The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

In this comprehensive account, Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist Barry Levine examines the life, death, and crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, a financier who operated a criminal enterprise spanning decades. Epstein amassed nearly $600 million and used his wealth to maintain a secretive life across properties in Manhattan, New Mexico, and his private island, Little St. James, where he socialized with scientists and world leaders while preying on young women and underage girls. Levine investigates Epstein's background as a Brooklyn native turned renegade financier, his earliest accusations of sexual misconduct, and the sources of his fortune. The book details his relationships with confidantes and employees, particularly socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as his connections to powerful figures including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Donald Trump. Levine also covers Epstein's final days as a free man in Paris, his arrest at a New Jersey airport, and the circumstances surrounding his death in a lower Manhattan jail cell. Featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs, The Spider reveals how Epstein operated and avoided accountability for so long, and how he drew others into his criminal network.