Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade

I bought this book when it came out but for some reason or another -- most likely because I was watching "Up In The Air" on HBO for the hundredth time -- only got to reading it within the past week. It's a quick read, easily worth accomplishing over the course of three hours or so. Not because it lacks depth or anything, more so because it's written in a very breezy style. It hums along, pages quickly whizzing by. You'll be done before you even notice it. I wasn't especially knowledgeable about Clark Rockefeller before diving in, which to me, is important. If you are knowledgeable, you might find the book less interesting, almost pointless. Because it is far more memoir than true crime. It is, in effect, Walter Kirn's story of coming to know Clark Rockefeller. How they met, what those interactions were like, what they meant in the larger scheme of who Clark Rockefeller turned out to really be. The best parts of the book, in my opinion, were Kirn's wry observations, his sort of point blank affirmations -- this is how life is, this is what certain people are like, this is how certain people act, this is what it all means. I didn't find that he was ever too particularly preachy about how he, himself, fit into that narrative, although the story is ostensibly about him. He's in there, but not too far in there that it's off-putting. I say those are the best parts because the finer details, you can pick those up from reading other books. You could even dive into something as simple as a Wikipedia entry. But these parts, they suggest that Kirn thinks and feels and observes -- he is not content to merely do the work and state the facts. He is a person with opinions, and they are interesting ones. I recommend the book, for sure.

This well written account of the life of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (aka "Clark Rockefeller") by the novelist Walter Kirn -- with whom Kirn formed an actual friendship -- is a fascinating case study in how one man can fool so many people, and many ways, even fool himself. In that sense, it's a little bit like "Catch Me If You Can," the 1980 book by con man Frank Abagnale. The difference between the two cases is stark as well: Abagnale was a con man who did it for the money, and now advises companies on how not to get conned by someone with his skill set, while Gerhartsreiter is clearly just a narcissistic sociopath. The most fascinating part of the story is how Sandra Boss, the $1 million per year management consultant from McKinsey & Company, who could not figure out, in seven years of marriage, that her husband was an imposter, had no money, and was not a Rockefeller! Kirn doesn't do much to answer that question, although he does shine a light on the way he himself, a novelist, was fooled by Rockefeller for years and years. Kirn's background as a novelist is both the strength and weakness of this book. It makes for a easy, entertaining read, but sometimes the account is too fanciful, the writing too obscure. I would have appreciated something a little bit more straightforward, and perhaps with a little more investigation into the formal psychology of how we allow ourselves to be fooled.

BS is the most powerful force in the world, and "Clark Rockefeller" had it in abundance. However, after reading this book I still didn't quite understand how he pulled it off for so long. The author focuses on his own gullibility. I don't quite understand that either - surely there were enough red flags to indicate that is was not a good friend to have. While it's an interesting story and it's well written, I would have liked to know more about how he managed to get into fancy establishments, etc., without having a great deal of money. Yes, he probably sold a few forged paintings and mooched off his wife, but that will take you only so far. What the heck was his wife thinking? Perhaps we'll never know - Clark is such a liar that any explanation from him would be highly suspect. Three stars because it's interesting reading but it leaves some questions unanswered.

I didn't know much about Kirn until he started pairing with Matt Taibbi on Racket News. I found his social commentary and literary reviews intriguing. Then I discovered he was the author of "Up in the Air," which was made into one of my favorite movies. So I bought this book, and I'm amazed at the clarity and inventiveness of the prose as well as the storytelling. I've not finished it yet, but I've no fear in recommending it. It's not a difficult read, but it is very rewarding, amusing and insightful and like nothing else I've read.

Super Lieferung, auch guter Zustand und alles ist wie beschrieben angekommen. Vom Preis her natürlich unschlagbar, aber das wusste ich ja vorher. Vielen Dank!

A deep, psychological examination of a relationship with a serial liar, con man and killer. All true and highly recommended.

An extremely creepy tale told by an excellent writer. Kirn is brilliant at pointing out human foibles. The psychological aspects of this true story are so well observed and one is left questioning many things about human interactions. Entertaining and thought-provoking

Glänzend geschriebenes Psychogramm eines obsessiven Hochstaplers und seiner Opfer, gleichzeitig ein spannender Krimi. Der Erzähler ist eines der Hauptopfer. Der Fortgang der Handlung beschreibt einen Weg der Selbsterkenntnis. Auch eine kritische Darstellung des American way of life.

I was drawn to the story after listening to an interview with Kirn, who was promoting his new book. I vaguely recalled hearing about the character whose exploits are the excuse for writing this memoir, and I believed this book would provide a detailed account of the events and some insight into the mind and motives for the crimes. Instead this is a story about Walter Kirn, who became acquainted with a criminal by happenstance and inflated his own negligible role in the crimes into that of a major player in the drama. Not especially well written either, ridden with cliches and amateur psychologizing. After finishing the read I found some succinct, detailed and informative magazine articles that satisfied my curiosity about the subject far better than this book did. Hint: just google Clark Rockefeller.