Reviews
Praise forThe Devil and Sherlock Holmes: "A gifted storyteller, Grann has a Sherlock Holmesian gift for unearthing facts that are hidden in plain sight, presenting a crystal-clear narrative and letting his compelling cast of characters speak for themselves.....Easily worth the price of admission, a visit to Grann's rogue's gallery is likely to leave you with a sense, at once awful and awesome, of the profound desire we all have for recognition." --Portland Oregonian "Grann's obsession with how narratives are told is complex and compelling...But it's the basic stories themselves -- bizarre and fascinating, bolstered by exhaustive research -- that make the book so gripping." --TimeOutNew York Praise for David Grann's acclaimedNew York TimesBestseller,The Lost City of Z "At once a biography, a detective story and wonderfully vivid piece of travel writing . . . suspenseful . . . rollicking . . .Fascinating reads with all the pace and excitement of a movie thriller and all the verisimilitude and detail of firsthand reportage." -Michiko Kakutani,New York Times "All the pace of a white-knuckle adventure story . . . What a grand tale it is! . . . Thoroughly researched, vividly told, this is a thrill ride from start to finish." -Marie Arana, -Washington Post "Outstanding . . . a powerful narrative, stiff lipped and Victorian at the center, trippy at the edges, as if one of those stern men of Conrad had found himself trapped in a novel by GarcÍa MÁrquez." -Rich Cohen,New York Times Book Review "A fascinating account . . . Grann expertly juggles narrative . . . breathtaking clarity of scene and immediacy; any writer who can breathe life into letters written by scientists in the early 1900s deserves more than a hat tip. Grann brings Fawcett's remarkable story to a beautifully written, perfectly paced fruition." -Karla Starr,Los Angeles Times "V idly alive . . . What makes Mr. Grann's telling of the story so captivating is that he decides not simply to go off in search of yet more relics of our absent hero-but to go off himself in search of the city that Fawcett was looking for so heroically when he suddenly went AWOL." -Simon Winchester,Wall Street Journal "Fascinating . . . impressively researched and skillfully crafted narrative . . . a gripping journey into the unknown"-Chuck Leddy,Boston Globe "Wildly delivers the goods . . . an unfathomably riveting narrative"-GQ, "Horrifying, hilarious, and outlandish. . . . These straightforward tales grip you as unrelentingly as the suckered appendages of the giant squid Grann attempts to track down in 'The Squid Hunter.'" - Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) "A gripping read. . . . Obsessives get themselves into some interesting places. Grann is the perfect guide to take you there." - The Miami Herald "A dozen intricately crafted accounts. . . . Like the best of stories, each carries the spice of intrigue and the momentum of a search. . . . [They] will make your heart race and, at times, ache. They're stories to share with friends, even if Grann can't be there himself." - Cleveland Plain Dealer "Grann's obsession with how narratives are told is complex and compelling. . . . But it's the basic stories themselves-bizarre and fascinating, bolstered by exhaustive research-that make the book so gripping." - Time Out New York "Titillating. . . . Evidence of Grann's abundant talent as a writer." - Providence Journal "The most powerful essay I read this year was David Grann's 'Trial by Fire.'" -David Brooks, The New York Times "The truth is always stranger than fiction, even when it comes to murder mysteries. That's the take-home lesson of Grann's latest collection, which brings together 12 stories of real-life mysteries, each one stranger and more gripping than the last." - The Daily Beast "A gifted storyteller, Grann has a Sherlock Holmesian gift for unearthing facts that are hidden in plain sight, presenting a crystal-clear narrative and letting his compelling cast of characters speak for themselves. . . . Easily worth the price of admission, a visit to Grann's rogue's gallery is likely to leave you with a sense, at once awful and awesome, of the profound desire we all have for recognition." - The Oregonian "Beautifully constructed, highly improbably real life reports." - GQ (UK) "Eclectic. . . . Haunting. . . . Skilfully crafted. . . . [Grann] does not just tell these bizarre tales, he meets, interviews, gets to know and seems to understand many of his strange subjects." - The Irish Times "There is humanity in the writing, and it's all the more impressive that Grann manages to evoke it without drawing any attention to himself; his tales are first-person ones, but they don't foreground the writer in that manner so popular among magazine editors today. Indeed, his