3.5, maybe 3.75 stars.

Finkel is a great writer, and he well knows it. As expected of an acclaimed journalist, he does a terrific job sketching the scene based on Longo’s retellings; he also knows how to get to the bottom of the matter as far as is possible (though I’m less sure about his conclusions, I wasn’t there and he has first-hand accounts to draw from). Both stories being told, Longo’s murder “mystery” and Finkel’s own ethical transgression, are well-developed and draw sympathy; it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the narrative and forget that it’s all true.