Non-Fiction, History & Politics, London History, Philosophy & Social Sciences, Social Sciences & Sociology, Sociology
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth
Hardback Published on: 07/04/2026
Price: £22.00
Bookseller Reviews
View all
London Falling (to the underworld)
Patrick Radden Keefe is back with his first new narrative non-fiction since his Baillie Gifford winning Empire of Pain and once again he has left no stone ... READ MORE
Exceptional
This is a captivating and tragic true crime story that has elements of "Catch Me if you Can" and "Gangs of London", shaded by a Dickensian character study... READ MORE
Infuriating, heartbreaking, page-turning
Wow, can Patrick Radden Keefe write narrative non-fiction. The mysterious death of Zac Brettler and the subsequent investigation into his death takes us de... READ MORE
As good as it gets
Radden Keefe’s latest piece of non-fiction brilliance effortlessly melds crime investigation with the narrative of London’s changing past and present and f... READ MORE
Heartbreakingly gripping
I rarely read non fiction. So it comes as a surprise when I come across a book so gripping as this, to the point that I can't put it down or stop thinking ... READ MORE
London Falling
I have loved every Patrick Radden Keefe book and this was no exception. I read London Falling without knowing any of the details of the case of Zac Brettle... READ MORE
Enter the Criminal Underbelly of London
"London Falling" is meticulously researched, entirely gripping, and a fascinating look at London’s criminal underworld. It delves into Russian oligarchs, g... READ MORE
Incredibly tragic and fascinating exploration into London's criminal underbelly
I'm grateful to Pan Macmillan for sending me a proof copy of London Falling in exchange for a fair review.
I had no idea what to expect when opening this ... READ MORE
A Masterclass in Narrative Nonfiction
Patrick Radden Keefe you've done it again!The only writer to make me love non fiction, who keeps me engrossed and in shock throughout, like Say Nothing , i... READ MORE
Jaw-Dropping
With unrelenting skill, Radden Keefe unspools the tragic death of Zac Brettler, following trails of police misconduct, botched investigations (missing lead... READ MORE
Addictive
Radden Keefe takes you on an utterly immersive journey into London's underbelly; without ever losing sight of the fact that the centre of this story is a t... READ MORE
Compelling, tragic and illuminating
The heart of Patrick Radden Keefe's latest, compelling book is the tragic story of a young man who died in odd circumstances in 2019 and his parents journe... READ MORE
A masterpiece of tender yet incisive narrative non-fiction
This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of this year and Keefe did not disappoint! He approaches and investigates Zac and the Brettlers' story wit... READ MORE
The London we don’t see!
You know those books that make you late, that have you cancelling plans because it feels physically impossible to pull yourself away from the page? This is... READ MORE
A jaw dropping account of the lives of the London wealthy.
When London teen Zac Brettler died, part of the mystery his family were left to unravel was not only how he died, but how he lived. During his young life Z... READ MORE
Empathetic and insightful
The redevelopment of London in the latter part of the twentieth century from dereliction to glittering glass towers of ambition and wealth has been documen... READ MORE
Phenomenal
An eye-opening and fascinating look at a hidden version of London through the investigation of a family tragedy. Unputdownable and unforgettable.
Many ... READ MORE
Exceptionally Researched and Deeply Compelling
Difficult to give this less than 5* for the level of detail alone. The research which has clearly gone into so many different (seemingly unrelated at times... READ MORE
Synopsis
From the Baillie Gifford Prize-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing – a stunning story of corruption and tragedy in one of the world’s great cities: London.
In 2019, a London teenager, Zac Brettler, mysteriously fell to his death from a luxury apartment building on the banks of the Thames. When his grieving parents began their desperate quest to understand how their son had died, they made a terrible discovery: Zac had been leading a fantasy life, posing as the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
In his inimitably gripping and forensic prose, Baillie Gifford Prize winner and New Yorker writer Patrick Radden Keefe follows Zac’s parents on a dark journey to find out what brought Zac to the balcony that night – and how a teenager’s world of make-believe drew him into the city’s terrifying underworld.
London Falling is at once a devastating family tragedy, a riveting story of greed, power and deception, and an indictment of the culture that has transformed London into a haven for the malignant forces that have come to influence us all.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 9781035056279
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 245 x 164 x 35 mm
- Weight: 598g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allSimply unputdownable ….
In this scrupulously researched narrative, Patrick Radden Keefe turns his sharp eye to the death of Zac Brettler, a 19-year-old from an upper middle-class ... READ MORE
Terrific Read
This is brilliantly researched and written book about a tragedy in 2019. The back story involving dark money and organised crime in London is astounding.
Excellent
I recently picked up a copy of Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling, and honestly, once I started reading, I struggled to put it down. It’s an investigati... READ MORE
Thriller
This book reads like a thriller. It carries you along and you feel a degree of involvement. You want to know what happened to this naive young man who didn... READ MORE
Verified Purchase