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McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History
In the tradition of Argo, The Wizard of Lies, and The Smartest Guys in the Room, a book that expands upon the HBO docuseries, McMillion$, with new, exclusive interviews and stories that couldn't make it into the series. In March of 2001, Federal prosecutor Mark Devereaux cold-called Rob Holm, the head of security for McDonald's Corporation. Without explanation, Devereaux asked that Holm and several other McDonald's senior executives plan a visit to the Jacksonville, Florida, FBI, and tell no one about their intended destination. It wasn't up for discussion. Upon their arrival, Devereaux watched them closely, looking at body language, checking for tells. To him, they were all potential suspects. Once they were seated in an unremarkable conference room, sealed away in the hyper-secure FBI building, Devereaux began to lay out a shocking conspiracy, one that ran deep into McDonald's most beloved the Monopoly game. From 1989 to 2001, not a single winner of a high-value prize was legitimate. Instead, all were the courtesy of one man who brilliantly crafted a near-infallible nationwide conspiracy for fraud. Expanded from the wildly popular HBO docuseries with major new interviews, MCMILLIONS traces this massive crime, the intricate web of lies that bolstered it, and the tireless work of the FBI agents that unraveled it all. It is a story littered with families torn apart, betrayals, financial ruin, and one suspicious car crash. Yet, there are bright spots in the hijinks of the FBI agents and their co-conspirators. Ultimately, it is a story of what happens when the American dream goes very wrong.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 21, 2024
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.)
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.)
October 10, 2024
Loved this book! I love a good fraud case. I really wish McDonald’s would bring monopoly back.
September 13, 2024
This was a great big bouncy castle of a book that ricocheted all over the place, between deadly serious to fairy-tale fanciful conversations and emotions. It was these fabricated conversations that drastically reduced the believability of the authors’ portrayal of some of the participants. I also felt that some of the people involved were reduced to tropes, like the desperate single mother, and lost some of the authenticity of those people for me. We also didn’t get much of a resolution for many of the participants, or at least believable resolutions. I don’t think anyone reading this book would believe that someone who is offered, under the table, a winning game piece from an internationally-run game would believe this was legit and on the up-and-up. The excuse that “he didn’t finish grade nine so doesn’t know anything about real life” was hogwash. Oh well, that’s just me being tired of excuses for bad behaviour (taught high school for 24 years and have heard every excuse the universe could cough up) and blatantly willing gullibility.
The writing style was alternately closely written and ridiculously inflated and clichéd (someone was constantly “dropping a dime” to the point of sounding like an Archie and Jughead comic) with each succeeding chapter sounding like it had been written by a series of authors. I guess that added to the fun but again, detracted from the believability of the whole thing.
I was also a bit disappointed to find absolutely no photos in this book. So I’ll have to watch the HBO series somehow, which I certainly don’t mind because the book was a great deal of fun despite its faults and foibles. I’m also motivated to look into the vagaries of the US justice system, particularly in the matter of restitution after a crime. Why did Marvin, who fraudulently cashed in a $25,000 winning game piece, and received only half that as his share, have to pay $650,000 in restitution? Does that not seem drastic? Is that the norm in the US?
3 1/2 stars
The writing style was alternately closely written and ridiculously inflated and clichéd (someone was constantly “dropping a dime” to the point of sounding like an Archie and Jughead comic) with each succeeding chapter sounding like it had been written by a series of authors. I guess that added to the fun but again, detracted from the believability of the whole thing.
I was also a bit disappointed to find absolutely no photos in this book. So I’ll have to watch the HBO series somehow, which I certainly don’t mind because the book was a great deal of fun despite its faults and foibles. I’m also motivated to look into the vagaries of the US justice system, particularly in the matter of restitution after a crime. Why did Marvin, who fraudulently cashed in a $25,000 winning game piece, and received only half that as his share, have to pay $650,000 in restitution? Does that not seem drastic? Is that the norm in the US?
