Rating: 
Summary: Half-Whitacre
Review: Ever wonder why your groceries are so expensive? "The Informant" provides a partial answer. Eichenwald has written a brick of a book: 566 pages recounting the FBI's investigation of the price-fixing schemes of agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland from 1991 to 1998, and the petty turf wars amongst various Department of Justice beaurocrats that almost allowed ADM to get away with it. The tale is as tall and labyrinthine as any Grisham novel, and Eichenwald makes no secret of shaping his narrative to fit expectations. "Spellbinding", "page turner", "riveting" are terms that appear on far too may mediocre fictional legal potboilers, but such accolades are well-deserved here. The book features a cast of thousands, but the star of the show is Mark Whitacre, the FBI's sole cooperating witness in the case. A former rising star at ADM, Whitacre successfully captured his bosses red-handed on tape, conspiring against the public to artificially inflate the prices of food additives and reaping hundreds of million dollars in illegal profits. Though he clearly fancied himself a James Bond or Mitch McDeere, Whitacre fits the mold of Inspector Clouseau, an overconfident bumbler who did practically every thing possible during the investigation to ruin it entirely. To reveal more would be to spoil the story; suffice it to say that he made enemies not only of his erstwhile colleagues at ADM, but of his FBI handlers, his lawyers, and a good number of his friends. So involving is the tale that, by the end of the book, you may want to wring Whitacre's neck yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding, Heart-Pounding, and Outstanding
Review: The Informant is one the best pieces of non-fiction I may have ever read. If you would have handed me this book and said it's about corporate price-fixing of lysine I would have said no thanks. It's reads like a thriller. This is better than anything Grisham could ever write on even his best day. The research is exhaustive, thorough, and relevant. The pace of the book is incredibly quick, and the plot twists and turns so much that it literally leaves you breathless. Highly recommended. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging page turner
Review: For those who enjoy "true crime" this book is a must read. Over more than 500 pages, Kurt Eichenwald walks the reader through the tangled web of a complex federal criminal investigation. Few actors in this drama, whether FBI, DOJ, the leaders at Archer-Daniels-Midland, or their competitors come out looking particularly good. While the ADM executives are largely portrayed as venal, self protective, and arrogant (no real surprise), the turf battles and inter-agency warfare conducted among the elements of Justice are sad to read. The main character, ADM executive Mark Whitacre's shenanagins will exhaust all but the most patient readers, though one can only come away with some level of frustration at the end result, where ADM executives, who Whitacre captures on type in obvious price fixing collusion, walk away with largely financial, as opposed to penal sentences. In addition, the tireless efforts of the agents assigned to the case get lost in the shuffle when the lawyers take over and immediately undermine and second guess the investigative techniques engaged in by the FBI.
Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: I was unable to put this book down. At first you feel sorry for the informant but as you read on, he seems to really make you mad. At times you wondered how a person like this could be a CEO of such a company, actually any company at all. He also made you upset at almost ruining the FBI's only chance at justice.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, But Awfully Long
Review: I was amazed at the amount of research that Mr. Eichenwald completed so that he could tell this interesting story of greed and deception. From the lead character of Mark Whitacre to the political bickering among the various governmental entities, I was constantly amazed at the behavior of the players, which reinforces that truth is often stranger than fiction. In the long run, I felt sorry for every single person involved in the ADM investigation and prosecution. It seemed as though no one really won and no one really lost, except for perhaps the justice system, which takes another hit by not being able to follow through on enforcement of civil laws designed to protect competition.
Rating:
Summary: must read for business students!
Review: This is one of the most fascinating books that I've ever read. I won't summarize and/or make comments about the events that occured in the book, since others have already done so prior to my review.
Though the story is excellent and well written, however, I am giving it only 4 stars, instead of 5, because, when I flipped through the entire book hoping to find some photos of Mark Whitacre, as well as other's, there weren't any photo inserts. I think at least a photo of Mark would make this true story even more telling.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Story Reads Like a Novel
Review: Proving once again that truth is stranger than fiction, and much more interesting in many cases, Kurt Eichenwald writes a riveting account of corporate deceit which compels the reader to continue turning the pages. Fiction writers could take a lesson as plot twists permeate the story. Throughout the book, this reader attempted to determine who was more guilty: the corporation or the corporate executive. This book tells the story of a corporate environment in which illegal activities were not only accepted at the highest levels but were encouraged. Almost as interesting is the lesson of how difficult it is for the government to put a case together especially one that appeared to be served right up to the FBI. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: Truth IS stranger than fiction
Review: My God this was a great book. I could not put it down. The plot turns and characters made it read like a Scott Turow thriller, but it was all true. It is scary both how callous the leaders of one of the world's leading corporations (and the source of a huge amount of our daily food) are capable of acting, as well as how stupid people in positions of power are capable of being. Scary. Not surprising, though.
Rating:
Summary: Fact that reads like the best fiction
Review: The best read this year! The author did a fantastic job of writing the events chronologically and in a very readable format. I was constantly amazed by the flow of the story and the overwhelming task of presenting so much information from so many sources. This true chronical reads like a Robert Ludnum novel. Really opened my eyes. Another example of "Truth is stranger than fiction". Whew !!!
Rating:
Summary: The Firm Meets Civil Action
Review: Jonathan Harr, who wrote A Civil Action, wrote of this book, "I guarantee it'll keep you reading late into the night." Well, he was right. I stayed up several nights to finish this - dead tired but too engrossed to put it down. If you like the complexity of a corporate legal case (a la A Civil Action), and you also enjoy the thrill of criminal plot twists and illegal scheming (a la The Firm), you, too, will be up late. Almost immediately such a reader will reach the can't-put-it-down stage. Added to the fun of the read is the odd awareness that this is real - these are real people involved in real corporate crimes and real political influence. The treatment of law enforcement, the corporate principals, the lawyers, and the secondary players, was refreshingly objective. One never gets the sense that Eichenwald has some skewed perspective (this is in contrast to A Civil Action, where the author had developed the story while tagging along with the plaintiffs' attorneys). This book involves key players at every level of the FBI - including Louis Freeh, and the Justice Department, and A.D.M., without the pain of unneeded blather; all are part of the game, and it's worth getting to know them. The only awkward moment comes very late in the book, when the author actually becomes involved a bit in the story. But the convention may have been unavoidable given the circumstances, so it is only a bit of a bump. Arguably, some of the details may have been left out. But in defense of the author - this is not some fiction piece where every detail is forced to fit perfectly to some final climax. The detail is worth it here, and does not detract from the story in the least. Oftern critics insist that this or that book is a "page-turner." Well, for me, this time the tag really fits. This is also the stuff of a fine movie, which surely will follow.
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