The Informant: A True Story

Terrific story...Feels like it's happening as you read but the backdrop of history adds to it's
appeal. I also gained a new appreciation of how the FBI operates and the challenges outside as well as within the beaurocracy that their agents face on a daily basis.

You have to admire Kurt Eichenwald for keeping all his plates twirling as this was a complex story to tell with multiple characters from a variety of companies and government agencies. You have to beware of books that have a list of the players at the beginning, but the author does manage to keep the reader following along. It is a testament to Eichenwald's writing that the many twists and turns of the story do not diminish the reader's interest. If you want an inside look at how the FBI develops and uses its informants and how corporations can manipulate the market to maximize profits, this is the book for you. It would make a great companion story to 'Barbarians at the Gate," another great corporate story, as some of the same players in that story can be found in this one too. Non-fiction has never been better with these tales.

I read such great reviews about this book and frankly it bored me to death. I plowed through it because I kept hoping it would have a great finish but it was a lot of the same stuff over and over. Last 125 pages were the best part.

I loved this book. It read. like a conspiracy with twists and turns so strange and unusual that kept me guessing. The plot would be unacceptable in a fiction book. Only truth could be so amazing. Like a delicious mystery the ending was unexpected. In addition I learned about some of the byproducts of corn. I learned about licene somethIng I had never heard of before. A simple product that affects the everyday life of every American.
International trading and competition opened up and revealed how a business could compete on an international level and is so fascinating to us average people. I applaud the author for the undertaking of such an involved and complicated and time intensive tale. Patricia Springer

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This book disappointed me. Given the subject matter and the credentials of the author, it seemed as if it couldn't be less than fascinating. But somehow Eichenwald drowned the story in so many small details that the actual narrative got bogged down. Thorough, yes, but interesting ... not so much, unless the reader is particularly interested in the individuals and/or companies at issue.

After viewing the movie by the same name, my curiosity was piqued. The printed version is over 600 pages, but once you start reading this hard-to-believe-it-but-it's true account of corporate greed, you'll have a hard time stopping. I found the whole sordid mess mesmerizing. I strongly recommend it.

This was an interesting read, although I about gave up during the first third with a tedious telling of the recordings of price fixing. It picks up after with the protagonist, the company, the justice dept. bouncing all over the place. In the end I am disgusted with everybody. What a bunch of self centered idiots. The government, the company, and most of all the so called informant. Disgusting is all I can think to describe everybody here, the defense lawyer Epstein exempted, nobody else I can remember. A description of capitalism, government, and greed gone amuck.

Although not a recent book, with perhaps many knowing of the lies, scams and fraud with which huge companies engage, this true story will get your attention. Although there are many characters to follow which may be confusing at times, the expose of ADM is frightening. Eichenwald does a superb job of capturing the bizarre persona of the main character while unfolding the duplicity of corporations as well as the FBI and CIA.

This book reads like a great piece of fiction. If it weren't true, you would think that the author is just going too far fetched with his story. The twists and turns keep you totally engaged and not wanting to put it down. Kurt Eichenwald does a brilliant job of story telling which makes this unbelievable story even more compelling. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It definitely will not disappoint!!

I remember seeing the headlines when this was happening and it was fascinating to read the behind-the-scenes. I never knew how hard it is for agents to get their jobs done. Only reason it's not 5-star is because it was a tad dry in parts and there were times I was confused as to who were the prosecutors vs defense atty's. What was really fun is I watched the movie right after I finished reading the book.

The information and history you can learn in this book is incredible.If you really want to know
what is going on in this world today read not only this book but every one of Mr.Eichenwalds books
so well written it flows in tour mind so easily and must of all what you can learn in
his books. Is not a novel is history in the form of novel

Simply overwhelming. You need a scorecard to keep up. The mountains of evidence is amazing. The government's ability to prosecute the crimes even with snafus and egos in the way is impressive. However Eichenwald's ability to meld this into a book that makes sense and which compels the reader to continue is awe inspiring. Kudos to him for a work very well done!

Pretty good read. A very interesting story with lots of twists and turns. Better than the movie with Matt Damon. My only complaint is that Eichenwald adds detail and color that is clearly fictional enhancement. The story could be told without adding lines like "he said it with a blank expression on his face" or "she became concerned over his reaction". There is no way that detail like that would be reported by the participants to a journalist several years after the events.

It's difficult to fully appreciate the work Kurt Eichenwald did to write "The Informant: A True Story" until you glance at the listing of the cast of characters. He based the book on more than 800 hours of interviews with about 100 sources as well as digesting thousands of confidential records as well as transcripts of FBI recordings. As a former reporter, I can remember some of the time-consuming investigations I conducted on a much smaller scale. Eichenwald's devotion to accuracy and completeness occasionally gets in the way of dramatic story telling but that's the only way to tell such a complex story. I'm one reader who is grateful Eichenwald too the time to tell this story.
That being said, this book is not for everyone. If you prefer to have fast-paced action in the books you read and generally avoid complicated plots, avoid this story. However, if you enjoy delving into the background of a high-profile criminal case to learn how things really work at the FBI, the Justice Department and corporate America, this is the book for you.