3 1/2 stars
September 18, 2024
In McMillions, Hernandez and Lazarte, who had previously produced a 2020 6-part documentary on the same topic, discuss the McDonald's Monopoly fraud of the 1990s, where the grand million dollar and many other big ticket monetary prizes were improbably and repeatedly rigged by a group of individuals outside the McDonald's organization. One highly-placed individual in this group would walk off with the winning monopoly pieces, and with mafia help, would redistribute them to individuals within their social network who would then claim the prize money in geographically strategic locations (matching the locations where the winning pieces were supposed to have been distributed). Unfortunately for the individuals who agreed to be winners, the scheme organizers would demand cuts of the returns (full value, not deducting tax or allowing for the incremental payouts McDonald's would schedule for the big-ticket wins), proving that there is no such thing as a free lunch (pun intended).
I remember the McDonald's Monopoly years in my childhood -- I think the most I ever won was a free order of fries. I have no memory at the time of learning that the Monopoly game had been rigged and that there were no legitimate million dollar winners -- likely because the FBI sting went down shortly before 9/11/01 and public consciousness drifted elsewhere for many months afterward.
As far as the book, I found it engaging but also jarringly-written and oddly-narrated (I listened to the audiobook featuring a narrator who had the most bizarre cadence, talking LIKE THIS FOR SEVERAL words before randomly switching tone THROUGHOUT THE entire book). It felt like reading an action mystery's screenplay written for maximal drama (though the final "reveal" in the epilogue was quite anticlimactic), which was frustrating as a reader who was mostly interested in the facts and a linear story.
My statistics:
Book 214 for 2024
Book 1817 cumulatively
I remember the McDonald's Monopoly years in my childhood -- I think the most I ever won was a free order of fries. I have no memory at the time of learning that the Monopoly game had been rigged and that there were no legitimate million dollar winners -- likely because the FBI sting went down shortly before 9/11/01 and public consciousness drifted elsewhere for many months afterward.
As far as the book, I found it engaging but also jarringly-written and oddly-narrated (I listened to the audiobook featuring a narrator who had the most bizarre cadence, talking LIKE THIS FOR SEVERAL words before randomly switching tone THROUGHOUT THE entire book). It felt like reading an action mystery's screenplay written for maximal drama (though the final "reveal" in the epilogue was quite anticlimactic), which was frustrating as a reader who was mostly interested in the facts and a linear story.
My statistics:
Book 214 for 2024
Book 1817 cumulatively
September 2, 2024
Let me start by saying I loved the six episode documentary series and was already very familiar with the story. If you haven’t watched it yet and don’t mind the writing style, you will really enjoy this book. It’s a fascinating and interesting story that’s worth your time. I preferred the show, but I’m sure there will be some who enjoy the book more.
My full thoughts:
The book has a very choppy, stiff writing style which makes sense given it’s written by documentary filmmakers. There are some really cringe things in it (“It slowed his roll” is actually said about someone) including a chapter where they make jokes about of a woman who appears to have OCD. It was an unnecessary aspect of the story for the author’s to focus on (she was not even the suspect, her husband was) and my main takeaway from that chapter was Doug Matthews could really act like an asshole and the authors here showed a total lack of sensitivity. It’s a small chapter, but including it was a mistake.
Moving in! The overuse of names in this was VERY distracting. It felt like they took the documentary transcript and just added in the full name of everyone every time they spoke which added up to a lot. They also switched between using full names (used the most), first names only and last names only which was unnecessarily confusing.
Example 1:
A.J. was easygoing and laid-back. His longtime friends would say that A.J. had always been the kind of guy people were drawn to. A.J. had something that made folks want to be around him. It was hard to describe other than to say that A.J. Glomb was cool.
Example 2:
If Rick Dent had been a fish, this would have been the moment that Mathews set the hook. Rick Dent took a deep breath. "We got something here,' Mathews said. "I think we really got something." Dent could see that, so far, Doug Mathews appeared to be correct.
It was very annoying, especially on audio where I was already annoyed (more on that below).
The book sticks VERY close to the documentary with little added to it. I know the forward mentioned this was a deeper dive, but I didn’t walk away feeling like I learned anything new. If you’ve seen the doc already I’d say skip this. The book felt like a transcript of the documentary, which would explain the over use of news and choppy style. I do want to stress though the story itself is fascinating, so I definitely recommend you either read this or watch the doc, which was really well done.
*A note on the audiobook* This was not great on audio - the authors narrate and it’s very awkward. One has a really strange cadence with odd timing, the other ends every single sentence in a raised voice making everything sound like a question… Everything. 🫠 I switched to the physical book at chapter 8 and it was better. Definitely recommend book/ebook version for this.
