PositiveThe Washington PostRempel’s account is expansive and exhaustive, which is all the more impressive given that he had little authorized access ... And what a life it was. Rempel spends more than half the book chronicling Kerkorian’s early years, but it’s hard to imagine a more cinematic rags-to-riches story ... While many masters of the universe are known for short fuses and big egos, Kerkorian, in Rempel’s telling, was the opposite. He was gentle and gracious, and didn’t assume that the world revolved around him ... The book is gripping and fast-moving, with short chapters and plenty of suspense. It has its flaws... Rempel has been given the gift of a fascinating subject and a captivating life story, and he makes the most of those gifts, painting a well-rounded, riveting picture of a figure the world does not know very well, but should.
David Enrich
MixedThe Washington PostIn Hayes, Enrich has a gift of a character, and he paints a nuanced, complicated picture of a socially awkward math genius ... While the book is a feat of reporting, and much of it reads like a novel, it suffers at times from too broad a spider network of its own. The cast of characters is by necessity large, but Enrich does not always distinguish between those who merit in-depth development and those who do not ... The book also would have benefitted from some helpful signposts along the way ... But Enrich’s unfettered access to Hayes and his keen eye for detail make for a compelling portrait of a gifted but troubled man.
