I've loved Radden Keefe's work since I picked up Say Nothing a while back, and I was delighted to get picked up for the ARC list of this collection. A little scattered in theme, I certainly wouldn't have placed the article about Anthony Bourdain in this collection even though it was a refreshing end, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Radden Keefe's writing style is empathetic, able to handle controversial and possibly rough topics with grace, which is what I'm always searching for in true crime. He's personable and personal, understanding that there's always a victim, and goes out of his way to give an analytical but also very careful perspective. I noticed this trait in Say Nothing, and it carried through here, particularly when looking at the Boston Bombing case and the Amy Bishop murders. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good essay, and loves a variance of perspective.

I didn't realize when I requested an arc of Rogues that it was a repackaging of articles published in the New Yorker; which on its face isn't an issue, but I wish I'd looked into it more before committing to the book.
I loved the first article about fraudulent wine sales - which emobdies the title of Rogue - my favourite crimes are victimless ones (which, to me, selling fraudulent wine to a Koch brother is definitely victimless), however, as we go on to El Chapo - we've just lost the thread on rogueish behaviour.
The articles are interesting looks at various crimes and criminals, beyond the splashy headlines - however the lack of throughline with respect to the types of crimes turned me right off. I wanted more on scammers, than what we got.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc for review.

Another great book for those who are already Ganda of PRK. This is a collection of previously written articles/essays, and was great for a short attention span since they all cover different topics. His writing is as engaging as always.

I think overall this was well written, I have read a few titles from Patrick Radden Keefe. I did not read this in order which is pretty nice, if I wasn't feeling a story I would skip it and then go back to it. Lots of research and I found out so much I didn't know about arms dealers, if a whistler-blower for a Swiss bank (money laundering) was a "hero or fabulist". Overall it was a great book, some stories better than others but that is just a personal preference. The nice thing is if you really don't care about one subject you can skip it and read others stories

After finishing Rogues, I find myself immediately going back and questioning the title. A “rogue” is defined as “a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel. A playfully mischievous person; scamp”, and honestly, that language doesn’t feel adequate to capture the people Patrick Radden Keefe has written about here. Even the subtitle “True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks” barely covers the range of “roguery” that goes from someone like the druglord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (reputed to have ordered the murders of tens of thousands of people) to Anthony Bourdain (decidedly more scamp than scoundrel, he definitely seems out of place in the company of terrorists, murderers, and arms dealers.) In twelve long articles that have formerly been published in The New Yorker, Keefe shines as an investigative journalist who gets to the bottom of every story, and whether he’s writing about criminals, their victims, or his own reaction to a situation, he has a real knack for emphasising the humanity behind the headlines. Overall — and this isn’t Keefe’s fault — this collection made me a little depressed: There are so many bad people out there, hurting other people in the pursuit of money (which of course I already knew), and governments supporting the rogues if it suits their mandates (which of course I already knew), and victims struggling, fruitlessly, to find justice (which of course I already knew) that reading this all at once felt a little overwhelming. Consistently well-written and globe-trottingly fascinating, Rogues should be a satisfying followup for readers of Keefe’s recent bestsellers.