Author Guide · Investigative Nonfiction
Books Written by
In 1972 Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten, was dragged from her flat in Belfast by the IRA and never seen alive again. Patrick Radden Keefe began investigating after reading an obituary, and the book that came out of it, Say Nothing, became one of the most acclaimed works of nonfiction of the century. He followed it with the story of the Sackler family and OxyContin, and in 2026 with the case of a teenager who fell to his death from a luxury apartment by the Thames after posing as the son of a Russian oligarch. This guide covers all six of his books in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 books · Investigative nonfiction · 2005–2026 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Patrick Radden Keefe has published six books: Chatter (2005), about global eavesdropping; The Snakehead (2009), about a human-smuggling empire in New York's Chinatown; Say Nothing (2018), about the Troubles; Empire of Pain (2021), about the Sackler family; Rogues (2022), a collection of his New Yorker stories; and London Falling (2026), his newest. Say Nothing is where most readers start.
Where to Start with Patrick Radden Keefe
If you want the famous one
→ Say Nothing (2018).
If you want the most recent
→ London Falling (2026).
If you want corporate crime
→ Empire of Pain (2021).
If you want shorter stories
→ Rogues (2022).
All 6 Patrick Radden Keefe Books, in Order
Chatter
An investigation into the electronic intelligence networks led by the United States that monitor communications around the world, and what that “chatter” did and did not reveal before the September 11 attacks.
The Snakehead
The story of Sister Ping, who ran a vast business smuggling migrants from China into the United States from a shop in New York's Chinatown, and of the 1993 grounding of the smuggling ship Golden Venture off New York. Keefe conducted more than 300 interviews for it.
Say Nothing
The abduction of Jean McConville in 1972 becomes the thread through a history of the Troubles, told through the lives of IRA members, among them the sisters Dolours and Marian Price, and the long silence around her disappearance. The New York Times named it one of the best books of the twenty-first century, and it became a television series.
Empire of Pain
Three generations of the Sackler family, from the brothers who built a fortune in pharmaceutical advertising to the marketing of the painkiller OxyContin by Purdue Pharma and its role in the opioid crisis.
Rogues
Twelve of his New Yorker stories, from a counterfeiter of rare wines to an arms dealer and a woman who shot her brother, including the feature that won him the National Magazine Award.
London Falling
A teenager falls to his death from a luxury apartment by the Thames; afterwards his parents discover he had been posing as the son of a Russian oligarch and had fallen in with London's criminal underworld. The book grew out of Keefe's 2024 New Yorker article.
How Many Books Did Patrick Radden Keefe Write?
Six books between 2005 and 2026.
- Investigations — Chatter, The Snakehead, Say Nothing, Empire of Pain and London Falling. Read the entries →
- Collection — Rogues (2022). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Patrick Radden Keefe
His books are not a series, and each stands on its own. If you like Say Nothing, Empire of Pain is the natural next step; Rogues is a good way to sample his range.
A reading path
1. Say Nothing (2018)
2. Empire of Pain (2021)
3. London Falling (2026)
4. The Snakehead (2009)
5. Rogues (2022)
The years · 1976–2026
Quick facts about Patrick Radden Keefe
- Known for
- Patrick Radden Keefe is known for long investigative nonfiction, from The New Yorker to his books, above all Say Nothing, about the Troubles, and Empire of Pain, about the Sackler family.
- 1976
- Born
- 2018
- Say Nothing
- 2026
- London Falling
- Born
- 1976
- Grew up
- Dorchester, Massachusetts
- Education
- Columbia; Cambridge; London School of Economics; Yale Law School
- Works for
- The New Yorker, as a staff writer
- Podcast
- Wind of Change (2020)
- Prizes
- National Magazine Award; Orwell Prize; National Book Critics Circle Award; Baillie Gifford Prize; Guggenheim Fellowship
- Books
- 6, from Chatter (2005) to London Falling (2026)
The red mark is 2018: Say Nothing, the book most readers start with, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Orwell Prize.
How Patrick Radden Keefe Writes: The Long Investigation
Keefe's books usually begin as New Yorker articles and grow into years of reporting: hundreds of interviews for The Snakehead, archives and oral histories for Say Nothing. He has said his best stories tend to fall into his lap, as Say Nothing did when he read an obituary.
He structures his books like novels, following a few people through decades, so that a history of the Troubles or the opioid crisis reads as a story about particular families and the secrets they keep.
Patrick Radden Keefe on London Falling
Listen on OPB's The Archive Project →
Patrick Radden Keefe at Literary Arts' Portland Arts & Lectures, talking about London Falling, 2026.Frequently asked questions about Patrick Radden Keefe's books
How many books has Patrick Radden Keefe written?
Patrick Radden Keefe has published six books, from Chatter (2005) to London Falling (2026).
What is Patrick Radden Keefe's newest book?
His newest book is London Falling (2026), about a teenager who died after falling from a luxury apartment in London and was later found to have been posing as the son of a Russian oligarch.
What is Say Nothing about?
Say Nothing (2018) uses the 1972 abduction and murder of Jean McConville, a mother of ten, to tell the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Orwell Prize.
What is Empire of Pain about?
Empire of Pain (2021) is a history of the Sackler family and their role in the marketing of OxyContin and the opioid crisis. It won the Baillie Gifford Prize.
Footnotes
- Patrick Radden Keefe — Wikipedia
- Patrick Radden Keefe — Waterstones
- Patrick Radden Keefe — Seattle Arts & Lectures
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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