Leaders & Notable People
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Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing-and one of the most decorated journalists of our time-twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue
"I read everything he writes. Every time he writes a book, I read it. Every time he writes an article, I read it … he's a national treasure." -Rachel Maddow
"Patrick Radden Keefe is a brilliant writer, and each of these pieces reminds you that this world and the people in it are more interesting, complicated and moving than you had allowed yourself to imagine. ROGUES is a marvel, showcasing the work of a reporter at the absolute top of his game." -Daniel Alarcón, author of The King is Always Above the People
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.
"I read everything he writes. Every time he writes a book, I read it. Every time he writes an article, I read it … he's a national treasure." -Rachel Maddow
"Patrick Radden Keefe is a brilliant writer, and each of these pieces reminds you that this world and the people in it are more interesting, complicated and moving than you had allowed yourself to imagine. ROGUES is a marvel, showcasing the work of a reporter at the absolute top of his game." -Daniel Alarcón, author of The King is Always Above the People
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.
Editorial Reviews
New York Times Bestseller
"A new book by Keefe means drop everything and close the blinds; you'll be turning pages for hours. "Rogues" is a collection of Keefe's New Yorker articles about criminals and con artists and more. It's highly entertaining, of course, but what shines through most brightly is Keefe's fascination with what makes us human even when we're at our most imperfect."
-Los Angeles Times
"Rogues is a wonderful book, not only because Keefe's prose is masterful, but because he has a preternatural gift for reading people."
- NPR
"Extraordinary"
- Wall Street Journal
"One of the finest non-fiction writers of his generation"
- Toronto Star
"A king of contemporary nonfiction"
- Entertainment Weekly
"Iconic...Keefe delivers masterpieces"
- Oprah Daily
"[Keefe] makes full use of journalistic tools for fact-finding: keen observation, meticulous research and insightful interviews ... As a result, each essay is a taut, highly honed yet powerful reflection on the creative and corrosive effects of obsession."
- Bookpage (starred)
From the prize-winning, bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing-and one of the most decorated journalists of our time-twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue.
- Bookshop
"A new book by Keefe means drop everything and close the blinds; you'll be turning pages for hours. "Rogues" is a collection of Keefe's New Yorker articles about criminals and con artists and more. It's highly entertaining, of course, but what shines through most brightly is Keefe's fascination with what makes us human even when we're at our most imperfect."
-Los Angeles Times
"Rogues is a wonderful book, not only because Keefe's prose is masterful, but because he has a preternatural gift for reading people."
- NPR
"Extraordinary"
- Wall Street Journal
"One of the finest non-fiction writers of his generation"
- Toronto Star
"A king of contemporary nonfiction"
- Entertainment Weekly
"Iconic...Keefe delivers masterpieces"
- Oprah Daily
"[Keefe] makes full use of journalistic tools for fact-finding: keen observation, meticulous research and insightful interviews ... As a result, each essay is a taut, highly honed yet powerful reflection on the creative and corrosive effects of obsession."
- Bookpage (starred)
From the prize-winning, bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing-and one of the most decorated journalists of our time-twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue.
- Bookshop
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle
Fabulous writing joins with a deep appreciation for the subject matters. If I only if I could be a writer like Mr. Keefe. Another home run like his earlier books.
Brian Lewis
In a prologue, Keefe describes a "write around" as a profile in which the author is denied direct access to the subject of the story Keefe admits that of necessity, he has come to almost specialize in it. This makes me wonder if Keefe has perhaps benefitted from the practice of learning such a technique. That is if, once denied access, he has learned to pursue every possible angle to cover the story. Perhaps he carries that over, even when he does interview the subject directly. There has to be some explanation for Keefe being so much better at this than everyone else. In the last several years Keefe has developed into one of my favorite writers. His two most recent books, Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, were each, in my view, the best non fiction books of the years in which they were published. As much as I enjoyed this, I kept wondering if Keefe could have done a book length treatment of any of the dozen profiles here. The longer length, I feel better plays to his strengths as a journalist. We do meet a rogues gallery in this, including international arms dealers and high finance con men. But the book also deals with the people around and in pursuit of the rouges. We spend as much time with cops as with robbers. The article on the notorious Mexican drug dealer El Chapo, is more about the hunt for El Chapo, than the gangster himself. Judy Clark, the defense lawyer whose opposition to the death penalty led her to defend the Boston Marathon bomber in court is the subject of another chapter. Also, we meet Mark Burnett, the TV producer of The Apprentice, who redeemed the reputation of a bankrupt NYC real estate developer. Highly recommended, just like his previous stuff, Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. Heck, I'll even recommend his next book. I know I will be reading it.
