Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks
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- Author：Patrick Radden Keefe
- ISBN：0385548516
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Summary
From the prize-winning， New York Times bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain， twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue by one of the most decorated journalists of our time。
Patrick Radden Keefe has garnered prizes ranging from the National Magazine Award to the Orwell Prize to the National Book Critics Circle Award for his meticulously reported， hypnotically engaging work on the many ways people behave badly。 Rogues brings together a dozen of his most celebrated articles from The New Yorker。 As Keefe says in his preface， "They reflect on some of my abiding preoccupations: crime and corruption， secrets and lies， the permeable membrane separating licit and illicit worlds， the bonds of family， the power of denial。"
Keefe brilliantly explores the intricacies of forging $150，000 vintage wines， examines whether a whistleblower who dared to expose money laundering at a Swiss bank is a hero or a fabulist， spends time in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain， chronicles the quest to bring down a cheerful international black market arms merchant， and profiles a passionate death penalty attorney who represents the "worst of the worst，" among other bravura works of literary journalism。
The appearance of his byline in The New Yorker is always an event， and collected here for the first time readers can see his work forms an always enthralling but deeply human portrait of criminals and rascals， as well as those who stand up against them。
Patrick Radden Keefe has garnered prizes ranging from the National Magazine Award to the Orwell Prize to the National Book Critics Circle Award for his meticulously reported， hypnotically engaging work on the many ways people behave badly。 Rogues brings together a dozen of his most celebrated articles from The New Yorker。 As Keefe says in his preface， "They reflect on some of my abiding preoccupations: crime and corruption， secrets and lies， the permeable membrane separating licit and illicit worlds， the bonds of family， the power of denial。"
Keefe brilliantly explores the intricacies of forging $150，000 vintage wines， examines whether a whistleblower who dared to expose money laundering at a Swiss bank is a hero or a fabulist， spends time in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain， chronicles the quest to bring down a cheerful international black market arms merchant， and profiles a passionate death penalty attorney who represents the "worst of the worst，" among other bravura works of literary journalism。
The appearance of his byline in The New Yorker is always an event， and collected here for the first time readers can see his work forms an always enthralling but deeply human portrait of criminals and rascals， as well as those who stand up against them。
Reviews
Maudaevee
，
This was so interesting， I had a hard time putting it down！！ I love narrative nonfiction like this， when it’s this well done。 I will definitely look for more to read by Patrick Radden Keefe。
Kennedy
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Some stories were more interesting than others， but overall I was very entertained。 Since the stories were previously published as magazine articles， some were a little old， but the short follow-up of where things stand now was great。 It reminded me of David Grann's The Old Man and the Gun and The Devil and Sherlock Holmes。 Some stories were more interesting than others， but overall I was very entertained。 Since the stories were previously published as magazine articles， some were a little old， but the short follow-up of where things stand now was great。 It reminded me of David Grann's The Old Man and the Gun and The Devil and Sherlock Holmes。 。。。more
Rachel
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3。75？ As with any collection with no real overarching narrative， there’s gonna be some hits & misses。 Found the essays on mark Burnett/trump， anthony bourdain， Boston bombing case， & Amy bishop shooting to be the most intriguing。 I struggled to stay interested in the rest。
Katie
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ARC provided by NetGalleySo good！
Elizabeth
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2
Maria
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Having been listening to mostly romances lately， this felt a bit like vegetables。 A bit harder to get through， but interesting and good for you。 I reckon I would have liked it even more had I not binged it。 Each story deserves time to unwind in your brain， after the ending that is invariably both banal and an absolute gut punch。 No satisfying endings here， but that’s what you get for reading nonfiction I suppose。 ALC copy
Kayla Tornello
