Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
At the center of Patrick Radden Keefe’s new book, “London Falling,” (nytimes.com/2026/04/08/books/review/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe.html) is a mystery: In 2019, a young man named Zac Brettler disappeared, and a few days later his body was found in the Thames River. Surveillance footage showed what appeared to be Zac jumping off the balcony of a nearby luxury tower, leading some to speculate that he had taken his own life. His family, though, didn’t quite believe that theory; though troubled, Zac, in their view, hadn’t seemed suicidal. Then the Brettlers learn that before his death, Zac had pretended to be the rich son of a Russian oligarch, and fallen in with a dangerous crowd in London’s criminal scene.
So what happened? That’s what Keefe attempts to answer in “London Falling.”
On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses the book with his colleagues Jennifer Szalai and Sadie Stein. You can follow along and add your own comments to the discussion here (nytimes.com/2026/07/31/books/review/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe-book-club.html) .
Books discussed on this episode:
“Say Nothing” and “Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe
“Reunion,” by Fred Uhlman
“Putin’s People,” by Catherine Belton
“Strangers to Ourselves,” by Rachel Aviv
“Days of Love and Rage,” by Anand Gopal
“Bad Blood,” by John Carreyrou
“Catch and Kill,” by Ronan Farrow
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We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
At the center of Patrick Radden Keefe’s new book, “London Falling,” (nytimes.com/2026/04/08/books/review/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe.html) is a mystery: In 2019, a young man named Zac Brettler disappeared, and a few days later his body was found in the Thames River. Surveillance footage showed what appeared to be Zac jumping off the balcony of a nearby luxury tower, leading some to speculate that he had taken his own life. His family, though, didn’t quite believe that theory; though troubled, Zac, in their view, hadn’t seemed suicidal. Then the Brettlers learn that before his death, Zac had pretended to be the rich son of a Russian oligarch, and fallen in with a dangerous crowd in London’s criminal scene.
So what happened? That’s what Keefe attempts to answer in “London Falling.”
On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses the book with his colleagues Jennifer Szalai and Sadie Stein. You can follow along and add your own comments to the discussion here (nytimes.com/2026/07/31/books/review/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe-book-club.html) .
Books discussed on this episode:
“Say Nothing” and “Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe
“Reunion,” by Fred Uhlman
“Putin’s People,” by Catherine Belton
“Strangers to Ourselves,” by Rachel Aviv
“Days of Love and Rage,” by Anand Gopal
“Bad Blood,” by John Carreyrou
“Catch and Kill,” by Ronan Farrow
Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’
Apple Podcasts (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-review/id120315179?mt=2) | Spotify (open.spotify.com/show/1q3tsOS9XhqgSslnyZyKV6) | Amazon Music (music.amazon.com/podcasts/d9314635-147c-409a-ae6a-fdf8358caee5/the-book-review) | YouTube (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMrbgYfVl-vT4J7V1XT3MD5GCSebQJay) | iHeartRadio (iheart.com/podcast/326-the-book-review-28076603/)
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
We Want to Hear From You
We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
