Heidi Blake Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Heidi Blake is a non-fiction writer best known for The Ugly Game book that exposed the rot in FIFA’s administration and the way the World Cup selection is made. The author also doubles as an investigative journalist for the Sunday Times. Throughout her career, Blake has done numerous high-ranking investigations and written a few stories. In true investigative journalist style, Blake has exposed stories of corruption, coverups, and the never-ending quest for power in her books.

The Ugly Game

The news that Qatar won the 2022 World Cup hosting rights came as a shock to many. How is it possible for a country without football tradition or even infrastructure to beat countries with better bids and more vibrant history with football?

With its high terror risk and summer temperatures that go up to 50-degree Celsius, it was odd that Qatar was selected among all the countries that expressed their interest in hosting the world cup. An inquiry on this revelation led to one of the biggest scandals in football history. A few people lost their jobs, and millions of people across the globe expressed their disappointment with the football body.

Immediately the inquiry started, corruption allegations began to emerge. Soon after, the Sunday Times Insights received millions of FIFA files from a whistleblower. It is these files that showed the world the corruption involved throughout FIFA’s bidding process. While FIFA’s shady dealings have been in the public domain for the longest time, corruption expose came as a surprise to many. Unfortunately, a body designed to promote football was working to the game’s disadvantage.

Heidi Blake is one of the Sunday Times journalists involved in the Qatar FIFA investigation. Together with Jonathan Calvert, Heidi gives a detailed account of what happened and the maneuvering, money, and politics that pushed Qatar into the limelight. There are also details of the people involved, including a plot to buy the World Cup by Mohamed bin Hammam, a senior football official in Qatar.

According to Blake, an elite cabal determines who gets the World Cup. The group gains a sizeable profit in the process. This is thanks to kickbacks the members receive from whoever wins the bid. Aside from the information on Qatar, this book offers details on how Blake and Calvert came by the information contained in this book. The story details the research process and the steps the two accomplished journalists took to check out the information and follow the leads provided by the original files they received.

The Ugly Game is an intriguing story that will leave you morbidly fascinated by the deep web of politics and influence that goes into organizing the World Cup. The corruption of FIFA global administrators is quite a contrast from the simplicity and beauty of the game. The allegations here have been met with denial, but the author makes a solid case. It is also true that some FIFA officials were arrested on fraud, money laundering, and racketeering charges in 2015. Some of the people detained are included in this book. The story is well-presented, and it is clear that the authors did their homework as far as getting all the facts right is concerned.

From Russia with Blood

From Russia with Blood tells the story of Russian assassins who left western spies in horror as the killers worked to take them down one by one. What was even mortifying is the failure of the government to protect its citizens. While the spies thought that England was a safe place to get away from the assassination threat, they were wrong as trouble followed them to their hiding place. The threat got real when Vladimir Putin died under suspicious circumstances, and the spies’ lawyers started dropping dead one after another.

M16 spies were horrified by Kremlin’s global killing. Across the Atlantic, intelligent officials were also concerned by the murder that continued to get worse every day. There were valid concerns that the killing could spread to American soil when one man was found brutally murdered in his home in Washington, DC. It is not until Putin’s assassins release a chemical weapon in Britain Streets that western governments accept that Putin’s assassinations were getting out of hand and something had to be done to stop him.

This book details the Kremlin assassination campaign while highlighting some of the reasons why the western government did not stop the bloodshed. The story takes the readers from high-end night clubs in London to million-dollar hideouts in Miami, where these rich men interacted with their friends. From this story, it is clear that Putin will stop at nothing to eliminate all his enemies. From organizing terrorist attacks against his people to establishing PR stunts aimed at improving his ratings, there is a lot that Putin did to keep power to himself and amass wealth.

Rumor has it that the spies once lived in opulence as they wined and dined with Putin and his friends. These people believed that once they replaced Yeltsin with Putin, they would hold power in Russia. To their shock, Putin would not let anyone run the show. They were forced to flee to the UK, where the law on fraud investigation was not as tight. What they did not know is that Putin would hire assassins to follow them there, and there was little they could do to escape Putin’s wrath. Little to no investigations would be conducted in regards to the killings when it was so clear that Putin was involved in every murder.
From Russia with Blood is a fast-paced story of betrayal, money, and murder associated with Russian assassins. The story is based on numerous unpublished documents as well as interviews with insiders, discarded police evidence, and a thorough international investigation by a journalist who is pretty good at her job. The author delivers a horrifying narration of Putin’s iron-fist rule and the cruel way in which he dealt with his enemies. The book focuses on the spies who went to hide in the UK when Putin rose to power. It also highlights their fate in the hands of ruthless assassins.