Go out and get this book. Now. This book is a meticulously researched non-fiction book that reads like a novel. It is, in a nutshell, about the grim, seedy, scary Russian oligarch world of London and the 19 year old that gets sucked into it, ultimately perishing.
Zac Brettler was 19 when he died. His parents were grieving and didn't understand why or how he died - he wasn't suicidal although everyone chalked this up to a suicide. But then they learned that he was posing as the son of a Russian oligarch who meets these really sketchy guys that now want something from him (but what, question his parents) and why haven't the police truly, deeply and carefully investigated his death? This book is Keefe's attempt to assist the parents try to figure all this out.
I loved this book. It's obviously meticulous in its research and the pacing is perfect, especially given the scope of what it is trying to cover. It drew me in so quickly that I read it at any moment that I could - waiting to pick my kid up, at lunch, waiting at the doctor's office - because I simply had to know what happened. A lot of the book has us in the seedy underbelly of London's financial world, and yet, I didn't shy away from it. This made the book and the story all the more compelling to me. I had no idea such a world existed. And of course there is Zac's parents, who are absolutely, and rightfully, devastated by the loss of their son. It was hard to not feel terribly for them. They carried themselves with dignity and were treated the same way by the author.
Such a good read. I look forward to reading Say Nothing.
