Patrick Radden Keefe on 'London Falling' and the mystery of Zac Brettler

Summary

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NPR's Book of the Day — “London Falling” by Patrick Radden Keefe

Episode Air Date: April 13, 2026
Host: Tim Budermias
Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe
Special Interviewer: Scott Simon

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Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed investigative journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe discussing his latest non-fiction book, London Falling. The book delves into the mysterious death of Zach Brettler, a seemingly privileged teenager from London who secretly lived a double life as “Zach Ismailov” — the purported son of a Russian oligarch. Through Keefe’s meticulous research, the episode explores themes of identity, wealth, social aspiration, familial tension, and the seductive underworld thriving in London’s privileged circles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Mystery of Zach Brettler's Death

• [02:04] Scott Simon introduces the story: Zach Brettler, 19, is caught on footage leaping into the Thames from a high balcony near MI6 headquarters in London.
• Brettler’s parents, shocked by his death, are further stunned to discover their son had been living a secret life under a fabricated identity as a Russian oligarch's heir.

Quote

“His parents were shocked and bereaved, and then they were staggered to learn that their son had adopted a false identity. Zach Ismailov, the son and heir of a Russian oligarch.” — Scott Simon [02:11]

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Parental Suspicion and the Investigation

• [03:10] The police did not conclusively rule Zach’s death a suicide, but footage showed him alone, dispelling foul play.
• However, the revelation of his double life and unsavory associations, particularly with two older men present on the night of his death, led Zach’s parents to investigate further.

Quote

“...there was enough going on in this story to make initially the police and then, more enduringly, the Brettler family suspicious.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [03:22]

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Zach’s Fabrications and Social Environments

• [03:52] Zach, from an upper-middle-class family in West London, attended school with children of international elites—especially the ultra-wealthy offspring of Russian oligarchs.
• He was skilled with accents, storytelling, and gradually crafted an alternate persona, aspiring to fit in among London’s most privileged youth.

Quote

“He could do accents, he could do voices...he started to embroider his stories.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [04:00]

• Keefe reflects on the culture of anxiety and aspiration pervasive in Zach’s generation—fed by social media and “hustle” culture, making even the privileged feel they don’t “have enough.”

Quote

“...even though by any objective measurement, this was a kid who had a lot, he wanted more.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [05:32]

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The Fraudulent Friendship with Akbar Shamji

• [05:42] Zach’s imposture began in earnest with an audacious lie at an art opening, introducing himself as a Russian oligarch’s son to someone closely associated with the actual Russian elite.
• This connection led Zach into the orbit of Akbar Shamji, a seemingly glamorous businessman who was, in reality, hiding his own financial troubles.
• The two developed a close, transactional bond—both operating under false pretenses.

Quote

“...you have this kind of interesting situation in which you get these two guys who develop a quite close friendship, but they’re both kind of conning one another.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [06:45]

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London’s Underworld and the Allure of Exclusivity

• [07:12] Keefe explains how parts of London—like Mayfair—have become playgrounds for questionable foreign wealth, presenting opportunities for hustlers and those crafting extravagant façades.
• Zach enjoyed easier access to exclusivity, luxury, and status while masquerading as “Zach Ismailov.”

Quote

“...if I’m just Zach Brettler, this 18 year old, nobody’s going to have much interest in me. But if I come in and I’m this exotic young scion, people will really want to get me past the velvet rope...” — Patrick Radden Keefe [08:04]

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Familial Strain and Parental Helplessness

• [08:21] The transformation in Zach led to conflict and distance with his parents, including escalating behavior and even a violent episode with his mother.
• The Brettlers grapple with guilt, asking if they could have prevented their son’s tragedy, but Keefe questions whether any parent could have truly protected him from such a fate.

