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Author’s Note
My mother, who passed away in 2015 and who was a voracious reader, had a strange quirk
when it came to books. She began every book by reading the last page first, then returning to
the beginning. Every novel, for her, began at the end.
I tell this story because, for this book, I have decided to place the beginning—traditionally the
preface, in which the author explains how the book was made—at the end.
In the “Notes on Reporting” I explain how I reported and wrote the pages you are about to read,
detailing the millions of words and research, photos and videos, thousands of hours of reporting
(including research from the incredible reporters Josh Bearman and Joshua Davis) that went into the
creation of this book, and in doing so, I give away how the story ends. I hope reading about the
reportage won’t ruin this epic tale for you, but it seems unnecessary to explain how a structure was
built before you’ve had a chance to wander through its halls.
In the book, you will see quoted conversations between the Silk Road leader and employees of
the site. These are verbatim chats. With the exception of illegible typos, any spelling errors or
peculiarities in the text have been left as is to preserve the authenticity of the conversations.
With that, I promise all will be revealed at the end. It always is.