Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe

Doubleday 368 pp.

By Paul Markowitz

Patrick Radden Keefe, in this enthralling collection of articles that were previously written in The New Yorker over some dozen years, has reminded us once again why he is one of best writers of nonfiction working today. His last two books, Say Nothing and Empire of Pain were exhilarating rides through the varied stories of the cruelties of Sein Fein and the atrocities of the Sackler family of Purdue Pharma renown. These treatises were rightly recognized not only by being best-selling works but appropriately honored by the publishing industry.

Why Keefe chose these specific articles to put into this book he states in his preface, “They reflect 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.” Why we would want to read them becomes quite clear. They highlight the prurient interest of the average reader putting us inexplicably into another world that we may have read about but never lived in. With each selection one could imagine themselves amidst an immensely riveting and readable book unto itself. Each is an “enthralling but deeply human portrait of criminals and rascals” as well as those who oppose them. In addition, many of his articles are infused with shades of Hunter S. Thompson as he interacts with many of the individuals he reports on in his articles.

In this intriguing collection of what Keefe refers to as “write arounds”, the author 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 liar; spends time in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain, the renowned world traveler and chef; chronicles the quest to bring down a cheerful international arms merchant; describes the hunt for El Chapo; interrogates the brother of a Lockerbie victim as he attempts to confront the perpetrators; relates how an Israeli billionaire wrested the control of one of Africa’s biggest prizes – untapped iron ore ; and finally profiles a passionate death penalty attorney who represents “the worst of the worst” including Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber.

Perhaps the most current, relevant and intriguing of Keefe’s accounts is the one entitled ‘Winning; How Mark Burnett resurrected Donald Trump as an icon of American Success.”. In this truly fascinating selection the author describes how producer Mark Burnett who had already found fame in giving us The Survivor, Shark Tank and The Voice, would go on - after marrying Roma Downey of Touched by an Angel fame as his third wife- to find Christianity. Burnett would then proceed to develop The Apprentice. This according to Keefe would dramatically change the image of Donald Trump “not as a skeezy hustler that huddles with mobsters but as a plutocrat with impeccable business interests and unparalleled wealth.” In highly edited sessions Burnett would portray Trump not as a local joke with serial bankruptcies but as an icon of success with his catch phrase of “You’re Fired!” The rest was and is history.

The New Yorker, which has developed a cadre of superb writers who specialize in various subjects. Keefe seems to be their go-to guy when it comes to wild but true stories. With his abiding preoccupations he seeks the kernel of truth within. In Keefe’s own words he hopes that these articles which can take a year to write and an hour to read “illuminate something about crime and punishment, the slipperiness of situational ethics, the choices we make as we move through the world, and the stories we tell ourselves and others about those choices.” If his was the author’s goal, he has achieved it most admirably.