London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe 3

 

"For five years, the Brettlers had spent an inordinate amount of time poring over the mystery of Zac's death, and their diligence had exposed, at least partially, a matrix of power and secrecy and corruption in contemporary London, a dimension of their own city that they had never recognized before now."

I recognized this author's name when I began to see this title on the Bestseller List. I had read 2 of Keefe's nonfictions---Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. Both were captivating and I gave them high ratings. I am giving this one a 3---it made me want to finish but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the other two. There were so many characters to keep track of and so many were evil. Much discussion of the financial world and corruption left me cold, not to mention an unsatisfying ending.

I think between the subtitle: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth and the quote above, you have a short summary of this true crime.story. Zac Brettler is the 19-year-old son of Rachelle and Matthew Brettler who has been leading a double life and getting mixed up with some dangerous characters. Zac is caught on camera pacing the patio of a luxury apartment some time before his body is found in the Thames. Keefe writes "A lot of people in London have a story like this---about a body in the Thames. Every year, thirty or so bodies are retrieved from its waters." Guess that explains the title.

Zac's death was thought to be suicide but the people who knew him best did not believe it. The investigation was far from thorough leading the Brettlers and this author to keep searching for clues.