selflessness as a writer, along with his gentle rectitude, cause him to bear a resemblance to another hero who never hogs the spotlight: Holmes's assistant, Watson. Rarely does modesty produce such stunning results." - Bookforum "Thoroughly documented, well written and full of surprises." - Toronto Star "Grann's in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism." - Booklist "Chilling. . . . Poignant. . . . Haunting and gripping. . . . Gets into worlds that are otherwise invisible to us." - Daily Mail (London) "Grann is a worthy heir to Truman Capote." - Le Monde (Paris), "Horrifying, hilarious, and outlandish. . . . These straightforward tales grip you as unrelentingly as the suckered appendages of the giant squid Grann attempts to track down in 'The Squid Hunter.'" -- Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) "A gripping read. . . . Obsessives get themselves into some interesting places. Grann is the perfect guide to take you there." -- The Miami Herald "A dozen intricately crafted accounts. . . . Like the best of stories, each carries the spice of intrigue and the momentum of a search. . . . [They] will make your heart race and, at times, ache. They're stories to share with friends, even if Grann can't be there himself." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer "Grann's obsession with how narratives are told is complex and compelling. . . . But it's the basic stories themselves--bizarre and fascinating, bolstered by exhaustive research--that make the book so gripping." -- Time Out New York "Titillating. . . . Evidence of Grann's abundant talent as a writer." -- Providence Journal "The most powerful essay I read this year was David Grann's 'Trial by Fire.'" --David Brooks, The New York Times "The truth is always stranger than fiction, even when it comes to murder mysteries. That's the take-home lesson of Grann's latest collection, which brings together 12 stories of real-life mysteries, each one stranger and more gripping than the last." -- The Daily Beast "A gifted storyteller, Grann has a Sherlock Holmesian gift for unearthing facts that are hidden in plain sight, presenting a crystal-clear narrative and letting his compelling cast of characters speak for themselves. . . . Easily worth the price of admission, a visit to Grann's rogue's gallery is likely to leave you with a sense, at once awful and awesome, of the profound desire we all have for recognition." -- The Oregonian "Beautifully constructed, highly improbably real life reports." -- GQ (UK) "Eclectic. . . . Haunting. . . . Skilfully crafted. . . . [Grann] does not just tell these bizarre tales, he meets, interviews, gets to know and seems to understand many of his strange subjects." -- The Irish Times "There is humanity in the writing, and it's all the more impressive that Grann manages to evoke it without drawing any attention to himself; his tales are first-person ones, but they don't foreground the writer in that manner so popular among magazine editors today. Indeed, his selflessness as a writer, along with his gentle rectitude, cause him to bear a resemblance to another hero who never hogs the spotlight: Holmes's assistant, Watson. Rarely does modesty produce such stunning results." -- Bookforum "Thoroughly documented, well written and full of surprises." -- Toronto Star "Grann's in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism." -- Booklist "Chilling. . . . Poignant. . . . Haunting and gripping. . . . Gets into worlds that are otherwise invisible to us." -- Daily Mail (London) "Grann is a worthy heir to Truman Capote." -- Le Monde (Paris), "Horrifying, hilarious, and outlandish. . . . These straightforward tales grip you as unrelentingly as the suckered appendages of the giant squid Grann attempts to track down in 'The Squid Hunter.'" -Entertainment Weekly(Grade: A) "A gripping read. . . . Obsessives get themselves into some interesting places. Grann is the perfect guide to take you there." -The Miami Herald "A dozen intricately crafted accounts. . . . Like the best of stories, each carries the spice of intrigue and the momentum of a search. . . . [They] will make your heart race and, at times, ache. They're stories to share with friends, even if Grann can't be there himself." -Cleveland Plain Dealer "Grann's obsession with how narratives are told is complex and compelling. . . . But it's the basic stories themselves-bizarre and fascinating, bolstered by exhaustive research-that make the book so gripping." -Time Out New York "Titillating. . . . Evidence of Grann's abundant talent as a writer." -Providence Journal "The most powerful essay I read this year was David Grann's 'Trial by Fire.'" -David Brooks,The New York Times "The truth is always stranger than fiction, even when it comes to