419

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I didn’t know what 419 means – or that internet scams coming from the streets and backwaters of Nigeria may have a name, until reading Will Ferguson’s 419. The author takes you from a car accident in Calgary all the way into the bizarre criminal gangland of Nigeria’s 419 Internet scams (named after a section of the Nigerian criminal code dealing with obtaining funds illegally). I was surprised by the novel’s unreserved gravity, rhetorical questions, and by the way Laura, a Canadian copy editor, takes action and tracks down the men who ruined her father. A good read, truly recommended.

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