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The Black Market Concierge

Barry Oberholzer (Goodreads Author)

4.33 · Rating details · 15 ratings · 12 reviews

Barry Oberholzer's secret life as a confidential informant, infiltrating international organized crime syndicates and sanction-busting activity hit headlines in 2012. Oberholzer reported an array of vital intelligence to the CIA and multiple intelligence agencies across the world. For years, he has worked across the Middle East and behind the scenes as a confidential infor ...more

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Paperback, 187 pages

Published November 25th 2016 by Black Box Entertainment

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Feb 19, 2017 Aletha Pagett rated it really liked it

This is an account of an unbelievable and adrenaline fueled life that few of us can even conceive. Hopefully this is not the last we hear of Mr Oberholzer. I would enjoy learning more about his extraordinary experiences and would also enjoy hearing more about his spiritual journey.

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Feb 15, 2017 Sue rated it really liked it

I won this book from Good Reads.

If the South African prison system is as poorly run as this book claims, its worse than the US system which is definitely broken! Fascinating story, quick read, moves right along.

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Feb 15, 2017 Dave Bensette rated it it was amazing

Thanks for a great book!!

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Sep 27, 2017 Sarah Rehmatullah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: iread-book-tours

The novel is fast paced and shares such in depth details that ones mind is expanded from each paragraph within each chapter. As a former reader of Dan Brown’s novels, and an avid watchful eye on conspiracy stories, the opportunity to review an insiders story was as griping in reality as was in my original imagination of such.
The author propels you directly into the flight path of key events and his own attraction to the glamour of this life:- exotic travel, charming people who are extremely int The novel is fast paced and shares such in depth details that ones mind is expanded from each paragraph within each chapter. As a former reader of Dan Brown’s novels, and an avid watchful eye on conspiracy stories, the opportunity to review an insiders story was as griping in reality as was in my original imagination of such.
The author propels you directly into the flight path of key events and his own attraction to the glamour of this life:- exotic travel, charming people who are extremely interested in you and making you comfortable whilst deals are negotiated. Learning that every potential road block is bypassed, surmounted and overcome by those in power, makes for a fast paced riveting read…yet the story (memoir) is told with such intricate details, you know (and indeed wish to know) every last word, lest you miss a crucial part of the plot. Possibly not your bed time read, but then again, many readers enjoy their mind stretched to the full, and will be rewarded with exquisite scenes so beautifully set, and intriguing people. Knowing it is real only makes it that more breathtaking.
Quote:- As I stood inside a hangar of F-16 of combat jets, every other aspect of my life melted into insignificance. I was overawed by the display of speed, power and engineering brilliance, by the sleek shape of those supersonic predators. The image remains with me: those few minutes in a hushed hangar changed my life.
Destiny was hot on his heels, as he soon met Neill, a helicopter pilot with a deep passion for flying, who noticed his unrelentingly desire to fly, which he later noted was an escape.
The pace of the story soon accelerated at break neck speed, propelling you into vast and exotic scenarios, with varying nationalities and personalities. From trading helicopter parts to diamonds, to a brief night club venture and back again, he learnt that his life and that of his family was more precious than either, yet, was drawn into the shade and hidden deals. The lure of money and necessity of it to live had the strongest grip. And grip firmly, it did! The world from this stance is one you may suspect, but never truly know of, save the few details that may be published at times in the newspapers, and even then most of the facts remain hidden. My eyes were well and truly opening, and by chapter eight, and the mention of weaponry, I was holding my breath involuntarily.
Never a truer word was shared in chapter nine:-
The thing about corrupt politicians is they are usually in politics for nothing more than to accumulate power and money, and to hell with those plebs who were stupid enough to vote for them.
Once again, knowing this to be so true, I was holding my breath:-
They arrange their slice of “take” in companies they’re supporting, by appointing spouses or close family as board members or holders of equity instruments and money stock options. If it all gets a bit too hot for them to operate or they decide they’ve had enough of politics, they’ll retire as non-executive directors of the boards of their client companies.
The details divulged are shocking, yet, deep down, I feel we all know this to be true. Greedy members of parliament expenses claims are forever being revealed one day, and weirdly forgotten the next, how the human nature of some seems unshockable, or just out of touch with the world at large, and more focused on their own world:- their family.. yet we are influenced and affected by what happens out there in the world at large.
There is so much more I would love to quote and share with you here, but I’d be quoting half a chapter, so if this subject matters to you to learn about, do go source yourself a copy. I haven’t seen such details shared so openly before.
The core connection throughout is with Iran. By chapter nine, one hears directly of the U.S weapons connection to ISIS and Al Qaeda. The effect of Black Market trading puts power in wrongful hands, where money and power can do practically as the holder of such pleases, no matter the consequences.
Following being called in by the U.S Embassy, an unexpected twist in the story unfolds. Somehow and surprisingly, Oberholzer rolls with this, and the entire plot shifts as a result. Unimaginably so…life as an informant was, indeed different, yet Oberholzer seemed to swiftly and inconceivably adapt to the suddenly presented new chapter of his life. Living on the edge seemed part of his makeup. The rollercoaster ride is varied, gripping, detailed and deep…yes, Oberholzer is a risk taker, but the story is shared in such a way it almost appears that life chose that for him. With a wife and then child joining his journey, implications begin.
Personally, I haven’t had the degree of business acumen that Oberholzer finds so natural, and once you read his memoir, the core key passion sparkles from the very pages…perhaps the power? Money? Thrill of the chase? You will need to obtain your copy and come to your own conclusion, but like travel, the book opens your mind to life, and knowing this is a true story makes the reading journey that more special. ...more

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Oct 10, 2017 David Watson rated it really liked it

Most people don’t know what it’s like to work as a spy or a confidential informant. It’s the type of lifestyle that you would only expect to hear about in an action movie or a mystery novel. For Barry Oberholzer the dangerous world of international espionage is real. When I started reading The Black Market Concierge my first thought was that this has to be fiction but it’s real and it gives a glimpse into a world that few of us know about.