murder mysteries. That's the take-home lesson of Grann's latest collection, which brings together 12 stories of real-life mysteries, each one stranger and more gripping than the last." -The Daily Beast "A gifted storyteller, Grann has a Sherlock Holmesian gift for unearthing facts that are hidden in plain sight, presenting a crystal-clear narrative and letting his compelling cast of characters speak for themselves. . . . Easily worth the price of admission, a visit to Grann's rogue's gallery is likely to leave you with a sense, at once awful and awesome, of the profound desire we all have for recognition." -The Oregonian "Beautifully constructed, highly improbably real life reports." -GQ(UK) "Eclectic. . . . Haunting. . . . Skilfully crafted. . . . [Grann] does not just tell these bizarre tales, he meets, interviews, gets to know and seems to understand many of his strange subjects." -The Irish Times "There is humanity in the writing, and it's all the more impressive that Grann manages to evoke it without drawing any attention to himself; his tales are first-person ones, but they don't foreground the writer in that manner so popular among magazine editors today. Indeed, his selflessness as a writer, along with his gentle rectitude, cause him to bear a resemblance to another hero who never hogs the spotlight: Holmes's assistant, Watson. Rarely does modesty produce such stunning results." -Bookforum "Thoroughly documented, well written and full of surprises." -Toronto Star "Grann's in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism." -Booklist "Chilling. . . . Poignant. . . . Haunting and gripping. . . . Gets into worlds that are otherwise invisible to us." -Daily Mail(London) "Grann is a worthy heir to Truman Capote." -Le Monde(Paris), "Horrifying, hilarious, and outlandish. . . . These straightforward tales grip you as unrelentingly as the suckered appendages of the giant squid Grann attempts to track down in 'The Squid Hunter.'" -- Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) "A gripping read. . . . Obsessives get themselves into some interesting places. Grann is the perfect guide to take you there." -- The Miami Herald "A dozen intricately crafted accounts. . . . Like the best of stories, each carries the spice of intrigue and the momentum of a search. . . . [They] will make your heart race and, at times, ache. They're stories to share with friends, even if Grann can't be there himself." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer "Grann's obsession with how narratives are told is complex and compelling. . . . But it's the basic stories themselves--bizarre and fascinating, bolstered by exhaustive research--that make the book so gripping." -- Time Out New York "Titillating. . . . Evidence of Grann's abundant talent as a writer." -- Providence Journal "The most powerful essay I read this year was David Grann's 'Trial by Fire.'" --David Brooks, The New York Times "The truth is always stranger than fiction, even when it comes to murder mysteries. That's the take-home lesson of Grann's latest collection, which brings together 12 stories of real-life mysteries, each one stranger and more gripping than the last." -- The Daily Beast "A gifted storyteller, Grann has a Sherlock Holmesian gift for unearthing facts that are hidden in plain sight, presenting a crystal-clear narrative and letting his compelling cast of characters speak for themselves. . . . Easily worth the price of admission, a visit to Grann's rogue's gallery is likely to leave you with a sense, at once awful and awesome, of the profound desire we all have for recognition." -- The Oregonian "Beautifully constructed, highly improbably real life reports." -- GQ (UK) "Eclectic. . . . Haunting. . . . Skilfully crafted. . . . [Grann] does not just tell these bizarre tales, he meets, interviews, gets to know and seems to understand many of his strange subjects." -- The Irish Times "There is humanity in the writing, and it's all the more impressive that Grann manages to evoke it without drawing any attention to himself; his tales are first-person ones, but they don't foreground the writer in that manner so popular among magazine editors today. Indeed, his selflessness as a writer, along with his gentle rectitude, cause him to bear a resemblance to another hero who never hogs the spotlight: Holmes's assistant, Watson. Rarely does modesty produce such stunning results." -- Bookforum "Thoroughly documented, well written and full of surprises." -- Toronto Star "Grann's in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism." -- Booklist "Chilling. . . . Poignant. . . . Haunting and gripping. . . . Gets into worlds that are otherwise invisible to us." -- Daily Mail (London) "Grann is a worthy heir to Truman Capote." -- Le Monde (Paris)