Very good book. The story is engrossing and read like fiction. After reading this book, I have a better idea of why it is so hard to prosecute white collar crime. Once again it is who you know and who is your lawyer and how are they are connected to the politically powerful. Infighting between different government agencies results in confusion and delays.

Interesting book.. it was hard for me to follow. Lawyers, FBI agents, judges, HARD for me to keep track of. Like true stories so that is why I read this book. Not for me but others will probably enjoy...

Interesting book.. it was hard for me to follow. Lawyers, FBI agents, judges, HARD for me to keep track of. Like true stories so that is why I read this book. Not for me but others will probably enjoy...

Great piece of investigative reporting. The narrative is gripping. A page-turner! I enjoyed every minute of this read - from cover to cover. The author has a gift for relaying facts in a very riveting way. Great book!!!

If this story doesn't make you angry, nothing will. Were we ever a society based on moral/ethical business men and women? Does greed have any limits? Unfortunately, this book will cause you to ask these questions and more. Anyone who thinks this kind of stuff isn't going on in virtually every major corporation in this country is either ignorant or horribly naïve.

This is a truly great book which gives the reader a look inside human flaws and corporate crime. It is not a simple read, but it is worth the effort. Stay with it and you will be rewarded with the excitement of a detective story and the knowledge gained of a moral lesson learned. Then, look into the true later life of main character by Googling Mark Whitacre . Amazing!

Extremely good treatment of a very complex true-life story. Very well done. There are numerous characters, suggest keeping some notes. The story itself is truly remarkable, very compelling. Overall this is a great non-fiction read that includes mental illness, politics, and intriguing interpersonal relationships.

Tense and intense. The story is riveting and gives the reader an involvement that makes one say "Now why didn't I think of that?" Except in the end the perpetrator does get caught. His brain works over-time to keep the schemes clever and moving. I loved the FBI's role In the "We always get our man". and they did. Complications abound and sure makes the reader scramle to keep up. Loved it and will make mystery lovers enjoy the fast pace.

Midway through The Informant I found myself thinking if this was a novel I’d discard the premise as over convoluted and utterly unbelievable. Consider if you will, this case involves a well- known U.S. company cheerfully engaging in price fixing, indeed traveling to exotic locals to plan schedules for said price fixing. Additionally one of the central characters has mental issues that accelerate throughout the book and an odd fixation on John Grisham’s The Firm. Government officials are portrayed on a continuum from heroic to childishly petulant. The whole thing just seemed like an out of control legal thriller. Yet, these events and players were real.

Kurt Eichenwald’s The Informant follows the FBI’s investigation into and later successful prosecution of Archer Daniels Midland a Fortune 500 company for price fixing in the commodities markets. I was a fan of Eichenwald’s Conspiracy of Fools where he juggled the numerous players, illegal deeds and hubris that led to the Enron collapse. In Conspiracy Eichenwald did a great job balancing the players and the misdeeds committed, and how both led to the collapse of Enron. The Informant written four years before Conspiracy is to my mind a weaker effort. Certainly ADM with their motto; "The competitor is our friend and the customer is our enemy” seems rife for a juicy expose. Somehow though the saga gets bogged down in minutia... The book illustrates what ADM did wrong namely price fixing, fraud etc. but never provides an overriding sense of how the corporation got there. With Conspiracy, Eichenwald showed how executive decision making and greed led Enron over a cliff. However with The Informant he never quite provides the context of how a grain producing company became so corrupt.

In part I’d argue the weakness of the larger story is a result of Eichenwald’s near constant focus on Mark Whitacre. A high ranking executive at ADM, Whitacre later becomes a government informant who begins to manifest extreme mental health issues as events escalate. I can imagine how Whitacre was fascinating to follow and to some level to crack. He’s both a greedy manipulative liar and a needy people pleaser two qualities that seldom co-exist. However, I felt the focus on Whitacre became excessive and slowed the narrative of the story. At the very point when the story should be expanding and gaining momentum; Eichenwald increasingly narrows the story focusing more and more on Whiteacre’s misdeeds and the response of his handlers, and prosecutors to those deeds. The constant lies, delusions, omissions and schemes that become Whitace’s daily life just became excessive. The Informant begins to feel like a laundry list of Whitacre’s actions which drains the narrative.

Now to be fair the book is called the Informant so the focus should naturally fall on Whitacre. However, I just felt Eichenwald did not temper that focus or retell the story effectively. Other writers like Norman Mailer in the Executioner’s Song or Joe McGinniss in Fatal Vision were capable of taking deeply unreliable narrators and using them to effectively propel a story even as their misdeeds came to light. But somehow Whiteacre never quite fits. He’s too manipulative on one hand and sickly needy to really be the center of the story.

