Patrick Radden Keefe

A collection of long-form reporting about criminals, frauds and forgeries of various types. I would like to start off by noting that I haven't finished this book (and may not), so the following is based off those sections I have read as indicated below.

I loved Say Nothing and was fascinated and infuriated by Empire of Pain. I'm not sure these magazine length stories go into enough depth to leave me satisfied.

• The Jefferson Bottles (2007), Palm Beach, Florida
Bill Koch's (brother to the conservative funders) purchased certain bottles of wine claimed to be part of a stash belonging to Thomas Jefferson. When he discovered he had most likely been duped, he grew determined to hunt down and imprison anyone who scammed him - and his first target was the legendary Hardy Rodenstock - a German collector who had an apparently remarkable knack for finding extremely rare bottles, throwing elaborate generous tastings and having wine critics in his pocket for providing the opportunity to taste elusive and expensive wines.

I'd heard about this story before (The Billionaire's Vinegar and Sour Grapes documentary), and the wine industry and fraud therein (especially the lack of verification and provenance at reputable auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's - despite in this case doubts raised by Monticello) interests me a great deal. But a member of the Koch family as a vengeful anti-fraud crusader because he got scammed is...not exactly Batman...

• Crime Family (2018)
About Dutch mobster Willem Holleeder, who was on trial for several murders (and was convicted of kidnapping the Heineken head), brought there by testimony from his lawyer sister Astrid who lives in hiding and disguise in Amsterdam.
He examines a bit the fiction Wim maintained of being the "knuffelcrimineel" rooted in xenophobia and racism, but on the whole this family drama feels more like an invitation to read Astrid's memoir. It lacks urgency and a definitive POV.

• The Avenger (2015)
Follows Ken Dornstein on his search to find the Lockerbie bombers as a means to grieve his lost brother David (and make a documentary). He eventually links the bombmaker - also thought to be responsible for a Berlin night club bombing - despite the turmoil of the revolution making it dangerous for him to go. The most damning part is where even Keefe acknowledges Dornstein's need for narrative flair when he films himself asking his kids about going to Libya to find the bombers. That feels so gross and exploitative.… (mehr)

This is a brilliant book, it feels thorough and well researched, sticks to a fairly narrow path of looking at the Sackler family and their family business and how culpable they are for the opioid crisis in America (and beyond), and how they tried to gain immortality with their patronage of the arts. There is some karma when museums start to refuse their money and remove their names by the end of the book, but it doesn't feel like they really accept their guilt or that full justice is done for all the lives destroyed. So its an infuriating book too, the sheer levels of unnecessary greed. It could easily be quite a dry topic, but is an absolute page turner, like Succession with its endless dreadful people doing dreadful things.… (mehr)