In the spring of 1990, some twenty men of different nationalities met for the first time in a massive hotel and leisure complex called The City Club on the outskirts of Vienna. The purpose of their meeting? They told hotel management that they were members of an organization called "The Italian Association" and that they were there to discuss how European countries could help South American countries develop their economies in Europe.

   It was the birth of 21st century crime, where gangs around the world first showed that they understood the first lesson of globalization --- form joint venture and strategic alliances.

   In The Merger, international crime expert and author of The Laundrymen, Jeffrey Robinson, uncovers the intricate network of connections between such infamous organized crime rings as the Sicilian Mafiosi, the Camorra from Naples, the N’drangheta from Calabria, the Chinese Triads, the Russian, Hungarian, and Czech Republic "maffiyas," and organized crime groups from Columbia, Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam- -just to name a few. In this meticulously researched book, Robinson pinpoints the factors that led to these global crime cartels - digital communication, world markets, the internet - and reveals how they have changed the face of crime forever.


   "Hard-boiled, manly talk... a useful source book for aspiring thriller writers."
-- The Guardian

   "Robinson is at his best, writing with the vividness of Mario Puzo and a touch of humor. He writes with verve, a keen sense of anecdote and an authoritative command of the facts.
-- Quill and Quire

   "A first-rate piece of reporting, a detailed, credible look at the main players within the multinational network of murderously greedy alliances that define the mob."
-- Globe and Mail




    "A shocking, true account of a global crime network of unimaginable proportions, in which multinational criminals make alliances much like legitimate businesses... lays bare the criminal fraternity's new world order... Robinson is highly readable and entertaining....Will leave readers wondering just what we can do about the situation.
-- The Boston Globe

   "If you were looking for the financial equivalent of Renaissance Man - an unlikely project admittedly - Jeffrey Robinson would fit the bill perfectly. The late 20th century demands volumes and volubility, both of which Robinson possesses in abundance."
-- Sunday Business

   "Robinson sounds the alarm in this well-researched and genuinely chilling treatise."
-- Publishers' Weekly

   "Robinson shows he knows exactly what is going on... this is an absolutely frightening book."
-- National Post

   "Jeffrey Robinson has had unprecedented access to highly-placed police officers across Britain, Europe, the Pacific Rim and America and outlines for the first time the global network of illegal deals that stretch from London to Bogota, Moscow to Miami, Cape Town to Sydney, Hong Kong to Holland... as exciting and colorful as any thriller."
-- Global Investor

   "An expert on international crime and author of the best-selling "The Laundrymen"... Robinson's thesis (is) developed with a sure command of facts spiced with anecdotes."
-- Library Journal

   "How seriously the people directly involved with criminal legislation take a book on organized crime is surely a good indication of its worth. By this test, Jeffrey Robinson's "The Merger" comes strongly recommended: a few minutes on the Internet will show just how highly law-enforcement agencies, politicians and the legal profession regard Robinson. One finds that police, business, governmental and political groups from around the world frequently invite Robinson to work with them. He was a keynote speaker in Montreal in October at the major, RCMP-sponsored International Money Laundering Conference. One also finds "The Merger" itself quickly became required reading in law school courses on organized crime. Robinson's readers will scarcely need this official sanctioning to convince them. "The Merger" is a great accomplishment and reading it can be a mind-altering, paradigm-shifting experience. "The Merger" is a comprehensive, visionary and devastating study of the globalization of organized crime.... Robinson's writing skills are formidable - he remains focussed even as he takes us through maze after maze of personal relationships, events and details; his prose is vivid, pithy, constantly absorbing; his sense of story, flawless."
-- Books in Canada