Started reading today Cory Doctorow’s Red Team Blues. This is a thrilling novel centered on the subject of cryptocurrency fraud that offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the inner workings of the world. Meet Martin Hench, a successful 67-year-old who has spent his career in Silicon Valley. He is unmarried and lives in a luxurious touring bus named The Unsalted Hash, which he purchased years ago from a fading rock star. Martin is a self-employed forensic accountant who specializes in uncovering hidden assets, a skill he has acquired through his experience fighting against individuals and organizations attempting to conceal money. He has an intimate knowledge of computer hardware and software, including high-end databases and complex spreadsheets that are designed to obscure rather than reveal financial information. Martin is adept at social media and has a world-class understanding of the complex money-laundering and shell-company tactics used by international drug gangs, Fortune 500 companies, and mid-divorce billionaires. He is also an expert in the Valley’s inner workings, knowing the secret histories of charismatic company founders and Sand Hill Road VCs, having been there from the beginning. Although he is not well-known to the public, he is highly regarded by those who matter, having pleased some of the world’s most influential individuals while also receiving significant compensation. However, he has now been pulled into a perilous situation, more dangerous than anything he has previously faced, and surviving it will require all of his skills.
