This is a most timely and most welcome work. It is timely because it arrives just as the new procurement directives package of 2014 has come into force; it is most welcome because it addresses the very serious matter of corruption in public procurement with a comparative law perspective. The author has a mission – an ambitious and exciting one – to contribute to the awareness of the part that corruption still plays in procurement. It is one thing to have paperwork in order, to tick the boxes, as it were, but it is quite another thing to establish that there is no elephant in the room. Appearances can be deceptive, and the field of procurement is certainly no exception. Working from the experience and practice in Bulgaria, with comparators in the German and Austrian systems, Dr Georgieva offers the reader a clear and surprising insight into just how what might look above board is in fact decidedly underhand. The importance of transparency in procurement cannot be overestimated, although of course there are many aspects to compliance and successful high-quality procurement and procurement processes. The attractiveness of Dr Georgieva’s work lies in the systematic and almost enchanting way in which she peels back the veils of corruption, like a magician removing layer after layer of covers to reveal the hidden jack-in-the-box. This is a work with a pan-European message and imagery. While in some countries people think that procurement is straightforward, there is no Member State that is free from some form of diversion from the yellow brick road: a meeting here or there, a favour to someone’s family, a holiday or two in an agreeable location or even a straightforward brown envelope with some enriching contents. Corruption in procurement is not, thankfully, endemic, but it is more prevalent than many would like to admit.