At age 26 Franz Sedelmayer went to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he built a successful police supply and training company. One of his biggest supporters was St. Petersburg's young deputy mayor, Vladimir Putin. Putin and Franz bonded.

But when Franz's company was expropriated by President Boris Yeltsin, Putin did nothing to help his friend. Franz sued for damages. He won, but Russia - and its new President, Vladimir Putin - refused to pay. But Franz persevered, and he won: he foreclosed on Russian properties in Europe. Incredibly, Franz is the only individual ever to collect money from Vladimir Putin's Russia.

"Brilliant. An amazing and fast-moving insider account." (Luke Harding, The Guardian)

"Franz J. Sedelmayer is the very definition of pugnacious. You can't help but root for him as he wages a decades-long battle to obtain payment for assets stolen by the Russian government. Franz's immutable sense of right and wrong is repeatedly pitted against Russian corruption, kleptocracy, and blatant disregard for law and fairness - but he wins." (Karen Taylor, writer and editor, former Editor-in-Chief, France Magazine)

"A fascinating depiction of the Russian psyche." (Vice Admiral Jerry Unruh, USN [Ret.] Former COMTHIRDFLT)