Despite this issue I would still recommend this book to those interested in learning more about international business, commodities and particularly the role of a government informant. Even as I tired of Mark Whitacre I could not stop reading about him and his strange, strange role in the unraveling of ADM’s power structure.

A very interesting read outlining the different directions psychopaths proceed through the corporate world. How money over ethics is king and and how hard our law enforcement officials work to bring a small slice if justice to the table to sop up a riverboat of corporate corruption and gravy greed.

I was kept interested throughout although it is a long, long story covering many avenues. I don't know how you could shorten it though because everything they talked about was relevant to the whole story. I would recommend it highly if you don't mind not getting to the end for a long, long time.

This book is about the 'price fixing' done by Archer, Daniels, Midland which was revealed by a top executive of the company. it's very readable--almost like a piece of fiction. It's a marvelous tale of an executive's dishonesty which fooled everybody until the end.

This was a very interesting book. It reads like a financial thriller novel.
Ups and downs throughout the book regarding the characters' actions
and situations keep you involved and interested for the entire book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.

Although the incidents portrayed in this fine account are dated, the description of corporate greed and the difficulties of prosecuting such crimes are just as relevant today. The author provides a novel's pace in this sad tale of the effects of mental illness, which continue to vex today's society in increasingly violent ways.

Interesting piece of corporate history, including corruption, political intrigue, and the deliberate grinding process of bringing criminals to justice. It got very repetitive, although I appreciate the author's dedication to telling the complete, if somewhat tedious, story.

Kurt Eichenwald compiles a vast amount of information collected on this true story of price-fixing. He provides insight into the challenges of working for the FBI, and, also, of the reality of how difficult it is to prosecute business crime.

I found this book impossible to put down costing me several nights sleep as I read late into the night. It is both an interesting look at the worst excesses of big business and at the same time a very revealing human tragedy.

I commend the author for taking a topic like antitrust law which would seem to be arcane and dry and making this true account into an incredible story on par with any of the Grisham novels.

For me, reading this account was like getting the rest of the story. I have met 3 of the ADM folks in this true account. Human nature and the way that it twists and turns was skillfully exposed. This was an excellent read. It was hard to put down at times.

Good insights into how corrupt some corporations are. Archer Daniels seems not to care about their customers and are only in business for the profits. Glad the FBI caught up with their criminal behaviors and put some of them on trial. However, I suspect it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Mr. Eichenwald has performed a miracle in literature being able to gather all the evidence and storyline for a most complex white collar crime. The depth of deceit and web of mind blowing lies is astounding. A fast read full of drama and sorrow.

This is quite a long story in incredible detail. I am quite amazed the author was able to piece together a very complicated story that is a quite unbelievable story of corporate greed and politics. I could hardly put it down. Great read.

Very good rendition of a long investigation. If you are in for this kind of a story, this one is well worth your money. Without spoiling the main story, the twists and turns by the main snitch are enough to keep one completely intrigued.

Mark Whitacre was initially depicted as a seemingly naive character's However, as the story unfolds, it's discovered he's a clever and witty individual. I recommend this thought provoking and easy read to be enjoyed on kindle books.

Really enjoyed this book. It's was hard getting through once I found out they made a movie with Matt Damon, I wanted the Coles' Notes version.
Only criticism, there were parts that weren't necessary and you could have really skipped over and not missed anything.

I really enjoyed The Informant. I, too, worked for one of the largest companies in North America. Even though we were frequently cautioned against doing anything that could be construed as illegal activity, it is interesting how executives play by a different set of rules. Also interesting how FBI and DOJ each seemed to be undermining the other's case. It reads more like a work of fiction. I like this type of historical novel anyway and Eichenwald is a very talented writer who made sense out of a bizarre set of circumstances.

Very interesting story of exactly what is happening everyday all around us. Fraud, deceit, greed totally out of control. All in the name of "good business". And it is True !!! Truth wins over Fiction this time around.

With the many characters and the multiple receipts and changed stories, this book could have been very challenging to get through. Kitchenware does a great job of keeping the story organized and moving with a solid pace and a clear direction. Very well done and so interesting.

This "informant" was not a well-balanced person, and if I had been the FBI-I would have given him the cold shoulder. But of course with liars, anything is possible for them think up and get away with. An interesting case-study for a psychologist.

How deeply greed runs in big business and government ! Ethical values are ignored in order to build up personal wealth no matter who gets hurt .And for what ? There are no pockets on burial shrouds !!

What a wonderful inside account of a corporate fraud that
no doubt goes on today in scores of companies and industries.
And sadly the book demonstrates the difficulty in proving and prosecuting such cases.