Thank you to LibroFM and Penguin Random House Audio for providing me with an audio copy of Patrick Radden Keefe’s Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks.
Rogues is a collection of Keefe’s prize-winning essays from The New Yorker. As the subtitle indicates, the subjects in the collection vary, but are tied together with the commonality of existing on the fringes of society. All twelve essays are fascinating and worth reading, but personally, I was especially captivated by two of the essays.
The first standout was Keefe’s reporting on a criminal trial in Amsterdam, in which a sister testified against her mobster brother and is now living in hiding. Keefe traveled to Amsterdam and met with the sister, Astrid Holleeder, in a very tense and secretive situation, as although her brother is behind bars, she lives in fear of reprisal from his associates. She explained the fears of growing up with a psychopath brother and of the criminal element in Amsterdam, which is well hidden in the beautiful city that she loves. What struck me most about this article was the way in which Keefe wrote about Holleeder’s strength and defiance. She refuses to leave Amsterdam, even if she must live a secluded life. She stood up to her brother, even when the profits from his criminal enterprise helped fund the family, a situation in which many family members were happy to turn a blind-eye. Holleeder put everything in her life at risk to do the right thing.
The other story involved Anthony Bourdain. I had not previously heard of Holleeder or the situation in Amsterdam, but I was very familiar with Bourdain. The familiarity is what attracted me to Keefe’s thoughts on the deceased chef, writer and travel star. Bourdain’s eclectic career and brash attitude put him in squarely in the rebel category and make his life intriguing to outsiders. Keefe’s article gave me a taste and I wanted more, so I picked up Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential to read following Rogues.
If you love non-fiction that explores dynamic personalities and true crime, you must pick up a copy of Rogues. Keefe is a keen storyteller with a flair for the dramatic. His writing will take you to unexpected places.