Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade, by Walter Kirn
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Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade, by Walter Kirn
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A USA Today Top 10 Best Book of Winter 2014 "Equals Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood as a nonfiction novel of crime.”―Gerald Bartell, San Francisco Chronicle
In the summer of 1998, Walter Kirn―then an aspiring novelist struggling with impending fatherhood and a dissolving marriage―set out on a peculiar, fateful errand: to personally deliver a crippled hunting dog from his home in Montana to the New York apartment of one Clark Rockefeller, a secretive young banker and art collector who had adopted the dog over the Internet. Thus began a fifteen-year relationship that drew Kirn deep into the fun-house world of an outlandish, eccentric son of privilege who ultimately would be unmasked as a brazen serial impostor, child kidnapper, and brutal murderer.Kirn's one-of-a-kind story of being duped by a real-life Mr. Ripley takes us on a bizarre and haunting journey from the posh private clubrooms of Manhattan to the hard-boiled courtrooms and prisons of Los Angeles. As Kirn uncovers the truth about his friend, a psychopath masquerading as a gentleman, he also confronts hard truths about himself. Why, as a writer of fiction, was he susceptible to the deception of a sinister fantasist whose crimes, Kirn learns, were based on books and movies? What are the hidden psychological links between the artist and the con man? To answer these and other questions, Kirn attends his old friend’s murder trial and uses it as an occasion to reflect on both their tangled personal relationship and the surprising literary sources of Rockefeller's evil. This investigation of the past climaxes in a tense jailhouse reunion with a man whom Kirn realizes he barely knew―a predatory, sophisticated genius whose life, in some respects, parallels his own and who may have intended to take another victim during his years as a fugitive from justice: Kirn himself.
Combining confessional memoir, true crime reporting, and cultural speculation, Blood Will Out is a Dreiser-esque tale of self-invention, upward mobility, and intellectual arrogance. It exposes the layers of longing and corruption, ambition and self-delusion beneath the Great American con.
8 pages of illustrations Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade, by Walter Kirn- Amazon Sales Rank: #551036 in Books
- Brand: Kirn, Walter
- Published on: 2015-03-30
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.30" h x .70" w x 5.60" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 272 pages
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, March 2014: An epigraph from Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley says much about what’s to come in Walter Kirn’s remarkable confessional: “He was versatile, and the world was wide!” When Kirn first met Clark Rockefeller, he was smitten by the man’s wealth and eccentricities. Coming off a failed marriage (to the daughter of Thomas McGuane and Margot Kidder), Kirn was a bit of a wreck, as was Rockefeller. The two men were drawn to each other. As the friendship progressed--into some uneasy terrain--Kirn ignored the clues “spread out for [him] to read,” and plowed ahead to become a confidant and enabler. Except, it turns out, Clark wasn’t a Rockefeller at all. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was, as Kirn puts it, “the most prodigious serial imposter in recent history.” He was also a murderer. So what did that make Kirn? “A fool,” he admits, “a stubborn fool.” This is a compulsively readable, can’t-look-away book and, ultimately, a brave piece of work. Kirn has laid himself bare: his failed marriage, his Ritalin reliance, his misguided allegiance to a sociopath. In exposing his own “ignorance and vanity,” what Kirn has really crafted here is the story of a bamboozled writer who for fifteen years ignored the big story right under his nose; who, in trusting his imposter friend, “violated my storyteller’s oath.” With Blood Will Out, Kirn has impressively restored his storyteller’s credentials. --Neal Thompson
From Booklist In The Journalist and the Murderer (1990), Janet Malcolm dissected journalist-subject dynamics. Here Kirn also covers that subject, but in the highly personal story of his being hoodwinked, professionally and emotionally, by a man he knew as Clark Rockefeller, a member of of the famously wealthy industrial, political, and banking family. Over the years, their often long-distance friendship faltered in suspicious ways, yet Kirn kept up hope, naively perhaps, considering the flaws and untruths he uncovered, disturbing occurrences Kirn chose to ignore. But when Kirn woke one morning to discover that his friend Clark was not even Clark, much less a Rockefeller, and going to be tried for a murder committed years ago, he decided to finally write about their relationship, questioning along the way journalistic integrity and the encounters between the subject and the writer. This tale’s a fascinating one (starting with Kirn’s road trip with a paralyzed dog) that is covered elsewhere (Mark Seal’s The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, 2011), but Kirn’s reflecting, musing, and personal dealings add a killer punch to this true-crime memoir. --Eloise Kinney
