The Spider

Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

By: Barry Levine

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Barry Levine

Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Donald Trump has called the ongoing interest in the details about Epstein’s web of clients and enablers a “hoax.” But in this book, a Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist delivers the most comprehensive account yet of the disgraced financier’s life and death, revealing a criminal enterprise that stretched over decades.

“An exhaustively detailed look at the life, death, and alleged crimes of Epstein, along with his years-long friendship with Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s—and how Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency ultimately helped expose Epstein.”—Forbes

An ID Book Club Selection • Featured in the Peacock original documentary series Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell

By now, the basic contours of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrendous crimes—his decades-long serial abuse of young women and underage girls—are familiar. But for all that has been written about Epstein since his shocking death in a lower Manhattan jail cell, an astonishing amount remains unknown. A shy Brooklyn kid turned renegade financier, Jeffrey Epstein never wanted to play by the rules of polite society. He was elusive in life and he has remained just as elusive in death.

What is known is that he had amassed nearly $600 million by the time of his death. That fortune allowed Epstein to pursue a privileged, secretive life, jetting between his fortress-like homes in Manhattan, New Mexico, and Little St. James, his private island. Behind these closed doors, Epstein socialized with scientists and world leaders and preyed on powerless young women.

In The Spider, Barry Levine shines a light into the darkest corners of Epstein’s world, including

• Epstein’s young adulthood and earliest accusations of sexual misconduct
• the murky sources of Epstein’s fortune and business dealings

• Epstein’s circle of confidantes and employees, particularly the nature of his long relationship with socialite Ghislaine Maxwell
• his ties to powerful men, including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Donald Trump
• Epstein’s last hours as a free man in Paris and the secret operation to arrest him at a New Jersey airport before he could flee
• details on Epstein’s final days in jail and the mystery surrounding his death

The Spider exposes how Epstein operated and evaded justice for so long—and how he drew so many others into his criminal web.

Critic reviews

“[The Spider] delves into the late financier and convicted sex offender’s ‘criminal web.’”—Vanity Fair

“An exhaustively detailed look at the life, death, and alleged crimes of Epstein, along with his years-long friendship with Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s—and how Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency ultimately helped expose Epstein.”—Forbes

“Explosive.”—New York Post

“Bombshell allegations . . . an in-depth investigation.”—The Sun

The horrid evil that extreme wealth afforded one self-entitled man 3rd

Weaving in victim testimonies, historic documents, and investigative records, "Spider..." details how a totally self-absorbed man was able to build financial wealth, destroy the lives of so many young girls, and buy or cajole his way out of consequences. The story traces Epstein's life from a poor boy in Brooklyn, to networking his way to his own wealth, and hob-nobbing with the rich and famous all over the world. While young girls were a daily part of his life, he shared them with his friends and those friends protected him for decades.

The web

Usually when you talk about someone like this as a spider, you talk of a black widow female. However, in this case, it is a black widow man, who didn’t kill but lured you into his web and stole your soul. Really liked the book and narration. Jeffrey was insatiable.

Riveting and tragic

Very well investigated book. I was riveted the entire time. This is a very important story!

Riveting account

This book, well written and well researched, is both illuminating and infuriating. It illuminates the many lurid and despicable acts of a serial predator and his numerous enablers and accomplices and it infuriates the listener by revealing the corruption, venality and incompetence on the part of law enforcement that allowed the abuse to continue and shielded the perpetrators from justice.

Very detailed

The narration (minus the last chapter) was good. The story itself was a bit slow at times but very detailed without being mired in minutia. This and One Nation Under Blackmail were both excellent in regard to this subject.