) like to poison people, but they are really not very good at it. Quite a few have survived being poisoned, including a player in this story. Putin should stick to straight up assassinations, like Boris Nemtsov who was shot eight times right outside the Kremlin. A mystery truck had pulled up and stopped, blocking the surveillance camera's view. That story also figures in this James Bond plot.

The original 232 million dollars had exploded into 232 billion, much of which went through Danske Bank. As a person of Danish descent, this was disturbing to me, but the Danes wasted no time in busting the bad guys when this crime came to light.

I have nothing but admiration for Browder. He leads the life of a fugitive while fighting for a just cause. 

The madness of Putin does not stop with Bill Browder. Now he is waging a war he cannot win in Ukraine.

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