During the summer of 2023, American author and journalist Patrick Radden Keefe was in London working on the adaptation of his acclaimed book, “Say Nothing,” which chronicles a murder associated with the Troubles. While on set, he engaged in a conversation with a visitor, a friend of the director, who shared a troubling story about a London family, the Brettlers, who had endured a tragic and perplexing loss.
In November 2019, Rachelle and Matthew Brettler’s 19-year-old son, Zac, tragically died after leaping from the fifth-floor balcony of an upscale apartment with views of the Thames. Although there was no indication that he had suicidal tendencies, there were signs that he was experiencing significant fear. In the months leading up to his death, Zac had become involved with two men who mistakenly believed he was the offspring of a wealthy Russian oligarch, supposedly set to inherit a fortune of £200 million. Both individuals were present on the night of Zac’s death—one of them was even in the apartment—and their accounts during police questioning were inconsistent. The Brettler family questioned the thoroughness of the Metropolitan Police’s investigation, noting that crucial witnesses were not formally interviewed and bloodstains found in the apartment remained untested. The investigation was closed in 2021 when the Crown Prosecution Service announced it lacked sufficient evidence to pursue charges of murder or obstruction of justice. A subsequent inquest in 2022 resulted in an open verdict, leading the coroner to state, “I can’t fill in the gaps; I can’t speculate. I don’t know what happened.”
The Brettlers continued to seek clarity regarding their son’s death, unsure of their next steps.
“I’m always searching for compelling narratives,” Keefe notes, having tackled a diverse range of topics throughout his career. His book “Empire of Pain” explored the Sackler family’s involvement in the opioid crisis in the United States and won the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize before being adapted into the Netflix series “Painkiller.” In his podcast “Wind of Change,” he examined the possibility that the iconic song by the Scorpions was secretly penned by the CIA as Cold War propaganda, a claim the band has denied. His articles for The New Yorker have covered subjects including drug trafficking, arms deals, and the harrowing tale of a mass shooter.
Keefe explains that he receives numerous emails from strangers sharing their stories through his website, although he often determines quickly whether or not a story resonates with him. However, the encounter in London was different. “I had already been contemplating how Russian oligarchs and their wealth have influenced the city, and I have a strong interest in family narratives. This was one of those rare instances where I realized that if this family was willing to share their story, I would dedicate the next year of my life to it,” he recounts.
In reality, Keefe had been delving into this mystery for an extended period. His preliminary investigation will be published in The New Yorker in February 2024, and he has also authored a book titled “London Falling,” which offers an even deeper exploration.
The book details how Zac Brettler transformed during his time at a prestigious private school that catered to the global elite. This institution, once attended by Evgeny Lebedev, son of oligarch Alexander Lebedev, now educated the children of foreign billionaires. The gap between Zac and his affluent British classmates was substantial. He enrolled at this school after being turned away from more academically rigorous institutions, including the one his sibling attended. The environment, reminiscent of the lavish lifestyles depicted on social media, fueled Zac’s obsession with wealth, power, and status symbols. As a teenager, he embarked on various entrepreneurial ventures and even adopted an alter ego, claiming to be the son of an arms dealer who owned two Range Rovers, despite his actual background in financial services and a modest Mazda. He also falsely asserted that his family resided in the upscale One Hyde Park, when in truth, they lived in a flat in St John’s Wood.
Concerned for their son, Rachelle and Matthew attempted to guide him towards more suitable activities and sought psychiatric help when Zac’s behavior became increasingly troubling. They attempted to address his entitlement, as he pressured them to upgrade their car and move to a larger home, which they attributed to him acting like a “spoilt brat.”
However, by the age of 19, Zac had grown increasingly secretive. Eager to immerse himself in a life of business and networking, he frequented clubs and casinos in Mayfair, presenting himself as “Zac Ismailov,” the son of an oligarch, without his parents’ knowledge. This persona enabled him to stay at Riverwalk, a luxury apartment complex on the Thames, as the guest of gangster Verinder “Dave” Sharma, who was there as a guest of entrepreneur Nick Gold, renting from a Saudi princess. Zac idolized films like “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “War Dogs,” where young hustlers thrive through deception; at times, he would watch them repeatedly. In a narrative fit for Hollywood, he might have ended up acquiring that apartment or even marrying the Saudi princess. Instead, he chose to jump from it.
Keefe acknowledges that some readers may find it challenging to empathize with Zac. “For certain readers looking for an ‘emotional off-ramp,’ they might think, ‘This is just a tale of privilege,’ or ‘This is merely a story about irresponsible parents,’” he explains. “From the beginning, I didn’t perceive it that way.”
As a parent of two teenage sons himself, living in Westchester, New York, Keefe felt an immediate connection with the Brettlers. “I believe Matthew and Rachelle are remarkable individuals, and that sentiment is evident throughout the narrative,” he states. “My sons are similar in age and competitive, much like Zac and his brother. I’m raising kids in a digital age, surrounded by social media and smartphones, and this experience resonates deeply with me.”
