From sex slaves to drug mules, The Daily Beast's Rome Bureau Chief uncovers a terrifying and intricate web of criminal activity right on Europe’s doorstep.
Chasing the money from kidnapped Nigerian hair braiders to ISIS gunrunners, this is the story of modern slavery in Europe and how the plight of those most in need is being wilfully disregarded. Caught between Camorra arms dealers and Nigerian drug gangs along Italy’s attractive coast, each year thousands of refugees and migrants are lured into their murky underworld. In this powerful exposé, investigative journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau follows the weapons trail, meets the sex-trafficked women trapped by black magic, the nuns who try to save them and the Italian police who turn a blind eye as the most urgent issues facing Europe play out in broad daylight.
'I read the book in one horrified gulp...a profound, appalling portrait of a country overwhelmed by crime, and which somehow managed to keep a focus on the human victims and the geopolitical forces at play.'
‘Barbie Latza Nadeau takes you on an exhilarating ride through Italy's dark underbelly.’
‘This is a terrifying and heartbreaking book... I will find it difficult, from now on, to contemplate today’s world without thinking about what goes on in Castel Volturno.’
‘Barbie Latza Nadeau dissects the intricate relationship between those who make a living from organized crime, terrorism and sex trafficking with an astute understanding of the Italian culture that allows it to prosper.'