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This book showcased different rogues from around the world。 I enjoyed the variety。 It was interesting to find out about their lives in such detail。 I also appreciated that an update to the stories was included at the end of each one。 I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway。 Yay！
Migdalia Jimenez
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This collection of true crime essays， previously published individually in The New Yorker， is an excellent sampler of the genre - with stories ranging on Dutch gangsters， vintage wine fraudsters， mass shooters， the life and captures of ‘El Chapo，’ the Lockerbie bombing， and more。 Each essay is a world of its own， with Keefe telling an exhaustive， thoroughly researched story， complete with a brief update at the end of every chapter。 Based in fact， sometimes philosophical， and always humanizing， t This collection of true crime essays， previously published individually in The New Yorker， is an excellent sampler of the genre - with stories ranging on Dutch gangsters， vintage wine fraudsters， mass shooters， the life and captures of ‘El Chapo，’ the Lockerbie bombing， and more。 Each essay is a world of its own， with Keefe telling an exhaustive， thoroughly researched story， complete with a brief update at the end of every chapter。 Based in fact， sometimes philosophical， and always humanizing， this is investigative journalism at it’s best- providing deep dives in an easily digestible format。 This book is perfect for those who enjoy settling in with long-form articles and readers who enjoy their true crime on the less-bloody side。 It’s also recommended for fans of Keefe’s previous critically acclaimed books Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland and Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty。Full disclosure - I received a copy of this book from Net Galley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Em
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Keefe's writing is solid but pretty dry！ I have a hard time focusing on audiobooks as it is， so this one didn't hold my attention。 Keefe's writing is solid but pretty dry！ I have a hard time focusing on audiobooks as it is， so this one didn't hold my attention。 。。。more
Angie
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I was fascinated by Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain， so was eager to pick up this collection of some of his New Yorker articles focusing on some of the world's worst criminals， scammers， and villains。 His various profiles cover El Chapo， international arms dealing， defense attorneys representing the worst of humanity， and more。 My favorite articles were "The Jefferson Bottles" about wine forgery， "The Worst of the Worst" about a defense attorney who reprents some of the worst criminals， in I was fascinated by Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain， so was eager to pick up this collection of some of his New Yorker articles focusing on some of the world's worst criminals， scammers， and villains。 His various profiles cover El Chapo， international arms dealing， defense attorneys representing the worst of humanity， and more。 My favorite articles were "The Jefferson Bottles" about wine forgery， "The Worst of the Worst" about a defense attorney who reprents some of the worst criminals， including the Boston Marathon bomber， and "A Loaded Gun" about a woman who shoots her colleagues at a university。 。。。more
Steph
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I loved Empire of Pain and was really excited to get an ARC of Patrick Radden Keefe’s newest book Rogues。 The book is made up of short true crime stories on a variety of topics and each was fascinating！ All were of course very well researched and easy to read。 I loved the format because I could do one story at a time， set it down and pick it back up when I had a minute again to start the next one。 The only story that didn’t quite fit the book to me was on Anthony Bourdain。 While the book title d I loved Empire of Pain and was really excited to get an ARC of Patrick Radden Keefe’s newest book Rogues。 The book is made up of short true crime stories on a variety of topics and each was fascinating！ All were of course very well researched and easy to read。 I loved the format because I could do one story at a time， set it down and pick it back up when I had a minute again to start the next one。 The only story that didn’t quite fit the book to me was on Anthony Bourdain。 While the book title does include rebels， the other articles all focused on criminals making this feel like a bit of an odd duck。 I definitely recommend this one to true crime and non fiction fans， there is a great mix of interesting and compelling articles。 。。。more
Sarah