Quotes

“There is a moment of violence with his mother, Rachelle, and it’s terrifying.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [08:55]
“...the scarier, the more disquieting idea is that you can do all the right things for your child and still there may be some sense in which they become something you can’t control, and they court a fate that you can’t protect them from.” — Patrick Radden Keefe [09:43]

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Notable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• [03:22] On the family’s suspicions: “...the Brettler family suspicious.”
• [05:32] On aspiration and dissatisfaction: “...by any objective measurement, this was a kid who had a lot, he wanted more.”
• [06:45] On mutual conniving friendship: “…they’re both kind of conning one another.”
• [08:04] On the allure of invented identity: “...if I come in and I’m this exotic young scion, people will really want to get me past the velvet rope...”
• [08:55] On conflict at home: “There is a moment of violence with his mother, Rachelle, and it’s terrifying.”
• [09:43] On parental limits: “…you can do all the right things for your child and still ... they become something you can’t control...”

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Tone & Language

• The conversation is empathetic, analytical, and anchored in Keefe’s deep investigative rigor; the underlying tone is melancholy but searching, with both host and guest probing for universal meaning within the specifics of Zach Brettler’s short, troubled life.
• Keefe is thoughtful and measured, careful to acknowledge both the uniqueness and broad resonance of the story he tells.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:04] Introduction of Zach Brettler’s death and the book’s premise
• [03:10] Parental suspicion and the investigation into Zach’s double life
• [03:52] Zach’s background and the start of his fabrications
• [05:42] Relationship and mutual deceit with Akbar Shamji
• [07:12] London’s underworld as a stage for fabricated identities
• [08:21] Familial tension and sense of helplessness
• [09:14] Parents’ grappling with guilt and responsibility

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Conclusion

Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling is not just a true crime tale; it’s a meditation on social aspiration, the perils of constructed identity, and the haunting limits of parental protection. Through Zach Brettler’s enigmatic journey, the discussion exposes the shadowy intersection of privilege, deception, and longing in modern London.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello, this is NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Tim Budermias. On today's episode, a book about London's underworld and a young man who got swept up in it. Writer Patrick Radden Keefe has built a celebrated career for his deep investigative reporting. You might know some of his works like say Nothing and Empire of Pain. He's out now with a new book called London Falling. It explores the true life of London teenager Zach Brettler, whose mysterious death unveils a web of. Here he is talking about it with Weekend Edition host Scott Simon.

[B]

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[D]

2:24am Nov. 29, 2019 A young man paced back and forth on a high balcony of the Riverwalk apartment Tower in London. Cameras at MI6 headquarters recorded the scene as the young man leapt into the Thames river and died. Zach Brettler was 19. His parents were shocked and bereaved, and then they were staggered to learn that their son had adopted a false identity. Zach Ismailov, the son and heir of a Russian oligarch. London Falling is the new book that tries to unravel the other lives and questions about Zach Brettler and the London underworld. Patrick Radden Keefe is a staff writer at the New Yorker and author of previous books, including say Nothing, An Empire of Pain. He joins us from our studios in New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

[E]

It's great to be with you.

[D]

The police ruled his death as suicide. What drove his parents, Rachelle and Matthew Brettler, to think something more might be involved and investigate?

[E]

Well, the police didn't actually rule the death a suicide in any conclusive sense. What they did know from that camera on MI6 was that Zach was alone on the balcony. So he jumped. He wasn't pushed. But there was enough going on in this story to make initially the police and then, more enduringly, the Bradler family suspicious. So they learned that he had lived this secret life that they hadn't known about as a teenager, moving through London, pretending that he was the son of a Russian oligarch and that he had gotten mixed up with some pretty dicey older men, both of whom were in the apartment on the night that he died.

[D]

Why did Zach Brittler try to assume other identities? And he was pretty convincing. Good at accents, I guess, right?

[E]

Yeah, I mean, Zach was an interesting kid. You know, he had grown up from when he was very young, having a gift for repartee. He could do accents, he could do voices. And from a fairly early age, he started to embroider his stories. And he was an upper middle class kid who lived in Maida Vale in West London, grandson of a Rabb, went to a nice private school in London. But when he arrived there at 13, he met the children of oligarchs, this new generation of wealthy foreigners, many from the former Soviet Union, who had arrived in London with their great fortunes and built huge properties or bought huge properties and sent their kids to fancy schools. And so in that environment, Zach was exposed to some of these kids and he's very taken in.

