True Story
Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
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Narrated by:
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Michael Finkel
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By:
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Michael Finkel
About this listen
The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he'd taken on a new identity...Michael Finkel of The New York Times.
The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper's editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo's arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo's trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters.
With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo's family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game, sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel's pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn't even admit in court, the whole, true story. Or so it seems.
©2005 Michael Finkel (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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In this nightmare of identity theft, Oregon mass murderer Chris Longo (he killed his wife and children) escapes to Mexico where he assumes the identity of his favorite journalist, Michael Finkel, fired from The New York Times Magazine for falsifying facts in an article. After Longo is recaptured and jailed, Finkel gets in touch with him and begins a bizarre relationship. Finkel, as narrator, is matchless, telling all (both his story and Longo's) in an intimate, confidential voice, exposing himself and the killer as a mysterious, egocentric, and not always believable duo. Sometimes the explicit explanations slow the tempo, but Finkel manages to drive the story to a compelling climax.
Critic reviews
"This book is absolutely riveting, as much for Finkel's own painful self-examination as for the evasions of an accused murderer." (Booklist) "Astute and hypnotically absorbing....There's a burning sincerity (and beautifully modulated writing) on every page, sufficient to convince most that this brilliant blend of true-crime and memoir does live up to its bald title." (Publishers Weekly)
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Great Narrator, Untrustworthy Writer
- By MaxMiniTV on 04-15-16
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Son of a Grifter
- The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America: A Memoir by the Other Son
- By: Kent Walker, Mark Schone
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1988 a troubled young man and his flamboyant mother were arrested for murdering a wealthy widow in her New York City mansion. Suddenly America was transfixed by a pair of real-life film noir characters. The media couldn't get enough of the twisted relationship between Sante Kimes and her 23-year-old son Kenny. But the most chilling story of all was never told - until now. Kent Walker, Sante's elder son, reveals how he survived 40 years of "the Dragon Lady's" very special brand of motherly love and still managed to get away.
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CON PEOPLE AT THEIR WORST!
- By jaye on 07-03-17
By: Kent Walker, and others
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The Surgeon's Wife
- A True Story of Obsession, Rage, and Murder
- By: Kieran Crowley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 1985, in his exclusive Upper East Side Manhattan apartment, Robert Bierenbaum, a prominent surgeon and certified genius, strangled his wife Gail to death. He then drove her body to an airstrip in Caldwell, N.J., and dumped it into the Atlantic Ocean from a single-engine private plane. The next day he reported her missing.
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Well Written
- By Susie Q on 12-21-17
By: Kieran Crowley
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In Plain Sight
- The Startling Truth Behind the Elizabeth Smart Investigation
- By: Tom Smart, Lee Benson
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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This riveting inside story of the intense search for the Salt Lake City teenager who was kidnapped from her bed reveals never-before-told details of the largest investigation in Utah state history. Paced like a thriller, this true account moves between the parallel stories of the searchers and the abductor. Going beyond a mere eyewitness account, the book includes information culled from interviews with more than 150 people involved in the search and investigation, notes from family meetings, and memos from law enforcement officials.
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You are one strange man.
- By Dustin Izsa on 03-21-20
By: Tom Smart, and others
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A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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"A Rose for Her Grave" - the principal story of this collection - vividly recreates the cautionary tale of Randy Roth, a misogynistic sociopath from the Pacific Northwest whose rage was directed primarily at women and children. Addicted to his own greed, Roth exercised a powerful aura of control over his victims, using his ability to charm and boyish good looks to lower their defenses. By the time they saw the reality of the madness in his eyes, it was usually too late.
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I Think I Need A Break for Awhile
- By Susie Q on 09-30-17
By: Ann Rule
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Seduced by Evil
- The True Story of a Gorgeous Stripper-Turned-Suburban-Mom, Her Secret Past, and a Ruthless Murder
- By: Michael Fleeman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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As an exotic dancer at The Great Alaskan Bush Company in Anchorage, Mechele Hughes Linehan knew how to captivate men. Three of them were convinced she was engaged to them. Then one spring morning in 1996, one man, Kent Leppink, was found in the snow, shot in the head....Days before his death, Kent had removed Mechele's name from his million-dollar life insurance policy. He wrote a letter to his family stating that, should he meet foul play, Mechele would likely be among those involved. But she wasn't charged with Kent's death. She married a doctor, moved to Olympia, Washington, and began a new life.
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An intriguing tale with some twists
- By Brenda646 on 02-17-22
By: Michael Fleeman
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Killing the Dream
- James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- By: Gerald Posner
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the three decades since April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death in Memphis, scores of books and articles have questioned whether James Earl Ray, King's killer, acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy. Now, based on explosive new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence, best-selling author Gerald Posner finally resolves the simple truth of the last great political murder mystery of the 1960s, definitively proving that Ray acted alone.
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Enlightening
- By Thornton Mellon on 05-19-19
By: Gerald Posner
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Open and Shut
- By: David Rosenfelt
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But the fun stops the day Andy's dad, Paterson, New Jersey's legendary ex-DA, drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium.
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Does Anyone Else Notice the Missing Content?
- By pewter on 02-05-13
By: David Rosenfelt
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Unholy Messenger
- The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer
- By: Stephen Singular
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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To all appearances, Dennis Rader was a model citizen in the small town of Park City, Kansas, where he had lived with his family almost his entire life. He was a town compliance officer, a former Boy Scout leader, the president of his church congregation, and a seemingly ordinary father and husband. But Rader's average life belied the existence of his dark, sadistic other self: he was the BTK serial killer.
