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Patrick Radden Keefe

パトリック・ラデン・キーフ

Patorikku Radden Kīfu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1976 （Dorchester, Massachusetts）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Dorchester, Massachusetts → New York City

Career

Occupations
writer, investigative journalist
Active Years
2005-2024
Affiliations
The New Yorker
Memberships
Guggenheim Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Fellow
Nominations
National Magazine Award nomination (2015, The Hunt for El Chapo), Ellies nomination (2016, Where the Bodies are Buried)

Education

Columbia University
Columbia College
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1999
Country: United States
University of Cambridge
International Relations
Degree: MPhil
Year of Graduation: 2000
Country: United Kingdom
Marshall Scholarship
London School of Economics
Degree: MSc
Year of Graduation: 2001
Country: United Kingdom
Yale Law School
Degree: JD
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States

Awards

Baillie Gifford Prize
2021
Work: Empire of Pain
Organization: Baillie Gifford
Result: winner
Orwell Prize
2019
Work: Say Nothing
Result: winner
National Book Critics Circle Award
2019
Work: Say Nothing
Category: nonfiction
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: winner
National Magazine Award
2014
Work: A Loaded Gun
Category: Feature Writing
Organization: American Society of Magazine Editors
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

2018 Non-fiction

Focuses on The Troubles in Northern Ireland, beginning with the 1972 abduction and murder of Jean McConville. Follows IRA members like Dolours Price.

The TroublesIRAmemoryviolence
Adaptations
  • [TV miniseries] Say Nothing (2024)

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

2021 Non-fiction

Examines the Sackler family's role in the opioid epidemic through Purdue Pharma's OxyContin.

opioid crisispharmaceutical industryfamily dynastycorruption

The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

2009 Non-fiction

Reports on the snakehead gang led by Cheng Chui Ping in New York City's Chinatown, focusing on the 1993 Golden Venture incident.

immigrationorganized crimeAmerican Dream

Chatter: Dispatches From the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping

2005 Non-fiction

Describes U.S. security agencies' eavesdropping on terrorist chatter, in the context of 9/11.

intelligenceterrorismeavesdropping

Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks

2022 Non-fiction

Collection of true stories about grifters, killers, rebels, and crooks.

crimehuman nature

Bibliography

  • Chatter: Dispatches From the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping
  • The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
  • Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
  • Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
  • Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks

Adaptations

  • Say Nothing (2024 TV miniseries)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
immersive journalismlong-form narrativestorytelling based on extensive reporting
Recurring Motifs
crime and justicepower and corruptionimmigration and identity

Legacy

A leading investigative journalist known for deeply researched non-fiction on complex social issues, winner of numerous prestigious awards, staff writer at The New Yorker.

In Popular Culture

  • In 2025, hired by J.Crew for a modeling campaign, achieving celebrity status unusual for literary peers.

Trivia

  • Attended Milton Academy.
  • Served as policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2010-2011.
  • Hosted the podcast Wind of Change, winning the 2021 Ambies for Best Podcast Host.
  • Won the 2024 USC Scripter Award (Television).