The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession

Throughout, Grann’s hypnotic accounts display the power—and often the willful perversity—of the human spirit. prison system, tracking down a chameleon con artist in Europe, or riding in a cyclone- tossed skiff with a scientist hunting the elusive giant squid, David Grann revels in telling stories that explore the nature of obsession and that piece together true and unforgettable mysteries. Each of the dozen stories in this collection reveals a hidden and often dangerous world and, like Into Thin Air and The Orchid Thief, pivot

Are there any characteristics that these individuals share?David Grann: Yes, as you mention, many of the characters are compelled by an obsession, even if the object of their obsession is very different. The other thing that many of them share is a curiosity and a hunger to explain, like Sherlock Holmes, the world around them--whether it be the unexplored sea, an underground empire, a secret prison gang, or a mysterious murder.: Many of these stories are rooted in ambiguous circumstances. "Almost a football field.": Given the opportunity, are there any stories you would like to revisit in the future?David Grann: Most of the pieces hopefully capture the essence of a story and don’t need elaboration. : Have you stayed in touch with any of the individuals you wrote about in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes?David Grann: In the course of research

"Fascinating stories" according to EJ. I usually do not read collections of essays or short stories because they are rarely equivalent in quality, which I find frustrating. However, this book bucks that trend in that the vast majority of the stories are fantastic, though the last two stories were the unquestionably the weakest.Author David Grann is a writer for The New Yorker, and some of the essays in the book have been published els. "Truth far stranger than fiction!" according to Expressrune. Another outstanding read from this author. This book is a composition of stories by this author that appeared in various publications such as the NY Times magazine and others. Many of the stories brought back memories from news reports and one of the most shocking stories is of the Haitian death squad leader Toto Constant and his "free pass" from his atrocities. The face scalping they engaged in . "A collection of great non-fiction journalism that doesn’t really fit together thematically" according to Wesley Bob. I spotted this book because it was written by the same author who wrote “The Lost City of Z”. I enjoyed that book immensely and thought the author had a strong and very readable writing style so I checked out this non-fiction book. David Grann started as a newspaper reporter and then moved to longer from magazine articles. This book is a collection of some of his best articles and the