My full thoughts:
The book has a very choppy, stiff writing style which makes sense given it’s written by documentary filmmakers. There are some really cringe things in it (“It slowed his roll” is actually said about someone) including a chapter where they make jokes about of a woman who appears to have OCD. It was an unnecessary aspect of the story for the author’s to focus on (she was not even the suspect, her husband was) and my main takeaway from that chapter was Doug Matthews could really act like an asshole and the authors here showed a total lack of sensitivity. It’s a small chapter, but including it was a mistake.
Moving in! The overuse of names in this was VERY distracting. It felt like they took the documentary transcript and just added in the full name of everyone every time they spoke which added up to a lot. They also switched between using full names (used the most), first names only and last names only which was unnecessarily confusing.
Example 1:
A.J. was easygoing and laid-back. His longtime friends would say that A.J. had always been the kind of guy people were drawn to. A.J. had something that made folks want to be around him. It was hard to describe other than to say that A.J. Glomb was cool.
Example 2:
If Rick Dent had been a fish, this would have been the moment that Mathews set the hook. Rick Dent took a deep breath. "We got something here,' Mathews said. "I think we really got something." Dent could see that, so far, Doug Mathews appeared to be correct.
It was very annoying, especially on audio where I was already annoyed (more on that below).
The book sticks VERY close to the documentary with little added to it. I know the forward mentioned this was a deeper dive, but I didn’t walk away feeling like I learned anything new. If you’ve seen the doc already I’d say skip this. The book felt like a transcript of the documentary, which would explain the over use of news and choppy style. I do want to stress though the story itself is fascinating, so I definitely recommend you either read this or watch the doc, which was really well done.
*A note on the audiobook* This was not great on audio - the authors narrate and it’s very awkward. One has a really strange cadence with odd timing, the other ends every single sentence in a raised voice making everything sound like a question… Everything. 🫠 I switched to the physical book at chapter 8 and it was better. Definitely recommend book/ebook version for this.
October 30, 2024
A wild ride! The fact that the McDonalds Monopoly game fraud went along for so long and involved so many people is to me, why it all came crashing down. The whole story is fascinating and this is a great read.
August 17, 2024
Scintillating read! Like a 6 pack of McNuggets, once you start, you won’t be able to put it down until you’re done.
September 17, 2024
Book 4 ⭐️
Audio 3.5 ⭐️
Audio 3.5 ⭐️
October 28, 2024
Interesting story.
October 15, 2024
So here’s the book version of the delightful docuseries “McMillions,” describing how a single trusted security exec stole all the high value winning game pieces from McDonald’s Monopoly themed sweepstakes for over a decade. In between you’ve got mobsters, airline stewardesses, a single mom who won a house in a church raffle, a Mormon savant who made a million in plastics, an FBI agent with ADHD who lives his life by a “fun-o-meter,” and an outdoor confetti cannon going off in the living room of an obsessive neat freak. Quite a yarn!
Sadly amateurish writing brings this tale down a few points from the chaotic glee it promises. The authors, Hernandez and Lazarte, are often unsure who they have sympathy with, and choose to retell some rather tall tales about kids picked on “every day” because “your dad stole from Ronald McDonald.” When it comes to prose writing, it’s a plodding and unimaginative style that fails to do the story justice. Bullies circle a school kid like, you guessed it, sharks.
In one particularly clunky sentence a young excitable g-man tries to get his senior partner to pursue the wild story of McDonald’s Monopoly fraud (to paraphrase) “if [the agent] had been a fisherman, this would have been the moment he baited the hook”
For audiobook listeners, poor production further mars the experience. The authors read the work (this is always a surprising decision to me once I learned you can get a professional actor for a few grand), and they’re badly dis-served by a producer who never chimed in to say “no need to pause with every sentence.” The result sounds like a laundry list read by Mark Zuckerberg. Other problems are unavoidable in a “read by the author” production: the authors are never sure if they should be performing quotations or not, and their rendition of a black mother’s dialogue is a bit of a howler. The authors switch off every chapter for no particular reason. The final result sounds like a rushed group project.
The story is a page turner and the author’s reporting deserves a lot of credit! Their docuseries is fantastic and this book does add some fun details, including a few brief glances behind the camera as the producers discover at the very last minute the identity of the informant who brought the scheme to the FBI’s attention. Worth a read if you can see past is amateurish production.
