Patrick Radden Keefe has compiled some of his finest work in "Rogues," putting his gifts as an investigator and interviewer on full display in this collection of memorable pieces about the worst of the worst.
Subtitled "True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks," the book leaves the reader wondering just how Keefe got close enough to secure the details and minutiae of these tales. Some of the stories are harrowing in retrospect (Mark Burnett and Donald Trump, Steve Cohen, and Anthony Bourdain), but the author's meticulous nature overcomes the occasional sense that the subject's voice is missing.
As an aside, I'm an unabashed Mets fan, so I was disappointed but not surprised to see just how awful Cohen -- the team's owner -- is. You can bet that anyone with his amount of money is a massive cheat and crook, but the extent to which this is revealed is pretty staggering.
Keefe can by wry and sardonic, making "Rogue" a fascinating and revealing read -- while serving as a timely reminder that he is one of our nation's very finest journalists.
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