American Kingpin

The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road

In 2011, a young programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the Silk Road, an illicit marketplace operating on the dark web. The platform allowed users to anonymously trade contraband including narcotics, hacking tools, and forged documents away from government oversight. The website quickly grew into a massive economic enterprise, drawing intense scrutiny from federal law enforcement agencies. This true crime narrative details the multiyear investigation and international manhunt led by federal agents to track down the elusive mastermind.

by Nick Bilton

Portfolio/Penguin · First published 2017 · 329 pages