Review “[A] tight, gripping book…This bit of noir, from Mr. Kirn about Clark Rockefeller, is just right.” (Janet Maslin - New York Times Book Review)“In this smart, real-life psychological thriller, the fake Rockefeller is a zombie Gatsby and Kirn the post-apocalyptic Fitzgerald.” (Nina Burleigh - New York Times Book Review)“In this smart, real-life psychological thriller, the fake Rockefeller is a zombie Gatsby and Kirn the post-apocalyptic Fitzgerald.” (Nina Burleigh - The New York Times Book Review)“A gripping performance!” (Edmund White)“Has the power and insight and raw energy of an instant classic.” (Amy Hempel)“There is no finer guide to the American berserk than Walter Kirn.” (Gary Shteyngart)“The parallels with Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley are not lost on Kirn, who spends as much time trying to understand how he and others fell under Gerhartstreiter’s spell as he does relating the primary tale of the criminal himself. Kirn’s candor, ear for dialogue, and crisp prose make for a masterful true crime narrative that is impossible to put down. The book deserves to become a classic.” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)“Kirn bravely lays bare his own vanities and follies in this heart-pounding true tale; he examines the hold of fiction on the human imagination―how we live for it and occasionally die for it, too.” (Judith Newman - More Magazine)“The story of Blood Will Out is one of cosmic ironies and jaw-dropping reversals… What makes Blood Will Out so absorbing is its teller more than its subject. Kirn’s persona is captivating―funny, pissed off, highly literate, and self-searching. He’s also an elegant, classic writer… Add the highly readable, intricately told Blood Will Out to the list of great books about the dizzying tensions of the writing life and the maddening difficulty of getting at the truth.” (Amity Gaige - Slate)“[A] fascinating account of the imposter he considered his friend for 10 years… Blood Will Out is an exploration of a hoaxer from the point of view of a mark, and of a relationship based on interlocking deceptions and self-deceptions. The result is a moral tale about the dangers of social climbing on a rickety ladder―for both those trying to scramble up the rungs and those trying to hold it steady below.” (Heller McAlpin - The Washington Post)“A mélange of memoir, stranger-than-fiction crime reporting and cultural critique. The literary markers run the gamut from James Ellroy’s My Dark Places, and Fyodor Doestoevsky’s Crime and Punishment to Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley trilogy and Strangers on a Train. Kirn’s self-lacerating meditations on class, art, vanity, ambition, betrayal and delusion elevate the material beyond its pulpy core… Kirn’s belated acceptance of reality provides the most fascinating and frustrating element of this engaging, self-flagellating memoir.” (Larry Lebowitz - Miami Herald)“One of the most honest, compelling and strangest books about the relationship between a writer and his subject ever penned by an American scribe… Each new revelation comes subtly, and each adds to the pathetic and creepy portrait of Clark Rockefeller as a vacuous manipulator… The ending of Blood Will Out is at once deeply ambiguous and deeply satisfying. By then, Kirn has looked into the eyes of a cruel, empty man―and learned a lot about himself in the process.” (Hector Tobar - Los Angeles Times)“Kirn’s account of his friendship with this strange and terrible man cuts through the frippery of Gerhartsreiter’s outrageous affectations to reveal the Lovecraftian nightmare hiding beneath the J. Press blazer. Blood Will Out is a wise, deeply frightening, and potentially sleep-disrupting read… In the end, Kirn manages to transform his personal account of one of this century’s most aberrant personalities into a vessel bearing universal truths about narrative, evil, and the American Dream itself.” (Eugenia Williamson - Boston Globe)“Absorbing… If there’s anything rarer than a con man with Clark’s gift for the game, it’s a writer of Kirn’s quicksilver accomplishment… To have someone of Kirn’s ability write about the case from the inside promises exceptional insight into the way such tricksters operate and the even greater enigma of what motivates them.” (Laura Miller - Salon.com)“One of the most honest, compelling and strangest books about the relationship between a writer and his subject ever penned by an American scribe― Each new revelation comes subtly, and each adds to the pathetic and creepy portrait of Clark Rockefeller as a vacuous manipulator― The ending of Blood Will Out is at once deeply ambiguous and deeply satisfying. By then, Kirn has looked into the eyes of a cruel, empty man―and learned a lot about himself in the process.” (Hector Tobar - Los Angeles Times)“Engrossing… A haunting, pained and terrifically engaging self-interrogation.” (Charles Finch - Chicago Tribune)“A nod to a different canon of con men and tricksters: the protagonist of Melville’s The Confidence-Man, the prep-school clones of Leopold and Loeb of Hitchcock’s Rope, and Highsmith’s highbrow hucksters―all crossed with the shadows of film noir.” (Eric Banks - Bookforum)
