McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History by James Lee Hernandez

McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History Reviews

• 
  Brendan (History Nerds United)

  A few disclaimers up front. First, I did not see the McMillions documentary before I read this book so I went in totally fresh. Second, I worked at McDonald's as a teenager. What does that have to do with the book? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to tell you.
  
  The book McMillions is written by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte who were the producers/writers/directors of the documentary. If you don't know the backstory, then I have news for you. If you remember the McDonald's Monopoly game, then you of course remember how huge a deal it was. Well, turns out, you couldn't win. Not unless you were part of the conspiracy to steal the winning game pieces. (Childhood RUINED!)
  
  The book is an easy read and interesting throughout with no dead spots in the narrative. The authors add dialogue whenever they can and the tone is light for the most part (side note: some dialogue may have been embellished, but my review copy did not have sources to directly verify so it might all come from transcripts). That does lead to a bit of tonally whiplash at times. There are some people whose lives were destroyed by this case and the authors treat their stories solemnly. However, the tone might veer quickly back to lighthearted. It's nothing fatal for the flow of the book, but it is noticeable.
  
  The only thing which kept this from being a no-doubt five star book for me was the uneven coverage of some of the main characters. There is a woman who has a heartbreaking story and the authors give her some well-deserved focus in the middle of the book. However, she becomes more of a footnote after that as another character takes over the narrative. I would have liked a bit more time with a few people and for the timeline to stay a bit more linear. These are minor quibbles and should not make anyone shy away from picking this book up.
  
  (This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.)
• 
  Bill reilly

  McMillions is an amazing story. It is based on a TV documentary and after just finishing it, I will seek out the series.
  I have not eaten at a McDonald's in many years but I do recall the Monopoly contest which awarded prizes, topping off at a cool million dollars(paid over the course of twenty years). Of course a diet of Big Macs would likely kill off the winners in under that time period.
  A company was hired to run the contest and an evil genius by the name of Jerome Jacobson figured out a method to rig the outcome of the game. His partner in crime is the most colorful character, a man with Mafia ties named Jerry Colombo of the notorious mob family. The two Jerrys made deals with third parties in order to collect the winnings in exchange for a split.
  A single phone call to the FBI got the ball rolling and the author's storytelling chops are entertaining, with enough funny moments to keep the reader engaged throughout. The cast of gullible people looking for a quick buck is a reminder of how easily we can be tempted by one of the seven deadly sins, avarice.
  Do not miss this remarkable book.
  
• 
  Roberta Westwood

  Wow. 5+ stars
  
  This fraud was truly mind boggling. Fascinating that it went on for so long and McDonalds had no idea. Thanks to an eager young FBI agent, desperate to go undercover for the first time, he sniffed the opportunity in a tip that almost went unnoticed, the fraud was broken wide open. The fraud itself was nothing I could have expected. Highly recommended.
  
  I listened to the Audible audiobook.
• 
  Amy

  This was so interesting and is honestly something that I'd never heard of before coming across this. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy true crime which isn't gruesome for a change.