As Washington, D. C. Bureau Chief for Rolling Stone, Andy Kroll is well situated to report on the pervasive craziness that seems to have taken over since 2016. Seth Rich’s name has become synonymous with conspiracy, and his rumored influence among Democratic Party operatives as a tech wizard who just may have been involved in some serious hacking (including the leaked emails from the DNC) has made him famous–what he aspired to become. A Death on W Street is a murder mystery as well as an exploration of political and journalistic events in the election of 2016.

Seth was gunned down on the street in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2016. There was no arrest, and speculation and fantastical theories surfaced on social media about him, his role in the DNC, and other crazy topics. After Fox News ran with the rumors from the fringes to the mainstream that Seth Rich’s life and death grew into something altogether unexpected, making his death one of the most widespread conspiracy theories ever.

A Death on W Street unravels the murder, madness, and political wackiness that included both Hillary Clinton and Steve Bannon, as well as a popular pizzeria in northwest DC. Seth was an idealistic twenty-seven-year-old relatively low level political staffer who became a tragic victim of the culture wars, and finally his family decided that they had had enough, and they sued Fox. The book reads like a novel, and is packed with details. My favorite part was finding out that Fox had to pay out a seven figure settlement to Seth’s family for their despicable “reporting.” (Fair and Balanced my a$$). Five stars, and thanks to PublicAffairs and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.