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It's a Christian Book!!
- By Nick on 07-07-16
By: Stephen Singular
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In Contempt
- By: Christopher A. Darden, Jess Walter - contributor
- Narrated by: Christopher Darden
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Abridged
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This number-one New York Times best seller is an unflinching look at what the television cameras could not show: behind-the-scenes meetings, the deteriorating relationships between the defense and prosecution teams, the taunting, baiting, and pushing matches between Darden and Simpson, the intimate relationship between Darden and Marcia Clark, and the candid factors behind Darden's controversial decision for Simpson to try on the infamous glove, and much more.
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Author-narrated/well-written - yet abridged
- By J.Chin on 06-28-16
By: Christopher A. Darden, and others
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Bringing Adam Home
- The Abduction That Changed America
- By: Les Standiford, Joe Matthews
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Before Adam Walsh there were no faces on milk cartons, no Amber Alerts, no National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, no federal databases of crimes against children, no pedophile registry. His 1981 abduction and murder, unsolved for over a quarter of a century, forever changed America.
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Well-told from the Law Enforcement Perspective
- By Jackie Cross on 03-12-11
By: Les Standiford, and others
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American Fire
- Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
- By: Monica Hesse
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Shocked by a five-month arson spree that left rural Virginia reeling, Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse drove down to Accomack County to cover the trial of Charlie Smith, who pled guilty to 67 counts of arson. But Charlie wasn't lighting fires alone: he had an accomplice - his girlfriend, Tonya Bundick. Through her depiction of the dangerous shift that happened in their passionate relationship, Hesse brilliantly brings to life the once-thriving coastal community and its distressed inhabitants.
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Narration is horrible
- By Bryan Campbell on 08-17-17
By: Monica Hesse
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The Real Lolita
- The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
- By: Sarah Weinman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved novels ever. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of 11-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the first time. Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
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Meandering and tedious while never delivering the promised story.
- By Timothy McCarthy on 09-15-18
By: Sarah Weinman
What listeners say about True Story
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Story
- Swapna Rajagopal
- 01-14-15
Didn't realize it was abridged!
The narration was so so. Story was not that great. Character development was very poor.
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2 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- Linda Rex
- 09-04-14
A fascinating and complex character
What made the experience of listening to True Story the most enjoyable?
Just knowing that it was true.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
How anyone could be such a con man and hold on to a seemingly normal wife and family.
Which scene was your favorite?
When Michael Finkel found out an accused murderer was using his identity.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When the little girl died
Any additional comments?
I love true stories! They are always stranger than the truth. I am looking forward to the movie with Brad Pitt.
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- Floyd
- 08-26-23
Good story
After working with criminals for 20 years i am amazed that anyone would have a doubt about the diagnosis. Or that the author would believe a word Chris told him. I liked that the author had some awareness of his own problems. Frustrated that the perpetrators reasons his thinking for his actions not clear at least to me.
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Overall
- Betty
- 05-22-09
The narration ruined it for me
The story is interesting, though I didn't find it spellbinding, but the narration is so bad that it
was hard for me to listen to. I agree with the woman who said it made her angry. Me too! I wanted to yell at him. Oddly stilted speech, lazy pronounciation, and a dramatic intonation at the end of just about every sentence was enough to interfere with the story.
In short bits I found it tolerable.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Stephanie
- 09-10-05
Instantly disliked Longo...and Finkle
I ended up being rivoted by this story, though I was immediately repulsed by the personalities of the two people the story was about, I suppose this is an indication of how good Finkle is with character development - I think this was his point. It was good to see that the horrific character "Flaws" in one man can bring about change in another...All in all a thought provoking riviting story...
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4 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- C. Curran
- 09-28-14
great story marred by a terrible reading
What did you like best about True Story? What did you like least?
It's an interesting and well written tale.
Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Finkel’s performances?
No.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
It's a shame they didn't get a better narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- Margarita Noyes
- 02-21-19
Thought provoking
This is a slice of life, albeit an ugly and disturbing one. It helps me to understand human nay. I think it is a valuable book.
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Overall
- Pat S.
- 04-03-06
Deeply Disturbing
I was not familiar with the story of Christian Longo and Michael Finkle until buying the audible book. Now that I have heard it, I can't forget it. Deeply disturbing because it's true.
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4 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- Derek
- 09-12-14
I felt slimy after this book.
Would you consider the audio edition of True Story to be better than the print version?
Not necessarily. Finkel did a fine job with the narration however his performance didn't add anything exceptional to the story.
What was one of the most memorable moments of True Story?
During the opening statements of the trial the description of the bodies was sickening. I have never felt so disgusted by a book. That being said, I eagerly finished the book.
What does Michael Finkel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
To hear, in his voice, the explanation from his previous firing was interesting.
Any additional comments?
If only this book was a work of fiction. Longo is scum and I felt filthy after listening to his story. I've never had this gut turning reaction to any book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Konstantin
- 04-04-08
Michael Finkel
Dear Michael, I just read your "TRUE STORY" book.
I wish you had more "true stories" to write about.
I felt in my soul every word you wrote. You are a true and tallented writer. I wish you and your family best of all your wishes.Thank You for the Book.
Konstantin Kupfer
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1 person found this helpful