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I didn't realize when I requested an arc of Rogues that it was a repackaging of articles published in the New Yorker; which on its face isn't an issue， but I wish I'd looked into it more before committing to the book。I loved the first article about fraudulent wine sales - which emobdies the title of Rogue - my favourite crimes are victimless ones （which， to me， selling fraudulent wine to a Koch brother is definitely victimless）， however， as we go on to El Chapo - we've just lost the thread on ro I didn't realize when I requested an arc of Rogues that it was a repackaging of articles published in the New Yorker; which on its face isn't an issue， but I wish I'd looked into it more before committing to the book。I loved the first article about fraudulent wine sales - which emobdies the title of Rogue - my favourite crimes are victimless ones （which， to me， selling fraudulent wine to a Koch brother is definitely victimless）， however， as we go on to El Chapo - we've just lost the thread on rogueish behaviour。The articles are interesting looks at various crimes and criminals， beyond the splashy headlines - however the lack of throughline with respect to the types of crimes turned me right off。 I wanted more on scammers， than what we got。Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc for review。 。。。more
Anjali
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A collection of twelve articles by Keefe， excellently written and researched， mostly about various criminals around the globe。 The last article， a feature on Anthony Bourdain， definitely felt a little out of place in this book。 Some of the subjects were more interesting to me than others， and overall I have to admit to feeling a little depressed about how many awful people there are in the world and the lengths they'll go to achieve money and power。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for A collection of twelve articles by Keefe， excellently written and researched， mostly about various criminals around the globe。 The last article， a feature on Anthony Bourdain， definitely felt a little out of place in this book。 Some of the subjects were more interesting to me than others， and overall I have to admit to feeling a little depressed about how many awful people there are in the world and the lengths they'll go to achieve money and power。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for a digital review copy。 。。。more
Brian Jennings
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Patrick Radden Keefe is must-read nonfiction。 I even delight in the preface and acknowledgements。 This books reads like a collection of nonfiction stories and the Anthony Bourdain piece at the end is like the perfect dessert to finish it off: sour， sweet and satisfying。 I love the way Keefe lays out the facts for the reader， allowing you to make your own conclusion while not explicitly making value judgements - this is particularly seen here in "The Worst of the Worst" about lawyer Judy Clarke's Patrick Radden Keefe is must-read nonfiction。 I even delight in the preface and acknowledgements。 This books reads like a collection of nonfiction stories and the Anthony Bourdain piece at the end is like the perfect dessert to finish it off: sour， sweet and satisfying。 I love the way Keefe lays out the facts for the reader， allowing you to make your own conclusion while not explicitly making value judgements - this is particularly seen here in "The Worst of the Worst" about lawyer Judy Clarke's work on the trial of the Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev。 。。。more
Sam
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*Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC* Patrick Radden Keefe's "Rogues" is vivaciously researched and pleasingly cohesive for a book that presents so many unique people and places。 Whether writing about dining with Anthony Bourdain or delving into the world of international arms dealers （this book runs the gamut）， Keefe brings dynamic sources together to create distinct portraits of his subjects。 A compelling and often eye-opening read。 *Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC* Patrick Radden Keefe's "Rogues" is vivaciously researched and pleasingly cohesive for a book that presents so many unique people and places。 Whether writing about dining with Anthony Bourdain or delving into the world of international arms dealers （this book runs the gamut）， Keefe brings dynamic sources together to create distinct portraits of his subjects。 A compelling and often eye-opening read。 。。。more
Brigette
