True Story

Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa

By: Michael Finkel

Narrated by: Rich Orlow

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Now a Major Motion Picture starring Jonah Hill and James Franco, and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

When New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat and mouse. True Story weaves a spellbinding tale of murder, love, deceit, and redemption, following Finkel's relentless pursuit of the shocking truth.

©2005 Michael Finkel (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

slow reveal of a dark character

The origin of this story is already strange: an accused murderer uses the name of a recently disgraced journalist. Then, covering the story becomes the journalist's (ultimately successful) attempt at reviving his career. It's a fascinating look into the psychology of both the author and the accused murderer, Christopher Longo, through a long correspondence and the trial of Longo for murder of his wife and children. The narrator is unobtrusive. I'd recommend this for fans of true crime.

Better than the movie!

If you could sum up True Story in three words, what would they be?

Heartbreaking, Truthful, &

What was one of the most memorable moments of True Story?

The explanation of Mike Finkel's Africa story and the truth behind what he did and why he did it.

What about Rich Orlow’s performance did you like?

He did a wonderful job, was very easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but I didn't. It took me about a week.

Any additional comments?

The story is heartbreaking and sad. Mike Finkel got sucked into a twisted mans life and produced a true story.

Bizarre, Riveting, Heartbreaking

A bizarre, riveting, well-written story. A truth is stranger than fiction tale. I was so engaged in the book that I finished listening to it within 2 or so days, which rarely happens. I removed one star for the story because it is SO heartbreaking it will leave you stunned. It left me wondering if I should have listened to it at all. But ultimately I think it is valuable to explore such darkness to count our own blessings and to remind ourselves that people are much more complicated than we imagine. Just because someone SEEMS like "such a nice guy/gal" it doesn't mean they actually ARE. How many times has someone we thought we knew did something that shocked us? Why don't we ask more questions? Listen to our intuition more closely? What happens when we abandon our own ethics? Do we realize how capable the human mind is of rationalizing behavior in the most convoluted and frightening ways? These are questions worth asking ourselves and examining the answers we give to them.

Haunting & captivating.

If you could sum up True Story in three words, what would they be?

Will stay with you

Who was your favorite character and why?

Michael's curiosity

What about Rich Orlow’s performance did you like?

Was not distracting

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It really held me captive. Truly a haunting book but not iN a scary story type of way...because its all true

Excellent psychological journey to find the truth

I enjoyed the character exploration in the narrative. Every murder mystery is sad but this one is particularly sad because it’s true. The character descriptions are thorough enough to warn the reader to avoid certain types of people that lurk in plain sight

fell off towards the end

I understand that it was a true story and you can't change history. That being said, I really felt like I was being built up for a big ending that never came. It wasn't the history itself but the way the story was presented that made me feel that way. Overall the characters were interesting and the writing was good. I would recommend for a beach read.

enjoyable listen...

i found the book a little slow in the beginning but stuck with it...the 2nd half picked up quite a bit...interesting story and you're left not sure what to believe by the author's own admission given the main character is a compulsive liar among other things...

Incredible story!

I was fascinated by the author’s trusting attitude towards Chris Longo’s seemingly endless lies. I suppose most people want to believe that the other person is being honest. But at some point it had to have dawned on Michael Finkel that he was being played the fool. In the end Finkel did realize he was being conned. Of course it is easy for me to be critical since I was not there speaking with Chris Longo. Clearly he is a psychopath who has committed unspeakable murders. If a man ever "deserved" to die for his transgressions, Chris Longo belongs near the top of the list. If he is allowed to walk free after brutally killing his wife and 3 young children then going on a "vacation," then there is no such thing as justice for all those whose lives he destroyed or touched!

Michael Finkel writes beautifully, and he builds up the suspense very effectively. I decided to listen to this book after listening to his book, THE ART THIEF, which is one of the best books I have listened to in many years. I hope Michael Finkel will write more books, especially in the genre of art mysteries, art looting, art stealing, etc.

Excellent book

Great story. Super well told and keeps your interest. I recommend it for everyone . Well done!

Fascinationg read

Halfway through the book I realized how ironic the title was, as it became more and more obvious that the subject being assessed by the author was a compulsive liar. Finkel's honest story of friendship and entanglement with this character Longo provides as close a look as we're likely to get into the mind of this particular charming, intelligent narcissist capable of unspeakable deeds. Very very good, well worth the credit.