The trip became the beginning of a long and mutually selfserving relationship between the fraudulent clark and the writer walter. I first heard about the clark rockerfeller story while listening to a british radio interview with the american journalist and novelist walter kirn. Ripley says much about whats to come in walter kirns remarkable confessional. An epigraph from patricia highsmiths the talented mr. The accomplished journalist and novelist walter kirn. Born in germany, he is currently serving a prison sentence in california. In the summer of 1998, walter kirnthen a young novelist strugglin. After his own divorce, kirn, a dad, was sympathetic with rockefellers distress over a.
A true story of a murder, a mystery, and a masquerade by walter kirn. With its lurid title and bloodstained cover, walter kirns latest book is. Will out, a memoir of his friendship with the con artist and murderer, clark rockefeller. Excerpt from walter kirns blood will out business insider. His most recent is blood will out, a memoir of his friendship with the con artist and murderer, clark rockefeller. Walter kirns book blood will out to become tv series. Kirn, a novelist living in montana in 1998, agreed to help some friends by driving an injured dog to new york to deliver him to rockefeller, a new owner who had promised to rehabilitate the animal. In the summer of 1998, walter kirnthen a young novelist struggling with fatherhood and a dissolving marriageset out on a peculiar, fateful errand. In his late teens, gerhartsreiter moved to the us, where he lived under a succession of aliases while variously claiming to be an actor, director, art collector, a physicist, a ships captain, a negotiator of international debt. He is the author of eight books, most notably up in the air, which was made into a film of the same name starring george clooney.
In blood will out, walter kirn has created a fascinating, expertly paced, strikingly written ouroboros tale of two con artists circling each othera lowerstakes replay of a trope familiar from film noir two of a kind, night and the city, the usual suspects, the spanish prisoner, and the recent american hustle and even screwball comedy ernst lubitschs trouble in paradise remains the. While i waited for it, drinking cold coffee in my messy office above a westernclothing store, i. Walter kirns memoir about clark rockefeller, blood will. This shocking expose goes behind the headlines to uncover the true story of clark rockefeller, wealthy scion of a great american family, who kidnapped his own daughter and vanished. In the summer of 1998, walter kirnthen an aspiring novelist struggling with impending fatherhood and a dissolving marriageset out on a peculiar, fateful errand. The man in the rockefeller suit and millions of other books are available for instant access.
Christian karl gerhartsreiter born february 21, 1961 is a convicted murderer and impostor. He is the author of up in the air, thumbsucker, and lost in the meritocracy, among other books, and currently works as the national correspondent for the new republic. In the summer of 1998, walter kirn then a young novelist struggling with fatherhood and a dissolving marriageset out on a peculiar, fateful errand. Hes like a spore who blew in on a cosmic wind from jupiter. Walter kirn is the author of eight books and an ebook.
As a writer, he has published a collection of short stories and several novels, including thumbsucker, which was made into a. His other books include up in the air, thumbsucker both of which have been made in to feature films, mission to america, my mothers bible e book, the unbinding, she. Blood will out chronicles the 10year friendship between kirn and german con artist christian karl gerhartsreiter, who went by the name clark rockefeller. All summer ive been manacled to my desk writing a book about a former friend of mine, the impostor and convicted killer known to the world and. Walter kirn on being conned by a murderer telegraph. In the summer of 1998, the thenaspiring novelist walter kirn met and befriended a peculiar man who called himself clark rockefeller. It wasnt until six years later, in july 2008, that kirn began to learn the truth about clark rockefeller.
Christian karl gerhartsreiter, who calls himself clark rockefeller, entered court during his kidnapping trial in boston. Clark rockefellers chilling confidence trick fooled american society. Walter kirn born august 3, 1962 is an american novelist, literary critic, and essayist. Walter kirn up in the air, thumbsucker discusses his personal experience with clark rockefeller and speculates as to why the noted conman would have.
The author walter kirn was one of many to be taken in. So, he agreed to drive a halfparalyzed dog named shelby from montana to manhattan. Coming off a failed marriage to the daughter of thomas mcguane. Maggie mcguane, clark rockefeller, amanda fortini, princeton. In 2008, clark rockefeller kidnapped his daughter and led police on a. When walter kirn a widely published author of novels, essays and reportage and an allaround observer of humanity met clark rockefeller, he. Unfortunately, this book is more about walter kirn than his subject, and kirn is certainly not. The true story of murder, a mystery and a masquerade, walter kirn tells the tale of his 10year friendship with a man he knew as clark rockefeller, but whose real.
There is his ivy league iteration, his sucker iteration. Clark rockefeller story, which offers multiple thrills. Ripley says much about whats to come in walter kirn s remarkable confessional. How walter kirn met a rockefeller we only saw the clark that comes out on stage.
In addition to blood will out, walter kirn is the author of four works of. When kirn first met clark rockefeller, he was smitten by the mans wealth and eccentricities. Unbeknownst to kirn, clark rockefeller was the latest in a series of identities adopted by the german immigrant christian gerhartsreiter. The true story of a murder, a mystery, and a masquerade is a 2014 memoir by walter kirn.
The true story of murder, a mystery and a masquerade, walter kirn tells the tale of his 10year friendship with a man. In the summer of 1998, walter kirn then a young novelist struggling with fatherhood and a dissolving marriage set out on a peculiar, fateful errand. Why clark rockefeller killed, with former friend walter kirn. This fascinating true crime tale says more about the author walter kirn than it does about its main character, clark rockefeller. Memories of minnesota roots sprinkled throughout kirns. When author walter kirn was tasked with delivering a hunting dog to clark rockefeller in the summer of 1998, he thought the trip would provide him with the. A new york times bestseller in the summer of 1998, aspiring novelist walter kirn delivered a crippled hunting dog from his home in montana to the new york apartment of one clark rockefeller, a secretive young banker and art collector who had adopted the dog over. Author walter kirn takes readers inside his relationship with the man he knew as clark rockefeller, a murderer and swindler who presented himself as. Walter kirn is the author of eight books and an e book.
Walter kirn on how he got fooled by a rockefeller impersonator. Walter kirn is a novelist, essayist, and critic living in livingston, montana. Blood will out in the summer of 1998, walter kirnthen an aspiring novelist struggling with impending fatherhood and a dissolving marriageset out on a peculiar, fateful errand. His other books include up in the air, thumbsucker both of which have been made in to feature films, mission to america, my mothers bible ebook, the unbinding, she needed me, and my hard bargain. His other books include up in the air, thumbsucker both of which have been made in to feature films, mission to america, my mothers bible e book. Clark rockefeller, is in many ways a sequel to kirns college memoir. It describes his experiences being a close friend to a man he knew as clark rockefeller. In walter kirns new book blood will out, he talks about his relationship with clark rockefeller shown here and the effects that relationship had on his life. Walter kirn, who was duped by an impostor known as clark rockefeller, examines their complicated relationship. In the summer of 1998, walter kirn then an aspiring novelist struggling with impending fatherhood and a dissolving marriage set out on a peculiar, fateful errand.