Sadly amateurish writing brings this tale down a few points from the chaotic glee it promises. The authors, Hernandez and Lazarte, are often unsure who they have sympathy with, and choose to retell some rather tall tales about kids picked on “every day” because “your dad stole from Ronald McDonald.” When it comes to prose writing, it’s a plodding and unimaginative style that fails to do the story justice. Bullies circle a school kid like, you guessed it, sharks.
In one particularly clunky sentence a young excitable g-man tries to get his senior partner to pursue the wild story of McDonald’s Monopoly fraud (to paraphrase) “if [the agent] had been a fisherman, this would have been the moment he baited the hook”
For audiobook listeners, poor production further mars the experience. The authors read the work (this is always a surprising decision to me once I learned you can get a professional actor for a few grand), and they’re badly dis-served by a producer who never chimed in to say “no need to pause with every sentence.” The result sounds like a laundry list read by Mark Zuckerberg. Other problems are unavoidable in a “read by the author” production: the authors are never sure if they should be performing quotations or not, and their rendition of a black mother’s dialogue is a bit of a howler. The authors switch off every chapter for no particular reason. The final result sounds like a rushed group project.
The story is a page turner and the author’s reporting deserves a lot of credit! Their docuseries is fantastic and this book does add some fun details, including a few brief glances behind the camera as the producers discover at the very last minute the identity of the informant who brought the scheme to the FBI’s attention. Worth a read if you can see past is amateurish production.
August 25, 2024
From the makers of the docuseries also called "McMillions" comes a book that includes more detail and interviews. I had only had a chance to watch one episode (I have a huge list of stuff I want to see!) and I will definitely go back and watch the whole series now. I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down. As I read, I kept envisioning a fictional version of this and was casting it in my mind -- I was drawing on the cast from the film "The Informant" and kept seeing Scott Bakula and Matt Damon in starring roles. The twist with this book and series is that it is about greed -- but not corporate greed, rather a bunch of individuals who were able to use their positions to influence friends and acquaintances to get in on the deal (of course the ringmasters got a huge cut for this favor). We learn how the fraud was committed - a head of security at the Marketing Firm hired by McDonald's to run their Monopoly Game, found a way to steal and replace the winning tiles. The take down happened on August 19, 2001 (and almost got revealed when a fax went to a newspaper instead of the local FBI office!) but as history reminds us, this huge headline-grabbing saga got wiped off the front pages by 9/11. One thing I did not realize is that the individuals who were in on the fraud, had to pay full restitution for the $1 million even though their payments from McDonalds were annual - so not only did they never see the money, they in most cases had to prepay the mobster at the heart of it -- and of course, they were left to pay the taxes on it too. Just an absolute fun read with humor on how the FBI infiltrated the network. Note -- if something sounds too good to be true - it probably is! Remarkably a few of the individuals in their gut knew something did not seem right about the scheme but they went along with it anyway.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
September 2, 2024
I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway and here's my honest review.
I loved the book! I read it in 2 days, so it was a quick read and captivating! All the characters were super interesting! I could picture what they looked like and understand what motivated them.
I did not see the documentary mini series so this was all new to me. I vaguely remember hearing about the McDonald's Monopoly game fraud but really didn't remember much of the details from the news so all of this was fresh to me and fascinating. The descriptions of all these characters and style of writing left me engaged and wondering what would happen next.
I loved that Monopoly game! All I ever won were some free fries or drinks when I would play it. No wonder! Now I am going to research online and look at the story to learn even more about the history. The book left me wanting to know even more, even though it did wrap up everything neatly with a good summary, including follow-up of the characters. I live in Florida and had no idea about the FBI and Jacksonville and all the connections.
The chapters were easy to follow with the way the timeline was explained and it didn't jump around or leave me confused at all, despite having so many "players". I would recommend!!
I loved the book! I read it in 2 days, so it was a quick read and captivating! All the characters were super interesting! I could picture what they looked like and understand what motivated them.
I did not see the documentary mini series so this was all new to me. I vaguely remember hearing about the McDonald's Monopoly game fraud but really didn't remember much of the details from the news so all of this was fresh to me and fascinating. The descriptions of all these characters and style of writing left me engaged and wondering what would happen next.