[D]

Taken in. Was there some sort of hollowness in his life or. It's hard to.

[E]

That's part of what's interesting about this story is this is not about a kid who really wanted for much. He had parents who loved him. He really could have done anything. But there was a kind of corrosive anxiety, I think, about not having more. And, you know, in some ways, this is a very specific story about one boy who was a fabulist and who died too young. In other ways, I feel as though there are elements of this story that many of us would recognize. And so Zach Bradler was born in 2000. He grew up with a phone with Social media. He grew up in a culture that was a very kind of hustle culture, a culture that really worshiped wealth. And so even though by any objective measurement, this was a kid who had a lot, he wanted more.

[D]

He fell into company with Akbar Shamji, a businessman in his 40s. How did they wind up using each other?

[E]

In a sense, I think I found what I think of as kind of patient zero with Zach's imposture, that there was a guy who he met at an opening one night, and Zach was 18 at the time at this art opening, and he introduced himself as the son of a Russian oligarch. And this guy who he met was an older man, a London man who worked for Chelsea Football Club, actually famous soccer team owned by, at the time, a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. So a pretty gutsy person to try this lie on, but it worked. And the guy introduced him to Akbar Shamji. So Akbar Shamji was this glamorous, handsome guy, and he said, I have this business deal, I have this real estate deal in Portugal, and we're looking for investors. And Zach said, oh, I might be interested. And so the two of them kind of became. And what I reveal in the book is that Akbar Shamji was not who he appeared to be either. Unbeknownst to Zak, Akbar had recently declared bankruptcy. And so you have this kind of interesting situation in which you get these two guys who develop a quite close friendship, but they're both kind of conning one another.

[D]

He would walk his dog, Alpha Nero. How did Zach's concocted identity fit into a part of London?

[E]

I lived in London in 2000, 2001. I was there for grad school, and I've gone back a lot since. I still have dear friends there, and I've seen the city change. It has become a very hospitable place for foreign money. I think often quite dodgy foreign money. They've really sort of rolled out the red carpet for a certain type of unsavory, unscrupulous foreign business person. And along with that comes a whole sort of parasitic culture of hustlers. And so you go to these areas, this neighborhood, Mayfair, where these guys spend a lot of time, and it's a lot of big supercars and very blingy people and luxury goods and casinos and private nightclubs. And Zach sort of entered into that swirl. But he also realized, you know, if I'm just Zach Brettler, this 18 year old, nobody's going to have much interest in me. But if I come in And I'm this exotic young scion. People will really want to get me past the velvet rope and into the room. And he was not wrong. I mean, it worked spectacularly well until it didn't.

[D]

And we should note, his relationship with his parents grew. Grew harder to handle, didn't it? There were instances of violence.

[E]

Part of what I wanted to capture in the book was this challenge for his parents, who see their son start becoming a person that they don't really recognize. They feel as though he starts to kind of worship some false gods. And at a certain point, he turns 18, he starts spending more time out of the house. He's talking about all these business things he's doing. There's a notion that he'll just skip college altogether and go right into business. And he has these older, wealthy friends. And so there's this kind of tricky thing where they want to hold him as close to them as they can, but they're worried that if they hold him too tightly, he'll run away. And there is a moment of violence with his mother, Rachelle, and it's terrifying.

[D]

The Brettlers, your parents, did they. Did they somehow feel responsible for what happened to their son?

[E]

I think they did. When I initially met them, they had not told their story publicly. They'd actually deliberately kept it quite quiet. But they decided to go public. And I spent a great deal of time talking to this family. And one of the things that they will be quick to acknowledge is a sense of responsibility, a sense that there must have been things that we could have done or shouldn't have done. There must have been off ramps we didn't see. And I have to say, having spent a great deal of time looking into this, and also being somebody who's. I'm pretty attuned to familial denial as a phenomenon, I'm not sure that's true. I think that the scarier, the more disquieting idea is that you can do all the right things for your child and still there may be some sense in which they become something you can't control, and they court a fate that you can't protect them from.

[D]

Patrick Redden Keefe, his new book, London Falling. Thank you so much for being with us.

[E]

Thank you for having me.

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