Synopses & Reviews
Acclaimed New Yorker writer and author of the breakout debut bestseller The Lost City of Z, David Grann offers a collection of spellbinding narrative journalism. Whether he’s reporting on the infiltration of the murderous Aryan Brotherhood into the U.S. prison system, tracking down a chameleon con artist in Europe, or riding in a cyclone- tossed skiff with a scientist hunting the elusive giant squid, David Grann revels in telling stories that explore the nature of obsession and that piece together true and unforgettable mysteries.
Each of the dozen stories in this collection reveals a hidden and often dangerous world and, like Into Thin Air and The Orchid Thief, pivots around the gravitational pull of obsession and the captivating personalities of those caught in its grip. There is the world’s foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes who is found dead in mysterious circumstances; an arson sleuth trying to prove that a man about to be executed is innocent; and sandhogs racing to complete the brutally dangerous job of building New York City’s water tunnels before the old system collapses. Throughout, Grann’s hypnotic accounts display the power—and often the willful perversity—of the human spirit.
Compulsively readable, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant mosaic of ambition, madness, passion, and folly.
Review
"Grann's in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism." Booklist
Review
"Like the best of stories, each carries the spice of intrigue and the momentum of a search, either by the writer or his subjects. And, these stories...gallop across the globe....They're stories to share with friends, even if Grann can't be there himself." Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
"This book collects a dozen nonfiction stories by New Yorker staff writer David Grann that first appeared in that magazine and others. The best ones live up to the titillating promise of the subtitle....[A]ll 12 are evidence of Grann's abundant talent as a writer." Providence Journal
Review
"The sign of a lasting work of nonfiction is that it's still a gripping read years after its original publication has been consigned to the recycling bin. These pieces, without exception, meet that test....[Grann] excels at capturing people and showing what makes them tick. His subjects are always interesting and exceptional, if not always sympathetic." Miami Herald
Synopsis
Acclaimed
New Yorker writer and author of the breakout debut bestseller
The Lost City of Z, David Grann offers a collection of spellbinding narrative journalism.
Whether he's reporting on the infiltration of the murderous Aryan Brotherhood into the U.S. prison system, tracking down a chameleon con artist in Europe, or riding in a cyclone- tossed skiff with a scientist hunting the elusive giant squid, David Grann revels in telling stories that explore the nature of obsession and that piece together true and unforgettable mysteries.
Each of the dozen stories in this collection reveals a hidden and often dangerous world and, like Into Thin Air and The Orchid Thief, pivots around the gravitational pull of obsession and the captivating personalities of those caught in its grip. There is the world's foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes who is found dead in mysterious circumstances; an arson sleuth trying to prove that a man about to be executed is innocent; and sandhogs racing to complete the brutally dangerous job of building New York City's water tunnels before the old system collapses. Throughout, Grann's hypnotic accounts display the power — and often the willful perversity — of the human spirit.
Compulsively readable, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant mosaic of ambition, madness, passion, and folly.
Synopsis
DAVID GRANN is a staff writer at The New Yorker and
About the Author
David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the bestseller The Lost City of Z, which has been translated into more than twenty languages. His stories have appeared in many best-American-writing anthologies, and he has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The New Republic.