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1-Page Summary of Red Notice

Overall Summary

When the book Red Notice begins, Bill Browder is a naive investor. He has no idea how corrupt Russia’s political system is and that he’ll be used by them for their own gain. However, as time goes on, he realizes what happens to those who stand up against powerful Russian officials and tries his best to get justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

The book begins with the author’s early life, including his grandfather who ran for president and his father and brothers who were mathematicians. He is a rebel who goes against his family by becoming an investor in emerging markets. After obtaining a Stanford MBA, he works at major investment banks such as Goldman Sachs where he travels to Poland to try to save a bus manufacturer that ultimately fails.

In this chapter, Browder writes about how he created his investment fund. He made a lot of money in Russian companies that were privatized for cheap prices. In order to make these deals happen, he had to deal with oligarchs who would bribe and extort people in order to get their way.

Bill Browder resists the oligarch’s attempts to ruin his fund and files complaints. For a time, this pleases Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, who can use the help as he tries to corral the newly-powerful oligarchs. However, soon Browder’s usefulness evaporates because of his whistleblowing. His company suffers losses and he is expelled from Russia.

After a while, things get worse. In the next chapters, Browder talks about Russian agents raiding his team’s Moscow offices and threatening members of his team who manage to escape to the West. They also frame Browder for bogus crimes and arrest Magnitsky. He is tortured and murdered by these agents.

Bill Browder and his team were attacked in Russia. They moved to London, but the Russian government continued to harass them. Bill tried to get justice for what happened to his team by lobbying for a law that would punish those who had attacked his company, as well as those involved in Sergei Magnitsky’s death. He found out how difficult it was to pass legislation through Congress because of all the special interests involved with passing laws. The Magnitsky Act finally passed, but many criminals are still free and continue harassing Bill Browder from afar.

Chapter 1: “Persona Non Grata”

Bill Browder is an American who was born in the UK. He’s a citizen of both countries, but he works in Moscow as the founder and CEO of Hermitage Fund, which invests money for people interested in Russian businesses. His fund has been named one of the best funds ever by Forbes Magazine. However, this will come back to haunt him because it makes him a target for corrupt oligarchs looking to steal from their own countrymen.

Every two weeks, Browder flies to London to visit his son and goes home to his new wife. Elena is pregnant with their first child. He makes the trip from Moscow back in November 2005 but is detained at the airport upon arrival. He calls his security advisor, Ariel, who tries to help him without success.

Bill Browder thinks of a fellow Stanford MBA grad who refused to knuckle under the system in China and was thrown into prison. He wonders if he will be sent to a Russian prison, as well.

He is kept in a place without food or drink. The next day, he gets on an airplane and travels to London. He feels relieved when he arrives there because the Russians expelled him from his job and told him not to come back.

Chapter 2: “How Do You Rebel Against a Family of Communists?”

The author writes, “This guy became the largest foreign investor in Russia. It’s a long story.”