I loved that Monopoly game! All I ever won were some free fries or drinks when I would play it. No wonder! Now I am going to research online and look at the story to learn even more about the history. The book left me wanting to know even more, even though it did wrap up everything neatly with a good summary, including follow-up of the characters. I live in Florida and had no idea about the FBI and Jacksonville and all the connections.
The chapters were easy to follow with the way the timeline was explained and it didn't jump around or leave me confused at all, despite having so many "players". I would recommend!!
August 15, 2024
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.
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.
August 27, 2024
Based on the HBO Max series of the same name, McMillion$ follows the decades long fraud of the McDonalds Monopoly game. I hadn't watched the documentary series before reading this book and I'm glad I didn't. Having now consumed a few episodes of the series, I can say I liked the book more. There is more information in the book than in the series. I also liked the formatting of the book vs. how it was portrayed for streaming. The book follows a more linear format whereas the series jumps around a little bit more. I think each format works for the way it's telling the story. I don't mind when stories jump around in fiction, but for nonfiction it makes it harder to read. Keeping with a linear format, the novelization of this story allowed readers to see the story as the FBI agents were finding out information. In addition to the fraud case, I learned a lot about McDonalds that I didn't know before and was giving little tidbits to my husband as I read.
I'm a true crime fan and this is different than others things I've read lately, but in the best possible way.
Thank you to Grand Central Pub for a copy in exchange for review consideration.
I'm a true crime fan and this is different than others things I've read lately, but in the best possible way.
Thank you to Grand Central Pub for a copy in exchange for review consideration.
September 3, 2024
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for choosing me.
I admit I had no idea there was a series about this case, nor did I know it had even happened before reading this book. I will also admit I was captivated from beginning to end. It's a book with a lot of information and a ton of names that you should pay attention to so that it doesn't confuse you. It's not overwhelming or ridiculously long. The chapters are kept fairly short, and the book is well written.
I don't think it was a victimless crime, but I'm not sure I agree that McDonalds pay anything to anyone. It wasn't their fault. They worked with the FBI, and it doesn't seem right for them to have to pay out just because people feel cheated (that's just my opinion). Sure, it sucks to know you could've won and didn't, but there was never any guarantee that you would win anyway. I definitely believe most people who read this book will enjoy it. I don't see how you couldn't unless you're out there trying to run the same or similar type of scam.
I admit I had no idea there was a series about this case, nor did I know it had even happened before reading this book. I will also admit I was captivated from beginning to end. It's a book with a lot of information and a ton of names that you should pay attention to so that it doesn't confuse you. It's not overwhelming or ridiculously long. The chapters are kept fairly short, and the book is well written.
I don't think it was a victimless crime, but I'm not sure I agree that McDonalds pay anything to anyone. It wasn't their fault. They worked with the FBI, and it doesn't seem right for them to have to pay out just because people feel cheated (that's just my opinion). Sure, it sucks to know you could've won and didn't, but there was never any guarantee that you would win anyway. I definitely believe most people who read this book will enjoy it. I don't see how you couldn't unless you're out there trying to run the same or similar type of scam.
September 7, 2024
Quite a roller coaster ride, this book.
I remember when this case first hit the news. Over the years I played the McD’s Monopoly game, I’d see the promo pieces for the big winners, and they always seemed to come from the South. Ah--there was a Florida man with a plan? Now I get it.
Even though the broad strokes of the case were already familiar, I was surprised at how many people were involved. There was at least one genuine mobster, some mob-ettes, several opportunists who considered it a victimless crime, and a couple of unfortunate people who got swept up in the tidal wave and couldn’t extricate themselves.
It was concerning that the FBI went after the little fish-- at least one of whom was given a literal offer she couldn’t refuse-- with the same fervor as they went after the guy with mafia ties.
Someone absolutely must find more information about Jerry’s plans for the bags of M&M’s in his freezer (linked to the Imposter promo in 1997), and his plans to infiltrate the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. The guy dreamed big.
September 11, 2024
Some people may have forgotten the wildly popular McDonald's Monopoly promotional game that was run from the 1980s through 2000. Most may not know about the fraud that ended the game. When I came across this book, I assumed it would explain which McDonalds officials perpetrated the fraud. The truth is much more interesting. You will have to read to book to find out why.
