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Epstein Sex Crimes

 "Perversion of Justice" feels like a spiritual sequel to "Empire of Pain"; both books are big right now, and both are about powerful monsters pulling strings to remain out of the spotlight.


"Perversion of Justice" is the weaker book because--as the Times has observed--Julie K. Brown doesn't really have a full story. We know that Jeffrey Epstein used wealthy contacts to get out of an appropriate punishment for his crimes; we know that one engineer of Epstein's scam, Acosta, later became labor secretary. (We know that Julie Brown's reporting then led to Acosta's resignation. "I'd like to step down because my involvement in a case many years ago is now unjustly stealing attention from President Trump's wonderful economic news.....")

We don't know: what Trump did with Epstein. Or what Bill Clinton did with Epstein. Or what Alan Dershowitz did. We don't know exactly why Acosta behaved the way he behaved; we don't know if others were putting pressure on Acosta. We don't know if Jeffrey Epstein actually killed himself, though, oddly, in a chapter-title, Brown confidently asserts that the death was not suicide. (It seems irresponsible to make this assertion.)

All that said, I found the Brown book absorbing. You see Epstein using mob-like tactics to intimidate people; one potential witness finds the head of a cat (just the head) on his lawn. There is a feverish interlude when Brown attempts to visit Epstein's "Pedophile Island"; hotel managers seem to be thugs in disguise, and everyone nearby seems to know where Brown is at all times, even though Brown attempts secrecy. There are also lively exchanges between Brown and Dershowitz, where Brown says, "Stop trying to bully me. I'm not intimidated. Try being professional....."

So: an engaging, disturbing book, despite flaws. It's worth reading.
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