For fellow practitioners, part of the pleasure of Keefe’s work comes from watching him ingeniously clear each hurdle without seeming to break a sweat. “Steinmetz, who made his name in the diamond trade, hardly ever speaks to the press, and the corporate structures of his various enterprises are so convoluted that it is difficult to assess the extent of his holdings” reads one characteristic setup. A typical Keefe narrative will tend to note the formidable obstacle course that stands in his way. It can sometimes seem as though Keefe’s interest in a subject is proportional to the reporting difficulties it presents, and his stories hold a particular how-did-he-do-that? fascination for other journalists.

Like Janet Malcolm, one of his influences, he’s unusually attuned to the self-delusions of both criminals and crusaders.

Keefe has never had a dedicated beat at the magazine, but “Rogues” highlights his obsession with the mechanisms of repression and denial. This summer marks the publication of “ Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks,” which collects a dozen of Keefe’s stories for The New Yorker, including his profiles of the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, the Hollywood producer Mark Burnett and the mass shooter Amy Bishop. A bestseller, it was followed by the hit podcast “ Wind of Change,” a picaresque tour of the Cold War’s cultural front, and last year’s “ Empire of Pain,” a meticulous investigation of the Sackler family’s role in the opioid crisis.įact-based, independent journalism is needed now more than ever. In 2018, he published “ Say Nothing,” a rigorously psychological account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Keefe’s recent output has cemented his reputation as one of the most popular and thrilling journalists at work today. This might explain why El Chapo, the Mexican drug lord and the focus of two of Keefe’s articles, wanted him to ghostwrite a book about his life - an assignment that Keefe politely declined. It is a testament to Keefe’s prowess that his subjects end up feeling more lifelike in his stories - more brazen, vulnerable, even sympathetic - than they do in their own memoirs and authorized biographies. In the years since his byline first appeared in The New Yorker in 2006, Patrick Radden Keefe has become known for his revealing portraits of powerful people who refuse to speak to him. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

Rogues patrick radden keefe