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52 reviews for:
The Darkest Web: Drugs, Death and Destroyed Lives . . . the Inside Story of the Internet's Evil Twin
Eileen Ormsby
4.0 AVERAGE
52 reviews for:
The Darkest Web: Drugs, Death and Destroyed Lives . . . the Inside Story of the Internet's Evil Twin
Eileen Ormsby
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment
Read for the Problem Facing Society Today prompt of the 2018 Popsugar Challenge.
O M G I loved this book so much. Who isn't fascinated by crime and drugs and the seedy underbelly of the internet? (Seriously, is there anyone?) This book was as addictive as anything you could buy off the Silk Road - I could not put it down!
The author intersperses the facts with her own personal experiences on the dark web and anecdotes of her travels and interviews with major players in the dark web world. These side stories were so interesting and the author's way of writing is totally engaging - I absolutely had to know what happened next!
Section I, Dark, discusses the rise and fall of the Silk Road marketplace and other places to buy drugs online. It was very interesting and Ormsby was very well-integrated into that scene so she knew personally many of the major players involved in the operation. Her travels take her to Thailand and beyond to meet with some of these people (or attend their trials).
Section II, Darker, covered the murky territory or murder-for-hire sites on the dark web. The author maintains in the beginning of the chapter that she has never believed any of these sites to be legitimate. She writes about her and another journalist, Chris Monteiro's experience with the most prolific of these sites and all that that entails - this was really fascinating!
Section III, Darkest, was pretty brutal to get through. It describes the worst part of the dark web, the hidden havens for child predators and all that goes along with that. Ormsby walks the fine line between getting you to fully comprehend how sick and horrific these people are without being so graphic that its just a shock read. She talks about the trials of some big names in the 'hurtcore' part of the dark web. It was tough to get through, but it was still worth reading - monsters are real.
My only issue with this book is A: that it's hard to get. I had to order it from Australia and that was the only way to get it, no e-book or Amazon ordering, so I had to wait f o r e v e r for it to show up, and B: some of the kerning is way off on the text. On some pages it is so bad that it looks like the line is all one huge run-on word - surely there could be some other adjustment of text versus cramming it together like that. Pet peeve.
O M G I loved this book so much. Who isn't fascinated by crime and drugs and the seedy underbelly of the internet? (Seriously, is there anyone?) This book was as addictive as anything you could buy off the Silk Road - I could not put it down!
The author intersperses the facts with her own personal experiences on the dark web and anecdotes of her travels and interviews with major players in the dark web world. These side stories were so interesting and the author's way of writing is totally engaging - I absolutely had to know what happened next!
Section I, Dark, discusses the rise and fall of the Silk Road marketplace and other places to buy drugs online. It was very interesting and Ormsby was very well-integrated into that scene so she knew personally many of the major players involved in the operation. Her travels take her to Thailand and beyond to meet with some of these people (or attend their trials).
Section II, Darker, covered the murky territory or murder-for-hire sites on the dark web. The author maintains in the beginning of the chapter that she has never believed any of these sites to be legitimate. She writes about her and another journalist, Chris Monteiro's experience with the most prolific of these sites and all that that entails - this was really fascinating!
Section III, Darkest, was pretty brutal to get through. It describes the worst part of the dark web, the hidden havens for child predators and all that goes along with that. Ormsby walks the fine line between getting you to fully comprehend how sick and horrific these people are without being so graphic that its just a shock read. She talks about the trials of some big names in the 'hurtcore' part of the dark web. It was tough to get through, but it was still worth reading - monsters are real.
My only issue with this book is A: that it's hard to get. I had to order it from Australia and that was the only way to get it, no e-book or Amazon ordering, so I had to wait f o r e v e r for it to show up, and B: some of the kerning is way off on the text. On some pages it is so bad that it looks like the line is all one huge run-on word - surely there could be some other adjustment of text versus cramming it together like that. Pet peeve.
fast-paced
Really loved this book as it is something new and quite dangerous to write about! An in-depth look at the dark web from the perspective of a journalist who spends her time trying to take down these websites was invaluable. I would highly recommend this book to people interested in the dark web and the catching of criminals through cyber security.
