"The FBI was ready to take down America's most politically powerful corporation. But there was one thing they didn't count on."

So reads the cover of this high-powered true crime story, an accurate teaser to a bizarre financial scandal with more plot twists than a John Grisham novel. In 1992 the FBI stumbled upon Mark Whitacre, a top executive at the Archer Daniels Midland corporation who was willing to act as a government witness to a vast international price-fixing conspiracy. ADM, which advertises itself as "The Supermarket to the World," processes grains and other farm staples into oils, flours, and fibers for products that fill America's shelves, from Jell-O pudding to StarKist tuna. The company's chairman and chief executive, Dwayne Andreas, was so influential that he introduced Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, and it was his maneuvering that ensured that high fructose corn syrup would replace sugar in most foods (ever wondered why Coke and Pepsi don't taste quite like they used to?). There were two mottoes at ADM: "The competitors are our friends, and the customers are our enemies" and "We know when we're lying." And lie they did. With the help of Whitacre, the FBI made hundreds of tapes and videos of ADM executives making price-fixing deals with their corrivals from Japan, Korea, and Canada, all while drinking coffee and laughing about their crimes. The tapes should have cinched the case, but there was one problem: Their star witness was manipulative, deceitful, and unstable. Nothing was as it seemed, and the investigation into one of the most astounding white-collar crime cases in history had only just begun.

BRILLIANT INDEED

Simply one of the greatest non-fiction writings ever. I absolutely tore through this book. Eichenwald puts you in the middle of the tension and chaos, as cliche as that may sound. How someone can do all that research and form it all into a book as brilliant as "The Informant" is beyond my wisdom. Immediate purchase, in my opinion, if you've yet to read it.

Reads Like A Fictional Thriller

I know what you're thinking: How good can a book about the antitrust laws really be? I mean, I've been an antitrust lawyer for over 10 years, and my mother still doesn't know what the antitrust laws really are. Sure, many people have heard the term "antitrust," mostly as it relates to Microsoft. But who really knows what it means? And why would the average person want to read about it? This isn't school, after all.

But this book isn't about the antitrust laws. It's a story about people breaking the law. There are good guys, and there are bad guys. THAT story everyone can relate to and understand. You don't need to know what the antitrust laws are to follow what's going on. And Eichenwald does an excellent job of avoiding too much discussion about the antitrust laws.

The book reads like a John Grisham novel as it follows the FBI through the maze of evidence. My wife, who doesn't follow the antitrust laws at all, found the story as engaging as I did. It'll suck you in from page 1, and I highly recommend the book if you enjoy fictional thrillers. My only criticism of the book is that it is about 100 pages too long. Towards the end, Eichenwald has a tendency to draw things out too far. But it's a small criticism for an otherwise wonderful book.

Comment on The Lamet Vov Review

I have not read the book and am commenting on The Lamet Vov's review.

The Lamet Vov criticizes this book. One of his claims is that there is no Interstate 36 in Illinois. Well there is a route 36 on my Rand McNalleys.

Seems like a small error to me.