The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit by Evan Rail is an engaging exploration of absinthe—its colorful history, its place in culture, and the mysterious world of collectors obsessed with rare pre-ban bottles. While the core of the book revolves around the investigation of a forger who played the system to deceive absinthe enthusiasts, Rail’s narrative takes readers much deeper into the lore of the spirit itself.

I came away from this book with a far richer understanding of absinthe than I had expected. The history of this once-banned drink is more fascinating than I could have imagined. Absinthe’s medicinal properties, its rise to popularity in late 19th-century France, its ties to bohemian culture, and the propaganda surrounding its criminalization are all explored with depth and nuance. The book dives into the intricacies of the absinthe community—a world I hadn’t known existed—where collectors obsess over rare bottles and seek out legendary pre-ban finds that fetch astronomical prices. The allure of absinthe, both as a cultural artifact and a subject of fascination, is vividly brought to life through Rail’s careful research.

The story of the forger himself is equally captivating. This individual managed to rise through the ranks of the absinthe-collecting community, weaving a web of deception that would ultimately unravel, resulting in his dramatic fall from grace. It’s a thrilling tale of fraud and obsession, with Rail’s detective-like approach to uncovering the truth behind the forgeries making for compelling reading.

Rail’s writing is engaging and descriptive, with well-crafted narratives that keep the reader hooked. That said, there were moments when the book felt a bit repetitive, and the timeline occasionally jumped around in a way that made parts of the book feel unnecessarily long. Despite this, the story remains fascinating and highly readable.

Mike Lenz’s narration of the audiobook was a good match for the story, keeping me engaged from start to finish. My only minor issue was with some of the French pronunciations, which occasionally felt slightly off. However, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

What stayed with me after finishing The Absinthe Forger was the lingering mystery of absinthe itself. While I learned a great deal about its history and cultural significance, I found myself wondering which bottle or brand of absinthe I should seek out to experience it firsthand. If anything, this book left me with a deep intrigue about absinthe, its complex past, and the ongoing obsession surrounding it.

Thanks to RBmedia for providing an advance reader's copy for review.

ebook - 2 Stars
This should have been amazing [its about FREAKING absinthe after all] and it was deeply disappointing when it was not [not even remotely].
What we got was a jumbled chaos of a book [I had a hard time following just what time frame we were in as the author jumped around a lot], that at times was deeply boring [with a subject as exciting as this is, one does not expect boring] and often V E R Y pretentious, and by the end, I wasn't quite sure just who the villain of the story really was.

Audiobook: 1 Star
All I am going to say about this narration [that very much did NOT work for me] is that if you are going to narrate a book that has quite a bit of French in it, on should, you know, be able to actually speak French [while I recognize the difficulty of doing any narration at all, I do not think it should be above the reader/listener's expectation to have languages spoken correctly]. What was spoken was most assuredly NOT any French I have ever heard and it was so off-putting and disconcerting and just added to the overall mess this book was.

Thank you to NetGalley, Melville House Publishing/Melville House and Tantor Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable. This audiobook is a good mix of facts (both historicals and technicals) about absinthe and the underlining investigation the author exhaustively pursued into the sales of faked pre-ban absinthe.

The world of absinthe is so fascinating! How can you not love the muse and inspiration of Oscar Wilde or the Impressionists? This book is not only about its history but also about the people who indulge in it, and not only dead artists in the past, but real enthusiasts who are alive today and on social media. It is also about fraud and forgery (another subject I enjoy reading about). The very first time I learned about this beverage it was still banned. Nowadays it is legal to drink it, but this prohibition marked a big line for connoisseurs, and it has become an investment to acquire “pre-ban” bottles. The titular forger made a fortune faking them. To figure out how it was done, Rail interviews many, many people, some of them experts and others just witnesses. He gives a very rounded vision of what happened, even if (spoiler alert) he never manages to ask the forger himself. Mike Lenz is a good narrator, with a friendly and colloquial voice that makes it sound like he’s the author himself. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of his French pronunciation. Now, normally, this wouldn’t matter at all but, considering there are several quotes in the original language, it is hard to understand what is being said, and even the way he pronounces everyday terms like “Belle Epoque” is not correct. This is just a small detail for Francophiles, so I’m not sure it will bother anyone else. The production of the audiobook is excellent, with great sound quality. But it is the content that I enjoyed.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Tantor Audio.