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The author of the excellent “Empire of Pain” and also a writer for the New Yorker has turned his magazine articles into a book。 If you’re familiar with the author you will recognize some stories （like HSBC and the documentary “Dirty Money”）。I have enjoyed this author’s work for years but haven’t spent time to read the magazine articles， so this book was perfectly up my alley。 The stories are the perfect length and are so interesting and well researched。 From banks， to the mob， El Chapo to Donald The author of the excellent “Empire of Pain” and also a writer for the New Yorker has turned his magazine articles into a book。 If you’re familiar with the author you will recognize some stories （like HSBC and the documentary “Dirty Money”）。I have enjoyed this author’s work for years but haven’t spent time to read the magazine articles， so this book was perfectly up my alley。 The stories are the perfect length and are so interesting and well researched。 From banks， to the mob， El Chapo to Donald Trump， there is something for everyone。The final story features Anthony Bourdain。 Perfectly written and so many quotes from the man himself。 Despite knowing the ending， it was heartbreaking to read the end。 It was like a silence and a light switch had been turned off。 The end。Excellent book on so many current and important topics。 I highly recommend picking up a copy of Rogues！ Thank you NetGalley for the arc！ 。。。more
Jessica
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A collection of articles written by Patrick Radden Keefe on various people who are outside the "normal" life paths。 Covering con artists， a death penalty defense attorney， El Chapo， a mass shooter， and an arms dealer among others， each chapter focuses on one person and their story。 All are well written， well researched， and explore the nuances of humanity in a unique way。 That said they all plum the darkest parts of humanity （with one notable exception and by far my favorite chapter: Anthony Bou A collection of articles written by Patrick Radden Keefe on various people who are outside the "normal" life paths。 Covering con artists， a death penalty defense attorney， El Chapo， a mass shooter， and an arms dealer among others， each chapter focuses on one person and their story。 All are well written， well researched， and explore the nuances of humanity in a unique way。 That said they all plum the darkest parts of humanity （with one notable exception and by far my favorite chapter: Anthony Bourdain， which captured his life in full dazzling effect）。 Like most people， I read and was captivated by Keefe's book， Empire of Pain， but hadn't read any of his other works （yet）。 This was a nice way to catch up on his articles without having to track them down。 Each section stands alone but has the classic Keefe attention， curiosity， and commentary that made me relish Empire of Pain。eARC from Netgalley 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
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Rogues: True Stories of Grifters， Killers， Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe is a collection of captivating short stories。 Consistently well-written and globe-trotting fascinating， Rogues should be a satisfying followup for readers of Keefe’s recent bestsellers。
Krista
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These are wild tales， but they’re all true， each scrupulously fact-checked by my brilliant colleagues at The New Yorker。 Together， I hope that they illuminate something about crime and punishment， the slipperiness of situational ethics， the choices we make as we move through this world， and the stories we tell ourselves and others about those choices。 After finishing Rogues， I find myself immediately going back and questioning the title。 A “rogue” is defined as “a dishonest， knavish person; scoun These are wild tales， but they’re all true， each scrupulously fact-checked by my brilliant colleagues at The New Yorker。 Together， I hope that they illuminate something about crime and punishment， the slipperiness of situational ethics， the choices we make as we move through this world， and the stories we tell ourselves and others about those choices。 After finishing Rogues， I find myself immediately going back and questioning the title。 A “rogue” is defined as “a dishonest， knavish person; scoundrel。 A playfully mischievous person; scamp”， and honestly， that language doesn’t feel adequate to capture the people Patrick Radden Keefe has written about here。 Even the subtitle “True Stories of Grifters， Killers， Rebels and Crooks” barely covers the range of “roguery” that goes from someone like the druglord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán （reputed to have ordered the murders of tens of thousands of people） to Anthony Bourdain （decidedly more scamp than scoundrel， he definitely seems out of place in the company of terrorists， murderers， and arms dealers。） In twelve long articles that have formerly been published in The New Yorker， Keefe shines as an investigative journalist who gets to the bottom of every story， and whether he’s writing about criminals， their victims， or his own reaction to a situation， he has a real knack for emphasising the humanity behind the headlines。 Overall — and this isn’t Keefe’s fault — this collection made me a little depressed: There are so many bad people out there， hurting other people in the pursuit of money （which of course I already knew）， and governments supporting the rogues if it suits their mandates （which of course I already knew）， and victims struggling， fruitlessly， to find justice （which of course I already knew） that reading this all at once felt a little overwhelming。 