This novel was set into three parts: Dark, Darker and Darkest.
Dark.
This part of the book was really interesting and a great starting point. I loved hearing about the drug trade and the slow descent into evil of the owner. Who goes from making a website for weed selling to suddenly hiring hitmen? While it started off with good intentions, discussing the Silk Road and the drug trade that occurred, it began to hit dull notes when discussing small details of what happened to the men and women after they were caught. This chapter could have easily been cut in half to maintain interest. But altogether, it was very interesting and I could see how much the author actually began to care for these people and I could see some of her personal opinions leaking through - which I loved!
Darker.
This chapter was when everything became very interesting. Focusing on the case study of the Allwine murder, we get a look at the types of people looking to hire hitmen online. It was sort of comforting to know that these hitmen sites aren't real (at least not the ones the author looked into) and it was interesting to see the types of messages that were passed between the owner and potential buyers.
The whole case was fascinating and had me looking into further research - which is when I realised something was missing. When doing a case study like this, would you not use images? A picture of the family house, a picture of the Besa Mafia website, or even a picture of the murderer or victim? It was difficult to imagine when a lack of detail was received. Perhaps this book could do with some gloss pages with images or even just printed in black and white amongst the words? Even if it was a recreation of the website main page or emails that were sent between people. BUT, I understand this would be difficult to maintain when it came to the next section so maybe some gloss pages in the middle with some photos of Silk Road and such? I know the author got photos with some of the men.
I feel like this was the most complete section of this book. The story of all of these people were over and nothing more could be added and I didn't end up with a whole heap of questions.
Darkest.
I enjoyed (if that's the right word to use) this section the most. The darkness on this side of the 'internet' is scary to think about and how quickly something created for the US military is turned into the hunting ground for paedophiles. It's disgusting and shows what kind of opportunists these creeps are.
Lux was definitely the best part of this chapter. To learn that he was from my country and doing such depraved things when he's only a couple years older than me is terrifying. He was running an empire at such a young age - to the point where the police didn't even consider him!
This was the juiciest part of the book - where we got into the real gritty sides of the dark web. I was severely disappointed in the size of this chapter. When writing about something as dark as paedophilia on the dark web, you can't shy away from the topic. The parts she did add made me angry though. Reading about what they thought about children, the aiding in creating monstrous videos and hearing about 'Daisy's Destruction' had me furious. Then, of course, to hear Lux would still be young when he got out of jail had my blood boiling. It really makes me think our system is failing our children when I read things like this.
It also seemed to me like the author had purposely separated herself from what she was writing - as if it were all things she had heard of and was writing as if she'd only seen a secondary source. Obviously she would not look and watch the images and video on these sorts of websites (that's completely understandable) but she went so in-depth with a family halfway across the world in 'Darker' while she has people like Lux sitting on her doorstep seemed a tad of an oversight. How did they catch Lux? Who were the detectives looking into it? What did they have to deal with? What do the lawyers working with him think?
I ended up with more questions than answers, so if that's a hint at a sequel I am there!!
I really enjoyed this book and I thought the author had guts to write about a topic that could be quite dangerous for her. Just revealing 'Besa Mafia' as a fraud had her hit with death and rape threats. Publishing a book on all of this? It seems very dangerous and I really think the author is amazing for doing that.
I found this book left me with too many questions, as if a lot of these stories were not even close to finished. Maybe the author will go back and write more about people like Lux and Scully as more is revealed? Maybe she'll interview Lux and write a novel about him? (I would read that!)
I also would have liked to have heard more about the guy who was arrested for 'Besa Mafia' when he was catching predators online. What happened to him??
This novel was set into three parts: Dark, Darker and Darkest.
Dark.
This part of the book was really interesting and a great starting point. I loved hearing about the drug trade and the slow descent into evil of the owner. Who goes from making a website for weed selling to suddenly hiring hitmen? While it started off with good intentions, discussing the Silk Road and the drug trade that occurred, it began to hit dull notes when discussing small details of what happened to the men and women after they were caught. This chapter could have easily been cut in half to maintain interest. But altogether, it was very interesting and I could see how much the author actually began to care for these people and I could see some of her personal opinions leaking through - which I loved!
