Andy Kroll

A Death on W Street by Andy Kroll far surpassed my expectations as both investigative journalism and good reading.

I have to admit I came to this half expecting just a bunch of sensationalism interspersed with some analysis. Well, some degree of sensationalism is unavoidable when writing about an incident that took on a life of its own, but nothing here is simply for that sake. Learning more specifically who said what and shared what became every bit as interesting as the most intricately show more plotted novel, except this was actually happening.

I also expected to bemoan the very existence of entertainment networks masquerading as news agencies, and I did. What Kroll didn't contribute to was just bellyaching about it. The ugliness that social media and faux news networks can sometimes perpetrate is looked at more closely, and while fingers can certainly be pointed at many vile members of both, it also, for me, highlights the amazing willingness of people to accept even the most asinine stories if it casts people they disagree with in a bad light. We are also the problem.

Highly recommended for both the journalism and the fact it is just a plain old good book. Come for the research, stay for the writing.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Not my usual kind of read so my review may not be that helpful (or accurate). "A Death of on Wall Street" covers in great detail the murder of Seth Rich and the resulting landslide of political conspiracies that followed. The author lays out all the characters and the web craziness/paranoia that followed the sad event.
I found the book fairly depressing as the extent and cruelty of the current conspiracy craze is laid out. Were there only political costs, that would be one thing. But the show more author also makes clear the painful emotional consequences of the political mania on Rich's family. A good read if you want lots of detail and you don't mind adding to your existing cynicism regarding the US political process. show less