Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

Galeotti (Institute of International Relations, Prague) has produced a well-written history of Russian organized criminals from the 18th century to the present. From the Soviet Gulag labor camps that developed criminal subcultures to the present day of Putin, in which "gangsterism on the streets has given way to kleptocracy in the state," Galeotti explains how the values and practices of the Vory (as Russian organized crime became known in early 20th century) have become mainstreamed in an "interpenetration of organized crime, business, and politics." Using many interesting case examples of crime figures and interviews conducted in Russia, Galeotti demonstrates the difficulty in distinguishing a legitimate businessperson and a "gangster-entrepreneur" in Russia. Though Russian organized crime is not highly organized, the modern Russian state has absorbed the criminal underworld and uses it to carry out its will. A fascinating look at the complete blurring of the distinctions among organized crime, corruption, politics, and the rule of law in which they all use each other for personal gain, resulting in the state's becoming "the biggest gang in town." Puts recent work on Putin's Russia (Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? CH, Jun'15, 52-5562) into an organized crime context. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Jay S. Albanese, Virginia Commonwealth University