Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks

Journalist Keefe has written about political upheaval in Northern Ireland (Say Nothing) as well as Empire of Pain, about the Sackler family and its responsibility for the explosion in opioid addiction. This is a collection of his long-form magazine articles that deal with the common theme of people living outside the law. There is a profile of Mark Burnett, the reality TV show producer who helped resurrect Donald Trump’s business and public reputation. There are also stories about rebels such as Anthony Bourdain, a vintage wine forger, an arms dealer, and Judy Clark, a death penalty defense lawyer who has represented many notorious criminals. Keefe has turned up a captivating backstory of a woman named Amy Bishop, a middle-aged, Harvard-educated college professor who went on a shooting rampage and murdered several colleagues. In some cases the author is able to talk to the subjects of his stories and in others he relies on interviews with others. The author narrates the stories himself and does so with warmth and animation, making them entertaining.