The book is based on the author's HBO miniseries. I generally am not a fan of books based on documentaries and podcasts. I may be traditional, but I think the book should preceded the podcast or miniseries. The book is fun (if that can be applied to true crime). It is fast paced and engaging. On the downside no index. I am not a fan of non-fiction books with no index. Secondly, while the top prize winners were profiled there was little reference to other people involved. An appendix with a summary of the other prizes that were given out under the fraud and the crimes committed would have rounded out the book.
All in all, this a a great book and a fast read on a crime that ended one of the hottest advertising promotions of the 1990s. It is worth the read.
The book is based on the author's HBO miniseries. I generally am not a fan of books based on documentaries and podcasts. I may be traditional, but I think the book should preceded the podcast or miniseries. The book is fun (if that can be applied to true crime). It is fast paced and engaging. On the downside no index. I am not a fan of non-fiction books with no index. Secondly, while the top prize winners were profiled there was little reference to other people involved. An appendix with a summary of the other prizes that were given out under the fraud and the crimes committed would have rounded out the book.
All in all, this a a great book and a fast read on a crime that ended one of the hottest advertising promotions of the 1990s. It is worth the read.
October 18, 2024
A great story with a dreadful writing style. I know that this was the authors' first book, but they should have gotten more help.
What to say about the writing style? The book is packed with cliches and cheesy jokes. The re-enacted conversations, which might work in a documentary, just seem silly in a book. Too many characters are rendered in cartoonish ways: "black single mom, "Italian gangster," "brilliant lawyer." Even the more complex characters, like the FBI agents, are made to be so silly that they don't feel quite real.
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was easy to follow and engaging. On the other, I had to hear some cringey lines out loud.
All that having been said, the book is fun, and the actual story is fascinating. I found it interesting how many people were willing to believe that McDonalds' Monopoly was rigged, so they might as well accept a winning game piece. It's also interesting how long the scam continued before it was shut down.
What to say about the writing style? The book is packed with cliches and cheesy jokes. The re-enacted conversations, which might work in a documentary, just seem silly in a book. Too many characters are rendered in cartoonish ways: "black single mom, "Italian gangster," "brilliant lawyer." Even the more complex characters, like the FBI agents, are made to be so silly that they don't feel quite real.
I listened to this as an audiobook, which was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was easy to follow and engaging. On the other, I had to hear some cringey lines out loud.
All that having been said, the book is fun, and the actual story is fascinating. I found it interesting how many people were willing to believe that McDonalds' Monopoly was rigged, so they might as well accept a winning game piece. It's also interesting how long the scam continued before it was shut down.
December 20, 2024
This was fine. The authors are clearly much better documentarians than nonfiction writers, and I think they should've stuck to that medium. There was too much of an emphasis on making this a shocking and entertaining story, rather than just telling it.
I first heard about this story from the podcast Just the Gist, hosted by Rosie Waterland. I loved that episode, and in my opinion, you really don't need all the extra detail that comes from the documentary and book. The aspects of the story that I was most interested in learning more about were the legal aspects and court cases after the bust, and the writers included laughably little detail about that in the book. It's like they didn't even bother to learn how court actually works, instead writing those "scenes" like a tv show script. The story of the fraud itself is entertaining, but I think you'll have a better (and much shorter) time by listening to Just the Gist.
I first heard about this story from the podcast Just the Gist, hosted by Rosie Waterland. I loved that episode, and in my opinion, you really don't need all the extra detail that comes from the documentary and book. The aspects of the story that I was most interested in learning more about were the legal aspects and court cases after the bust, and the writers included laughably little detail about that in the book. It's like they didn't even bother to learn how court actually works, instead writing those "scenes" like a tv show script. The story of the fraud itself is entertaining, but I think you'll have a better (and much shorter) time by listening to Just the Gist.
September 21, 2024
McMillions is a fascinating deep dive into the infamous McDonald’s Monopoly fraud, and as someone who watched the documentary when it first came out, I grew up playing this game and was under the delusion that I would have a chance of winning. This book goes into the details and you’ll realize why no one had a chance of winning. I found the book to be an excellent companion piece. The book offers more in-depth insights and additional layers to the story, making it a perfect read if you’ve watched the documentary. It enhances the understanding of the scam and all the people involved. If you’re interested in true crime, business fraud, or just a wild story, this is a great read to pair with the documentary for the full experience!
