Mesmerizing ... Ms. Henderson vividly reconstructs her father’s first drug run ... The book’s unsettling final section shifts in tone ... In any case, it’s not the most memorable aspect of this eloquent record of grief ... The author remembers Chester as a magical figure... [and] Thanks to the force of her narration, readers will feel it too.
With a wry, sharp, and deeply personal voice, Henderson’s second memoir...is an unforgettable portrait of her father ... Raw, immersive ... The detail is astounding ... It’s a love letter full of heartache ... Henderson astutely blends the epic and the intimate. Her prose carries the ache of a daughter piecing together a shadow life ... Exquisitely written, fiercely researched, and emotionally fearless, this rare memoir is not to be missed.
A searing, moving memoir .... Henderson's work is both investigatory and personal ... Henderson excels at the subtlety required by such a story, and her telling is intriguing, painful, and cathartic ... A daughter's study of her father's life and death artfully reveals intrigue, astonishing slices of world history, and a loving but flawed man.
Heart-rending ... Henderson marries her solid journalistic chops with diaristic emotional immediacy, infusing a stranger-than-fiction crime story with deeply personal stakes. It’s a unique, exciting, and affecting memoir.
Modest and restrained storytelling that packs an unexpected punch ... It comes as a shock when Henderson’s suspicions about the true nature of the 'accident' that killed her father begin to prove warranted.