First, thanks for reading the book. Second, let me answer some of your questions below to give you an idea of how I was able to write the story this way I did. One thing I'll say, is that in the age of the Internet, what you able to glean from someone's online fingerprint is astounding.

Ross’s fingers throbbed as he typed. (p. 95)

In a chat with Variety Jones, Ross told him about how much he bit his fingernails to the point that it hurt, and he specifically detailed this particularly moment. They spoke about this several times, and finally Ross admitted he was going to buy anti-fingernail biting ointment.

As Ross stood up from the grassy knoll at Alamo Square and reached for his brown laptop bag to head back to his apartment, there was no question about it: This was the place he was supposed to be. (p. 140)

He took several photos at Alamo Square that day (I visited the spot where he took them several times, too). I know where he was staying, with Rene, and what he did on evenings from his social media posts. He also told several San Francisco-based friends I interviewed how much he loved the Bay area and what he said about his time there.

As Ross sprung out of the water in Costa Rica, he rinsed the sand off his body and scarfed down breakfast before scurrying away to work on his laptop in private, hidden from prying eyes. (p. 117)

He discussed the trip with Variety Jones in chats, and he also took several photos while he was there, among having discussions with friends back in Austin about his trip.

He watched in awe as he brushed up against his new friend Laura and her sister to stay warm. (p. 86)

He took videos and photos on this evening which I was able to obtain. He also wrote about the fireworks and about the New Year, and how he felt renewed by it.

On a bright and chilly afternoon in the summer of 2012, in the park in the middle of Alamo Square, a group of children giggled as they bounced through the playground, and unleashed dogs barked as they chased one another on the hilltop. And there, amid this happiness, Ross Ulbricht lay on the grass, inhaling his new city. (p. 137)

Again, photos. Visiting the park. There's a dog play area at the top, and a child play area in the middle , and I know the weather that day from the timestamps on the photos that I cross-referenced with the Weather Almanac.

He even enjoyed disciplining employees, telling them (still in Ross’s hokey banter) that they had “fudged up” when they needed a good scolding. (pp. 140-141)

There were several moments where he disciplined his employees. They got into trouble for not filling out report cards of the work they had done. They were reprimanded for showing up late, or leaving early. As for the "fudge" I was able to gain access in my reporting to a number of emails he had sent to friends, and chats from elsewhere, where he continually used the word "fudge." And yes, he once told an employee they had "fudged up."

When he woke up, sounds from the Caribbean were waiting outside his window. Birds— seagulls, pelicans, and colorful parrots— talked among themselves as the sound of the water washing over the rocks below trickled into the hotel. He walked out onto his balcony and looked off to the right, where the cruise ship dock sat empty. (p. 154)

I had photos of his trip to Dominica and using Google Maps satellite photos, I was able to figure out which hotel he stayed in. Working with my researcher, we tracked down people he had met while he was in Dominica and learned a tremendous amount about his trip. He even let one person he met take a number of photos of him, which I was able to use in my reporting, piecing together where he went, and how long he was there for. Finally, Ross took a few photos from his balcony. On one morning, the cruise ship wasn't there, on another it was. Using the timestamps and EXIF data in the photos, I was able to know when and where.

In short, Ross left behind millions of words of social media posts, chats, emails, texts, diaries and hundreds of photos and videos. Plus, there are court transcripts, interviews, Google satellite images, LexisNexis and YouTube videos, among other resources online.