Thanks you to the publisher Grand Central Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley
Thanks you to the publisher Grand Central Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley
September 20, 2024
Really 3.5 ... First a caveat. The book is written (with the help of a ghost writer) by the maker of the HBO/Max documentary, but I had forgotten all but the broadest outline of the story. It's an interesting, entertaining and engagingly-written book. It is somewhat frustrating because the authors clearly had the cooperation of law enforcement but not the author of the scam. I really wanted to know more about him and what motivated him to create this fraud. Also, as acknowledged in the beginning of the book, the authors take great creative license in recreating conversations and certain scenes. But still an enjoyable read.
August 22, 2024
This was a fascinating story of a major scandal involving the manipulation of McDonald’s prizes. The authors did a very good job of portraying the people involved, some of whom were crass manipulators and others who were taken advantage of by them.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I would not advise doing so. The authors did the narration and they had no idea of cadence and pace and their constant tendency to end sentences in a questioning tone made me crazy and almost caused me to give up listening more than once.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I would not advise doing so. The authors did the narration and they had no idea of cadence and pace and their constant tendency to end sentences in a questioning tone made me crazy and almost caused me to give up listening more than once.
August 18, 2024
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.
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.
August 23, 2024
Good true crime book that suffers only from the fact that the authors are documentary filmmakers and not writers. But the story in and of itself is so entertaining and with such interesting characters that you are barely aware of the awkward prose.
If you've not heard the story of the McDonald's fraud case, it's because the charges in the case were filed on September 10, 2001. Yes, the day before 9/11.
If you've not heard the story of the McDonald's fraud case, it's because the charges in the case were filed on September 10, 2001. Yes, the day before 9/11.
September 19, 2024
Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for the book I won through a giveaway.
I had never seen the docuseries and knew nothing of the fraud before reading the book.
The book was definitely entertaining, which is different for a non-fiction book. At times it reads more like a novel, but at other times it is clearly non-fiction.
The story is hard to believe but I'm not sure that is to be blamed on the writing or if it is just really that crazy of a story.
I had never seen the docuseries and knew nothing of the fraud before reading the book.
The book was definitely entertaining, which is different for a non-fiction book. At times it reads more like a novel, but at other times it is clearly non-fiction.
The story is hard to believe but I'm not sure that is to be blamed on the writing or if it is just really that crazy of a story.
October 23, 2024
3.75 stars! i’m extremely glad i waited to write a review until after i watched the corresponding documentary. the documentary allows you to see how detailed this book truly was and how in depth it went. i still feel like as the book went on it got less and less interesting but i feel like that’s mainly because it started to get into the legal side of things (and i felt pretty bad for the people who got arrested). however the first half of the book was phenomenal and the conclusion was also really good. doug mathew’s is what really sells this book he is so funny without even trying! i feel like you should have to watch to mcmillions documentary after you read this book.
August 27, 2024
This was excellent! Super dishy! if you were a young adult in the late 80s/early 90s you will remember the McDonalds Monopoly competition. Then, in the early 2000s you may remember hearing about a fraud. But then that was about it. Well, this explains everything surrounding the fraud and it is mind blowing!
September 7, 2024
This was a fascinating book. I enjoyed reading about all the characters and how they became caught up in the fraud. The authors did an amazing job of bringing them to life and making you feel for them. I gave this book 5 stars because it was so well written, even as complex as it became I was still able to follow the entire story. Now I want to watch the documentary series!
September 17, 2024
As Yakov Smirnoff used to say, "America what a country", I would add " America what a bunch of criminals we have"! This was a fast, fun read about the human condition and the results of giving into temptation. A local grocery chain runs a monopoly type promotion every year with lots of prizes. As far as I know itis run on the up and up. But then, this is America.
December 18, 2024
If this was a podcast I wouldn’t finish it bc it would be 8 episodes long
Also, you can tell they got better at this over time bc the narration sucks in the beginning. Did not appreciate the tinny sound of some chapters
The monopoly game origin story felt random
But overall pretty interesting story
Also, you can tell they got better at this over time bc the narration sucks in the beginning. Did not appreciate the tinny sound of some chapters
The monopoly game origin story felt random
But overall pretty interesting story
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