Darker.
This chapter was when everything became very interesting. Focusing on the case study of the Allwine murder, we get a look at the types of people looking to hire hitmen online. It was sort of comforting to know that these hitmen sites aren't real (at least not the ones the author looked into) and it was interesting to see the types of messages that were passed between the owner and potential buyers.
The whole case was fascinating and had me looking into further research - which is when I realised something was missing. When doing a case study like this, would you not use images? A picture of the family house, a picture of the Besa Mafia website, or even a picture of the murderer or victim? It was difficult to imagine when a lack of detail was received. Perhaps this book could do with some gloss pages with images or even just printed in black and white amongst the words? Even if it was a recreation of the website main page or emails that were sent between people. BUT, I understand this would be difficult to maintain when it came to the next section so maybe some gloss pages in the middle with some photos of Silk Road and such? I know the author got photos with some of the men.
I feel like this was the most complete section of this book. The story of all of these people were over and nothing more could be added and I didn't end up with a whole heap of questions.
Darkest.
I enjoyed (if that's the right word to use) this section the most. The darkness on this side of the 'internet' is scary to think about and how quickly something created for the US military is turned into the hunting ground for paedophiles. It's disgusting and shows what kind of opportunists these creeps are.
Lux was definitely the best part of this chapter. To learn that he was from my country and doing such depraved things when he's only a couple years older than me is terrifying. He was running an empire at such a young age - to the point where the police didn't even consider him!
This was the juiciest part of the book - where we got into the real gritty sides of the dark web. I was severely disappointed in the size of this chapter. When writing about something as dark as paedophilia on the dark web, you can't shy away from the topic. The parts she did add made me angry though. Reading about what they thought about children, the aiding in creating monstrous videos and hearing about 'Daisy's Destruction' had me furious. Then, of course, to hear Lux would still be young when he got out of jail had my blood boiling. It really makes me think our system is failing our children when I read things like this.
It also seemed to me like the author had purposely separated herself from what she was writing - as if it were all things she had heard of and was writing as if she'd only seen a secondary source. Obviously she would not look and watch the images and video on these sorts of websites (that's completely understandable) but she went so in-depth with a family halfway across the world in 'Darker' while she has people like Lux sitting on her doorstep seemed a tad of an oversight. How did they catch Lux? Who were the detectives looking into it? What did they have to deal with? What do the lawyers working with him think?
I ended up with more questions than answers, so if that's a hint at a sequel I am there!!
I really enjoyed this book and I thought the author had guts to write about a topic that could be quite dangerous for her. Just revealing 'Besa Mafia' as a fraud had her hit with death and rape threats. Publishing a book on all of this? It seems very dangerous and I really think the author is amazing for doing that.
I found this book left me with too many questions, as if a lot of these stories were not even close to finished. Maybe the author will go back and write more about people like Lux and Scully as more is revealed? Maybe she'll interview Lux and write a novel about him? (I would read that!)
I also would have liked to have heard more about the guy who was arrested for 'Besa Mafia' when he was catching predators online. What happened to him??
It was horrible and I loved it.
I've been fascinated by the deep web for a while, but too scared to download encrypted browsers or search up anything questionable, so I'm grateful that the author essentially gave up her social identity to do this valuable research.
It is excellently written, with a journalist's eye for detail.
The frequent switching between codenames and legal names was confusing at times, so it would have been great to have had an appendix to refer to.
I've been fascinated by the deep web for a while, but too scared to download encrypted browsers or search up anything questionable, so I'm grateful that the author essentially gave up her social identity to do this valuable research.
It is excellently written, with a journalist's eye for detail.
The frequent switching between codenames and legal names was confusing at times, so it would have been great to have had an appendix to refer to.
A very interesting read. The first section I was aware of through the media, the second section a bit of an eye opener of which I had seen rumours of in the media, and the third section repulsed me and I have a hard time comprehending how people like the ones here live with themselves
dark
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
This book is very heavy, but also very informative. Be conscious of your mental health when going into this book.
