David Grann: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

– June, 2001

In July, 2006, Constant met a more mundane and unexpected fate: he was arrested in New York for defrauding lenders of more than a million dollars in an elaborate real-estate scam. This time, none of Constant’s connections could protect him from the law. Tried in New York, he was found guilty and sentenced to up to thirty-seven years in prison. The state’s attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, said, “Constant will no longer be a menace to our society.”

Nine of these stories first appeared in The New Yorker. Three were published elsewhere: “Giving ‘The Devil’ His Due” in The Atlantic; “Which Way Did He Run?” in the New York Times Magazine; and “Crimetown, U.S.A.” in The New Republic. Some of the pieces have been updated and revised.

As always, I am indebted to David Remnick and The New Yorker, where nine of the twelve stories first appeared. Without Remnick’s fierce commitment to narrative journalism, his keen editorial judgment, and his unwavering support, these pieces would not have been possible. At every turn, I have benefitted not only from his help, but also from that of the magazine’s other extraordinary editors. Daniel Zalewski, whose invisible fingerprints are on nearly all of these pieces, has infinitely improved my work, and made me a better journalist. I am equally lucky to have in my corner Dorothy Wickenden, Henry Finder, Susan Morrison, Pam McCarthy, Elizabeth Pearson-Griffiths, Ann Goldstein, Mary Norris, Carol Anderson, Virginia Cannon, and Amy Davidson. The New Yorker fact-checking department, led by Peter Canby, is a writer’s secret blessing.

I am also grateful to the New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, and The Atlantic. Many editors with whom I worked have had a profound and lasting influence on me: Peter Beinart, Jonathan Chait, Jonathan Cohn, Albert Eisele, Joel Lovell, Adam Moss, Cullen Murphy, Christopher Orr, Martin Tolchin, and Jason Zengerle. Perhaps no one has had a deeper impact on me as a writer than the late Michael Kelly, whom every day I miss as a mentor and a friend.

My agents Kathy Robbins and David Halpern at the Robbins Office continue to be my best and most devoted allies, always managing to steer me in the right direction. The same is true of the irreplaceable Matthew Snyder at CAA. I am also grateful to Katie Hut, Ian King, and the rest of the Robbins Office, as well as to Susan Lee, who has helped me with research and fact-checking.

It was Bill Thomas at Knopf Doubleday who first read these stories in disparate form and thought they would work as a collection. His editorial vision and immaculate editing made this book a reality. Sonny Mehta championed this project and helped bring it to fruition. And the entire team at Knopf Doubleday once again proved to be an author’s greatest asset. In particular, I want to thank Bette Alexander, Maria Carella, Janet Cooke, Melissa Danaczko, Todd Doughty, John Fontana, Suzanne Herz, Rebecca Holland, Coralie Hunter, James Kimball, Lauren Lavelle, Beth Koehler, Lynn Kovach, Beth Meister, John Pitts, Anh Schluep, Steve Shodin, Suzanne Smith, and Anke Steinecke.

My deepest debt is to my children, Zachary and Ella, and to my wife, Kyra, who is not only one of the best journalists in the business but also the wisest and the most decent. There are no acknowledgments that could ever express to them my gratitude and love.