Consistently well-written and globe-trottingly fascinating， Rogues should be a satisfying followup for readers of Keefe’s recent bestsellers。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。）Of the twelve entries， these are a few bits that made me go Hmmm for one reason or another。 Could Rodenstock have become so proficient at making fake wine that his fakes tasted as good as， or even better than， the real thing？ When I asked Parker about the bottle， he hastened to say that even the best wine critics are fallible。 Yet he reiterated that the bottle was spectacular。 “If that was a fake， he should be a mixer，” Parker said。 “It was wonderful。” In “The Jefferson Bottles” （originally published in 2007）， we are introduced to Hardy Rodenstock: a German wine collector who repeatedly uncovered forgotten stashes of rare old wine （including， as per the title， a case of French wine intended for Thomas Jefferson with his name etched on the bottles）， which Rodenstock then sold for huge sums at auction。 The narrative primarily focuses on American billionaire Bill Koch — avid art and wine collector — who， when he was told that the various wines he had bought that originated with Rodenstock were probably all fakes， embarked on his other great passion: suing the pants off anyone who crossed him。 The article traces the investigation into Rodenstock’s sketchy career， explores the world of top tier œnophilia， and encourages us to join Keefe in feeling superior to the kitschy Koch （with his “cowboy room” [Keefe’s quote marks] filled with Remington bronzes and Custer’s firearms） as Keefe joins Koch in a glass of fine wine from the billionaire’s cellar。 This is the first article in the collection and I was immediately struck by two things: There is definitely a liberal political slant to Keefe’s writing and there’s a jarring out-of-syncness to reading out-of-date investigative journalism。 At the end of each entry， Keefe does update the story and this one ends in part with， “In 2018， Hardy Rodenstock died， at age seventy-six” and Bill Koch continues to pursue his lawsuits “very happily， to this day。” Dornstein ushered me up to the third floor， where two cramped rooms were devoted to Lockerbie。 In one room， shelves were lined with books about espionage， aviation， terrorism， and the Middle East。 Jumbo binders housed decades of research。 In the other room， Dornstein had papered the walls with mug shots of Libyan suspects。 Between the two rooms was a large map of Lockerbie， with hundreds of colored pushpins indicating where the bodies had fallen。 He showed me a cluster where first-class passengers landed， and another where most of the economy passengers were found。 Like the coroner in a police procedural， Dornstein derives such clinical satisfaction from his work that he can narrate the grisliest findings with cheerful detachment。 Motioning at a scattering of pushpins some distance from the rest， he said， “They were the youngest， smallest children。 If you look at the physics of it， they were carried by the wind。” In “The Avenger” （originally published 2015）， Keefe writes about Ken Dornstein whose older brother David was on Pan Am Flight 103 that exploded over Lockerbie， Scotland in 1988。 This was so interesting in the details but had a weird feeling as we follow along with an investigative journalist as he tells the story of an investigative journalist who was looking for answers in his brother’s death （Dornstein would go on to write the book The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky and film a three part documentary for Frontline called “My Brother’s Bomber”。） One thread that interested me in particular: The CIA linked the timer on the bomb that was planted on the plane to a Swiss electronics company whose owner doesn’t deny providing timing devices to the Libyan regime over the years， telling Dornstein “Switzerland is neutral， and I’m neutral in this thing。” Keefe reached out to this man and reports: In an email， （Edwin） Bollier told me that any suggestion that he was linked to the destruction of Pan Am 103 is a “despicable accusation” and a “fictional idea。” His email address， which I discovered on his website， is Mr。Lockerbie@gmail。com。 （And even though Dornstein was seeking， and found， bigger fish than Bollier， “rogue” doesn’t feel sufficient to describe even him。） （Mark） Burnett is fluent in the jargon of self-help， and he has published two memoirs， both written with Bill O’Reilly’s ghostwriter， which double as manuals on how to get rich。 One of them， titled Jump In！ Even if You Don’t Know How to Swim， now reads like an inadvertent metaphor for the Trump presidency。 “Don’t waste time on overpreparation，” the book advises。 At the 2004 panel， Burnett made it clear that with The Apprentice he was selling an archetype。 “Donald is the current-day version of a tycoon，” he said。 “Donald will say whatever Donald wants to say。 He takes no prisoners。 If you’re Donald’s friend， he’ll defend you all day long。 If you’re not， he’s going to kill you。 And that’s very American。 