Barry’s story begins with his birth in Huston Texas durin Most people don’t know what it’s like to work as a spy or a confidential informant. It’s the type of lifestyle that you would only expect to hear about in an action movie or a mystery novel. For Barry Oberholzer the dangerous world of international espionage is real. When I started reading The Black Market Concierge my first thought was that this has to be fiction but it’s real and it gives a glimpse into a world that few of us know about.

Barry’s story begins with his birth in Huston Texas during a hurricane in 1983. He describes his life as being a little like a hurricane and as you read you see he has been through more upheaval than most people. His father was a South African diplomat and Barry lived in Cape Town South Africa as apartheid was ending and the political scene was changing. He grew up playing rugby and had an interest in aviation. As an adult he worked as a helicopter pilot which led to him selling planes and other flying equipment to foreign countries. After building a broad network of clients, the US embassy in South Africa reached out to him for information on his clients.

Barry didn’t get involved with the U.S. government because he felt obligated to do the right thing, he was more worried about what could happen to him if he didn’t work with them. He had dealings with Iran at a time when the U.S. had sanctions against them and Barry was also getting requests from shady organizations for materials that could be used for combat. First and foremost Barry was a businessman but being on the CIA and FBI’s radar led to some life changing situations.

The Black Market Concierge is a fascinating read that will give you a glimpse into the world of organized crime and government corruption. It was also hard to read in places such as when he describes having to meet a man who has threatened to kill him. He goes into detail on how he and his brother are forced to take a lie detector test to find out if Barry is a mole. As he fears for his life he glances around the room looking for anything that can be used as a weapon.

Barry also gets into his time in a South African prison, he was accused of fraud and brought in for an old business dispute. Barry was jailed by a deceitful government and that is one of the main ideas of his book. The author speaks about the corruption in the South African government but he also speaks about how all governments have corruption. He states how politicians care more about power then helping the people who elected them and gets into why there is a black market in the first place. My favorite part of the book was hearing how he felt about the government and his feelings on the people he met. He does find God but not before suffering great losses.

The Black Market Concierge is the story of one man’s journey through major highs and the lowest of lows. In the end he talks about the importance of faith and how it got him through. It’s hard to believe this is a true story but it is and Barry Oberholzer gives some great life advice that he learned from his ordeal.

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Oct 19, 2017 Laura rated it really liked it

The Black Market Concierge is a fascinating memoir. Told through true events, it is an account of what led a young man who loved the world of aviation to cross paths with businessmen in the Middle East interested in buying helicopters and military arms. Eventually, Barry Oberholzer’s close connections, reputation and knowledge of smuggling in the black market led him to work as a spy for the US government.

The memoir chronicles Barry Oberholzer’s life between 2007 and 2016. It reveals little abou ...more

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Oct 09, 2017 Angela Thompson rated it it was amazing

Author takes us into a world most of us will never explore. The author navigated a world that many of us have never even read non-ficitional accounts of at all as he tells his life's story. I read many thrillers and books focused on international espionage and political corruption--but, this book takes you into the author's real-life years as a confidential informant to intelligence agencies throughout the world. Oberholzer's experiences and insights as he relates his story really serve to open ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Marilyn Wilson rated it really liked it

How does one become a confidential informant on the international stage? I am sure the answer to that question is as varied as the people who step into that role. The Black Market Concierge is a memoir of author Barry Oberholzer's time working as a CI, mainly for the U.S. government.

Trying to build a small aviation business in South Africa meant being creative in finding clients and filling any void that arose. Barry was a master at building connections and had a talent for selling the company's ...more

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Sep 24, 2017 Cheryl rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr. Oberholzer does a great job of providing me the reader a brief inside depth into the world of confidential informants. I say "brief" only because as you can imagine Mr. Oberholzer can't share inside details about his cases. Yet, I still got a good visual picture of what it must have been like for Mr. Oberholzer to be an informant. As Mr. Oberholzer states in the beginning of the book, some informants do it for the money but I do truly believe that in the autho ...more

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Oct 01, 2017 Dawn rated it really liked it

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Barry Oberholzer has written a fascinating memoir. He explains how smuggling works, such as supplying plane parts to buyers in Iran. Because of sanctions, they couldn't just purchase them anywhere so sellers like Barry would find them for them. He was originally in it for the money but when he was approached to be a Confidential Informant, he had no problem with working with the ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 Margaret Tidwell rated it it was amazing

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Black Market Concierge by Barry Oberholzer was a fascinating book. I am always a sucker for books like this because I love reading books about things that actually happened. I loved this book right from the start of the book. I was able to get through this book in about a day because ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 Damo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the sort of book that becomes a movie. Very interesting to read the behind the scenes politics of countries and their rife bribing to get what they need.

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Dec 01, 2016 Barry Oberholzer rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

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About Barry Oberholzer

Barry Oberholzer

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Born in Houston, Texas, a former professional rugby player and current CrossFit and Ironman athlete, Barry is the founder of TerrorMate app and is a counter-terrorism and intelligence expert. Formerly Barry served as a confidential informant for Department of Homeland Security, Joint Terrorism Task Force, Belgium Customs Intelligence and HM Revenue & Customs Intelligence in the United Kingdom.

One ...more