The fact that so much of our lives is played out online provides an interesting challenge for writers: how do you make a text engaging when many key events involved someone typing onto their computer and/or accessing websites? It's not exactly a captivating image. But this book is super-engaging, Eileen Ormsby has found a way for the virtual to be rendered undoubtedly real and compelling.
The book focuses on some very dark stories from the dark web (sorted into dark, darker, and darkest, and given that 'dark' involves kill for hire schemes and the workings of an online drug empire, you better believe that the stuff discussed in both 'darker' and 'darkest' are truly dark). It's an impressive book: the amount of work that would have been involved in researching these stories and fashioning them into clear narratives is astounding. Plus, it's important ground to cover. Not many people know about the workings of the dark web, but given its applications in all kinds of crime, we probably should be better informed.
The book focuses on some very dark stories from the dark web (sorted into dark, darker, and darkest, and given that 'dark' involves kill for hire schemes and the workings of an online drug empire, you better believe that the stuff discussed in both 'darker' and 'darkest' are truly dark). It's an impressive book: the amount of work that would have been involved in researching these stories and fashioning them into clear narratives is astounding. Plus, it's important ground to cover. Not many people know about the workings of the dark web, but given its applications in all kinds of crime, we probably should be better informed.
I've got a fairly strong stomach. Living in the outback means I've hit kangaroos whilst driving and had to euthanise them rather than let them suffer.
I'll also admit I read this book mainly for ideas for my own fiction.
It was well written, expertly researched and told in a story-like narrative.
However, I'm still in shock after reading the final 'Darkest' chapter of this book.
I don't want to write about it.
It's simply too distressing.
I'll also admit I read this book mainly for ideas for my own fiction.
It was well written, expertly researched and told in a story-like narrative.
However, I'm still in shock after reading the final 'Darkest' chapter of this book.
I don't want to write about it.
It's simply too distressing.
dark
informative
medium-paced
We will be streaming this astounding event via the TOR network with our high capacity servers at 1080p, which is the minimum screen resolution required to fully appreciate death and dying.
Eileen Ormsby is a crime journalist and dark web expert who has written about true crime for many years now. The Darkest Web introduces three prominent aspects of crime on the dark web and thoroughly chronicles some significant events in each of the three chapters.
The subject matter gets more harrowing with each of those chapters.
The book begins with the story of the infamous Silk Road born out of a novel goal to build a safe space for recreational drug use as an alternative to shady dealers in the park after midnight and the page's eventual downfall. The second chapter uncovers the rumors of murder-for-hire sites on the dark web and tells the story of the notorious scam project, the Besa Mafia, while not leaving out the terrible casualties caused on the sidelines.
Both of these chapters deliver very engaging twists and turns in these real-life cases full of interesting people, backstabbing left and right, skewed morals, and misguided ideals. Even better that the author herself has immediate interactions with many of the people involved and can deliver various in-depth points of view on the respective situations.
Some moments are even humorous when self-righteous criminals send hilariously pompous message board posts or a whole organization goes down the drain because of a ridiculous detail. But it never takes away from the bitterness of the real loss of life due to awful people doing awful things in the midst of all this cyber crime.
It's been an incredibly engaging read and I enjoyed every page of it.
Then there is the third and final chapter, the darkest of the book pointing at the most depraved part of true crime organized through the dark web. Fittingly, this chapter has the most down-to-earth and serious tone. While the other two chapters had moments of entertainment and spectacle, this chapter is a purely educational warning and it's not for the faint of heart. The text is graphic as it deals with "snuff films" and organized child abuse, to put it in the vaguest way possible.
Again, Ormsby picks a notorious case to educate about an infamous aspect of the dark web and chronicles it with clear structure and insight. It is undoubtedly hard to read but the book doesn't dwell on it more than it has to and manages to clear up some misconceptions as well as include the aftermath and conviction of these crimes.
If you are into cyber crime, I highly recommend the two first chapters of the book as they are very thorough and well-written accounts of two incredibly interesting and somewhat infamous stories on the dark web. Though I'd only recommend venturing into the final chapter if you are sure you want to or can handle the retelling of truly depraved crimes. (See content warnings.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug use, Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide
Most content warnings regard the final chapter of the book.