It’s like the guys who built the West。” In “Winning” from 2019， Keefe tells the story of producer Mark Burnett and his role in raising （and polishing） Donald Trump’s profile。 It would seem， from this article， that both Burnett and Trump are rogues。 Keefe recalls the 2016 Emmys where Jimmy Kimmel blamed Mark Burnett for Donald Trump’s resurrection， making it clear that Trump would have never successfully run for president had it not been for “the sneaky little crumpet-muncher” Burnett （who declined an interview with the author）。 In the concluding update for this story， Keefe writes that after Trump lost his bid for reelection， “He retreated to Mar-a-Lago， to plot his comeback。 If he doesn’t run for president again， it will almost certainly involve television， and if it involves television， it could very well involve Mark Burnett。” For the next two years， Soiles and a team of agents from the SOD pored over old case files， studying Kasser’s operation。 But gathering sufficient evidence of his involvement in various crimes was difficult， and pursuing Kassar for the Achille Lauro charges might be barred， because it would amount to double jeopardy。 By early 2006， Soiles and his colleagues had decided that they needed to attempt something radical。 Rather than try Kassar for a crime he’d committed in the past， they would use the strong conspiracy laws in the United States to prosecute him for something that he intended to do in the future。 They would infiltrate Kassar’s organization and set him up in a sting。 Many European countries have “agent provocateur” laws to guard against entrapment， but in an American court it would be difficult for a trafficker with Kassar’s history to protest that he was in no way disposed to clandestine weapons deals。 In “The Prince of Marbella” （originally published in 2010）， Keefe tells the story of fabulously successful international arms dealer Monzer Al Kassar。 Like Bollier above， who takes no personal responsibility for what anyone does with the timing devices he might sell to bomb makers， Kassar was able to position himself as a mere middleman between arms manufacturers and they who would rather buy their weapons without a papertrail。 This wasn’t technically illegal — and Kassar reportedly worked with the American government during the Iran Contra Affair — but the Americans eventually decided to go after him and they set him up in a sting operation。 The undercover buyers said that they represented Colombia’s FARC guerrilla forces， and as American Special Forces often teamed with the Colombian government to suppress the rebels， selling to FARC could be interpreted as intending to attack Americans （and based on Kassar saying on tape that he’d be happy for Americans to die in the conflict， he has been serving a sentence at a federal prison in Marion， Illinois since 2009）。 I have no love for Kassar or other underground arms dealers， but even as the sympathetic Keefe describes the sting， it sounds a bit roguish， too。 All told， Bourdain has traveled to nearly a hundred countries and has filmed 248 episodes， each a distinct exploration of the food and culture of a place。 The secret ingredient of the show is the when-in-Rome avidity with which he partakes of indigenous custom and cuisine， whether he is pounding vodka before plunging into a frozen river outside St。 Petersburg or spearing a fatted swine as the guest of honor at a jungle longhouse in Borneo。 Like a great white shark， Bourdain tends to be photographed with his jaws wide open， on the verge of sinking his teeth into some tremulous delicacy。 “Journeyman” from 2017 is an admiring biography of celebrity chef， bestselling author， and gastronomic world-traveller Anthony Bourdain。 Other than some early drug abuse， nothing about Bourdain fits into the “true crime” profile of this collection， but I guess plenty of people might have described him as roguish。 This was a hard one to read， knowing that this oversized personality would eventually take his own life， and it was definitely uncomfortable to read， “Bourdain often thinks about dying; more than once， he told me that if he got ‘a bad chest x-ray’， he would happily renew his acquaintance with heroin。” This is a strong article， an interesting read， but it did feel out of place here。In addition to the above rogues， we meet mass workplace shooter Amy Bishop; banker Hervé Falciani， who leaked the details of thousands of HSBC’s secret， tax-evading accountholders （“In France， Falciani looked like a whistle-blower; in Switzerland， he looked like a thief”）; Mexican druglord “El Chapo” （and as this article was mostly about the first great hunt for Guzmán， it was awkward for it to end with “they caught him but he escaped and was later caught again” and then have a parenthetical update that said “and he escaped again and was caught again”; jarring way to update the out-of-date）; there is insider trading， the modern-day looting of African resources， a Dutch gangster （as well as the abetting family who eventually turned on him）; and celebrated defense attourney Judy Clarke — who represents “the worst of the worst” in capital crime cases — and follow along on her failure to save Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar “Jahar” Tsarnev from the death penalty。 （In July 2020， the death penalty was overturned， but in March of 2022， “the court voted to reinstate it”。） Although interesting and probing， Keefe is definitely not impartial in his storytelling。 When billionaire George Soros is working behind the scenes on the world stage， he’s doing good; when billionaire Bill Koch says he wants to collect rare wines and never drink them （because collecting is the point）， he’s a bit of a clown; when Israeli billionaire investor Beny Steinmetz flips a mining contract （in what he calls a standard practise）， he’s a criminal （and by Keefe’s account， he probably is; Steinmetz is currently appealing a conviction for bribery）。 I did like how Keefe puts himself in the story — I enjoyed travelling the world with him as he follows leads and don’t really mind seeing the people he meets through his eyes — but for anyone expecting journalistic detachment， this is not that。 Still a highly interesting collection。 。。。more
booksandbark
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Thanks to Doubleday Books for the free review copy。Like so many other readers， Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty cemented Patrick Radden Keefe as a must-read author for me。 Keefe， an investigative journalist for The New Yorker， specializes in writing meticulously researched narrative nonfiction， usually on crime- or justice-related subjects。 But his backlist isn't very long， so I was excited to see that he was releasing a new book this year。Rogues is just as good as Empir Thanks to Doubleday Books for the free review copy。Like so many other readers， Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty cemented Patrick Radden Keefe as a must-read author for me。 Keefe， an investigative journalist for The New Yorker， specializes in writing meticulously researched narrative nonfiction， usually on crime- or justice-related subjects。 But his backlist isn't very long， so I was excited to see that he was releasing a new book this year。Rogues is just as good as Empire of Pain in its meticulousness， its depth of detail， and its impactful writing。 Rather than telling one long-form narrative， Rogues delves into several different true-crime stories， my favorite of which was a delve into the scam behind the Thomas Jefferson-owned Lafitte wine bottles。 And while some of the articles resonated with me more than others — Keefe's profile of death-row defense attorney Judy Clarke made me think about justice in new ways， while his exposé on African mining rights was frankly quite boring — I think that's actually a strength: there's something in here for everyone。 I will say， though， that the very last chapter （about Anthony Bourdain） seemed a tad out-of-place in this collection since Bourdain， unlike the subjects of the rest of the articles， was not involved in any criminal activity。 I discovered after finishing that the reason the Bourdain story was included was because Rogues， while presented as a new publication， is simply a re-print of Keefe's New Yorker articles in book form。 There's little new content， other than an introduction （written by Keefe） and brief， easily-Googleable "where are they now" addendums to most of the stories。 So while Rogues is a great book with objectively good reporting， you can probably save yourself $26 and get a free tote bag by subscribing to The New Yorker and reading these same stories there instead。 。。。more
BookStarRaven
，
I really enjoyed Rogues: True Stories of Grifters， Killers， Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe。 Ever since reading Empire of Pain， Patrick Radden Keefe has been on my must-read list。 Given that I’m a true crime fan， this new book was perfect for me。 This book includes many short stories of true crimes from cons to murder。 I really liked the short-form story format。 It meant my attention didn’t have to last too long while reading each story。 I’ve been busy lately and this book was perfect I really enjoyed Rogues: True Stories of Grifters， Killers， Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe。 Ever since reading Empire of Pain， Patrick Radden Keefe has been on my must-read list。 Given that I’m a true crime fan， this new book was perfect for me。 This book includes many short stories of true crimes from cons to murder。 I really liked the short-form story format。 It meant my attention didn’t have to last too long while reading each story。 I’ve been busy lately and this book was perfect for me to pick up in between the many different activities I’ve been involved in。 I also liked how he did some stories that I recognized while many others were new to me。I would recommend this book to anyone who likes short non-fiction stories or true crime。Rating: 4/5Genre: Non-Fiction/True Crime 。。。more
kelly ♥
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