Christopher Goffard

Christopher Goffard is an award-winning Los Angeles Times reporter. Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders is a collection of his best work.

Wow! I was hooked from the first story until the last - and quite sad when I did reach the end. I could happily listen to everything Goffard has written.

Most of the appeal for me is the fact that the stories are true. Goffard takes an event, a happening, a crime, a piece of life, a person and wholeheartedly immerses the reader/listener in the tale. Detail, depth and a unique take on reporting make each piece fascinating.

It's hard to say I liked one more that another. The cover title Dirty John, is the longest and the most frightening. John is a conman, but his new wife can't see it. Its a close second Framed. A school volunteer makes an innocent mistake, but the parents involved take retaliation to a whole new level. The $40 Lawyer follows a brand new lawyer as he wades into the court system. There are fifteen stories in this collection and every last one is a winner.

I chose to listen to this book. The reader was George Newbern - a favorite of mine. He has such a unique voice - very, very expressive, capturing the nuances, emotions, drama, absurdities and more of Goffard's work. There's a sardonic tone to his voice that completely suits this audiobook. His diction is clear and easy to understand. Highly recommended! I'll be following Goffard's work from here forward.

Goffard's writing will be in even more formats soon - Dirty John (also a podcast) is an upcoming Bravo series. Framed is being developed by Netflix as a film starring Julia Roberts.… (meer)

When Fr John Kaiser's body was found by a Kenyan roadside, his shotgun nearby, it was reported as suicide. However he is widely believed to have been murdered by establishment figures as a result of his pursuit of justice and human rights for the poorest of the poor. Ironically in the light of recent revelations within the Catholic Church, part of his crusade was against a powerful government figure who was alleged to have raped young girls. This book is a very readable account of Kaiser's life and death, and that of a Kenyan lawyer whose journey parallels his.

John Kaiser and many of the figures who appear in the book were colleagues of mine, so it's particularly interesting to see the story told in this way.… (meer)

“Ex Africa semper aliquid novi” was how Pliny paraphrased the original quip by Aristotle: Aristotle was referring to Libya specifically, not Kenya, where this book is set, and one might argue the murder of Catholic priests is hardly new, but You will see Fire does highlight a new and more anarchic phase of post-Colonial African politics.

In August 2000, former paratrooper turned priest John Kaiser was murdered for his outspoken opposition to the Arap Moi regime: he was not the first or last priest to die but while US investigators collaborated with corrupt Moi officials in ascribing his death to suicide, the Kenyan people themselves honoured Kaiser as a martyr and a hero, never doubting he was assassinated.… (meer)