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Most helpful customer reviews
227 of 260 people found the following review helpful. Disappointing and self-indulgent By Julia S. I bought this book after hearing Walter Kirn interviewed on NPR's "Fresh Air." I was looking forward to an in-depth look at someone with a serious personality disorder and worldview deeply out of step with reality. I expected this to be about the subject's issues; I did not expect the author's neuroses and self-absorption completely overshadow the murderer. I am not at all surprised Walter Kirn was taken in by "Clark Rockefeller", as Mr. Kirn's exceptional cluelessness seems to beg to be taken advantage of. My goodness, he graduated from Princeton but my goodness, he did not fit in, but in case you forget, he graduated from Princeton and my goodness, has rubbed shoulders with ALL SORTS OF WEALTHY PEOPLE. Golly gee whiz! It's no wonder he falls for the extremely unlikely circumstances in his VERY FIRST CONVERSATION with "Clark Rockefeller"-- but not surprising to this reader. And it just gets worse from there. (But oh, the author mentions AGAIN he graduated from Princeton.)The first chapter, of the bringing of a seriously disabled dog via pick-up truck 2000 miles from Montana to New York City, was excruciating for this reader: did it never occur to him that a dog with a spinal injury might have issues with urination and defecation? And did it never occur to him that long-distance driving with such an animal might be challenging? But thankfully, his mother comes to his rescue and....Even if you really, really really think there's more in this than you can get out of a Wikipedia article, rest assured, you'll find plenty of copies remaindered, at used book sales, and in the free bin at your local library. I feel terribly misled by NPR's interview, and I'm sorry I spent the money on a hardback copy of this book.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful. Disappointing By Tena S. I was so looking forward to reading this story. I mean, what an absolutely fascinating tale. How did this man get away with deluding everyone for so long? Why did he start? Why did he commit murder? Unfortunately, the author makes this book all about himself rather than his subject. If you want to read about Walter Kirn's troubles with drugs and wives and insecurity, you'll be happy enough. However, if you were hoping to read about the con artist/kidnapper/murderer you may have thought this book was about, you will be disappointed. I started getting disillusioned about halfway through, and was just plain irritated when I finished. Shame on this self-indulgent, narcissistic author.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Excellent writer, excellent powers of observation By Peter Meltzer Some of the negative reviews of this book have commented that it is more about Kirn than Rockefeller. There is some truth to this. However, it would be more accurate to say that it was more about their relationship than Rockefeller. Also, what would be the point of writing a straightforward book about Rockefeller himself? This has already been done on multiple occasions and by Kirn's own acknowledgement, done quite well. The book was written specifically because of Kirn's unique interactions with him. I also think that Kirn himself comes off somewhat badly in the book in terms of what his "friendship" with Rockefeller says about Kirn himself and I have little doubt that but for Rockefeller's supposed last name, the "friendship" would never have lasted. Of course, in fairness, Kirn is hardly self-exculpatory about his actions--to the contrary, he is extremely hard on himself about it.I would have given the book 5 stars just because I think that Kirn is such a wonderful writer and has such incredible powers of observation and analysis. There were a few things that bothered me however, which, cumulatively, added up to the loss of a star. First, as a few others have noted, the book is like a chronological pinball--it bounces all over the place. Forwards, backwards, forwards again, endlessly. To some extent, I see the reason for this, because it is in part about reflection on the past and it was never intended as a straight-ahead murder mystery. Still, I thought it was a bit excessive. Second, I didn't really like the way Kirn went into fairly detailed plot summaries of movie after movie after movie (with a few tv shows and books thrown in for good measure). I felt that the book dragged at these points. Finally, he has an odd capacity for simultaneous self-flagellation and self-congratulation. For every time he has one of this "how could I be so stupid as to be sucked in by this guy" moments, there is another where he reminds us (and possibly himself) of his gilded resume, including Princeton (seemingly 1000 mentions), Oxford (ditto), being a published novelist whose books have been made into movies, a magazine cover story writer, etc. etc. I understand the desire to point out this odd juxtaposition at least once but it seems that he did so repeatedly. Still, on balance, I certainly recommend the book.
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