Catch and Kill cover art

Catch and Kill

Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

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Catch and Kill

By: Ronan Farrow
Narrated by: Ronan Farrow
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About this listen

In a dramatic account of violence and espionage, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Ronan Farrow exposes serial abusers and a cabal of powerful interests hell-bent on covering up the truth, at any cost.

In 2017, a routine network television investigation led Ronan Farrow to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood's most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth, and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family.

All the while, Farrow and his producer faced a degree of resistance that could not be explained - until now. And a trail of clues revealed corruption and cover-ups from Hollywood, to Washington, and beyond.

This is the untold story of the exotic tactics of surveillance and intimidation deployed by wealthy and connected men to threaten journalists, evade accountability and silence victims of abuse - and it's the story of the women who risked everything to expose the truth and spark a global movement.

Both a spy thriller and a meticulous work of investigative journalism, Catch and Kill breaks devastating new stories about the rampant abuse of power - and sheds far-reaching light on investigations that shook the culture.

2020, LA Times Book Prize, Short-listed

©2019 Ronan Farrow (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK
Art & Literature Elections & Political Process Espionage Journalists, Editors & Publishers Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime Violence in Society Exciting Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Critic Reviews

Extraordinary . . . As some American critics have already observed, Farrow's narrative has the pace of a thriller . . . Farrow's book captures the terror and paranoia that eat away at Weinstein's victims for the simple reason that he comes to experience them himself, a human mirror. The producer's sphere of influence extends ever outwards, like the powerful arms of some giant squid (Rachel Cooke)
Moves at a brisk pace, feeding readers each revelation in real time, interspersed with personal notes that make the stories stick (Claire Landsbaum)
Read this book . . . Farrow's greatest success was to listen, believe and act, even at his own peril (Maria L. La Ganga)
Absorbing . . . The behavior documented in Catch and Kill is obviously and profoundly distressing . . . But there are some hopeful threads, too (Jennifer Szalai)
Darkly funny and poignant . . . a winning account of how it feels to be at the centre of the biggest story in the world. It is also, of course, a breathtakingly dogged piece of reporting, in the face of extraordinary opposition (Emma Brockes)
At the heart of every great noir is a conspiracy of evil that imbues the initial crime uncovered by the hero with a weightier resonance than was immediately obvious. So it goes with Catch and Kill (Emma Bruenig)
Reads like a thriller ...The reveal in Catch and Kill is not that there are corrupt people; it's that corrupt people are in control of our media, politics, and entertainment and that, in fact, many of them remain in control (Rebecca Traister)
The year's best spy thriller is stranger - and more horrifying - than fiction . . . He weaves a breathless narrative as compelling as it is disturbing . . . bracingly exposes the rot that's persisted across elite American institutions for decades (David Canfield)
Catch and Kill is exhaustively reported . . . and compulsively readable, with nearly every page revealing a provocative detail about a household name in media or entertainment (E. J. Dickson)
I have rarely read a more compelling account of the systematic reality of sexual harassment in the workplace. Things might be slowly changing but this book shows that the culture that normalises abusive behaviour remains pervasive and owes its persistence to the insidious ways in which it downplays the emotional toll this has on women (Luigi Gioia)
All stars
Most relevant
Great story, so well written. Much respect for Ronan and what he went through to expose the truth.

My only criticism is Ronan's cheesy attempts at doing accents/imitating voices of the people he speaks with. His Australian accent, at one point, morphed into a New Zealand accent! LOL.

Fascinating & Terrifying

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Thanks Ronan for your courage and persistence.
And to the women, you are saving us!

My first ever audiobook

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This is one of those times that you need to listen to the audiobook rather than read the words. It’s truly one of the best!
Bravo Ronan for risking so much to bring this to the forefront 👏👏👏

Take A Bow Mr Farrow

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This book blew me away. Ronan deserves the Pulitzer Prize for this but the decision to have him do the accents was misguided. Apart from that distraction it is incredible

Incredible journalism and storytelling

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Intriguing insight into one the stories that launched #metoo movement. Ronan's reading adds a very interesting layer to the story.

Great listening!

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I was brought to this book by the podcast and wondered what, if anything, it could add to that excellent podcast. After listening to the 10+ hours of excellent narration (only low point is Ronan’s attempt at an Australian accent - pretty bad! Haha), I realised I that this book presents a compelling augment for the fourth estate’s intrinsic importance to the “soul” of democracies the world over. The decline of investigative reporting has emboldened some in power to indulge their vices without fear of exposure or when threatened with exposure, rely on the “networks” of likewise comprised individuals to suppress these stories. I am hopeful that Ronan and those other journalist like him all over the world will continue to pursue these abuses in all their insidious forms because that is probably our last protection against our societies powerful oligarchs carving up the spoils between themselves.
Shout out to public broadcasters the world over - ABC in Australia, BBC in UK and PBS in US - we the people must protect them at all costs - resist their death by a thousand (budget) cuts.

One of the most important books in recent times

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This is an extreamly well researched story that absolutly had to be told, Ronan has taken on a story that so many tried to stop both overtly and covertly, it is a real credit that he has persisted and opened a dialogue for women who have not had a voice. Exposing sexual preditors is the first step in changing a systemic problem in many industries.

Compelling and frightening story

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Ronan Farrow, thank you with my whole heart. Your courage and dedication to this investigation is the stuff heroes are made of. The work you have done here has no doubt created a positive ripple effect that will benefit all of humanity. Healing starts first with awareness and acknowledgment of the issue, but it’s often the help of others that ensures a full recovery. You have helped so many people, Ronan. Thank you for your sacrifice and service to your fellow man. The world needs more people like you.

And the accents you did were HI👏LARI👏OUS
They gave some respite from the depressing nature of the content.

A credit to all humankind

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Listening to this books opened my eyes to a dark world inside Hollywood. Ronan tells an amazing story and I could not stop listening. What makes it even better is that justice has been served and some of the victims will have some form of closure knowing Weinstein has been convicted.

Phenomenal

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Great story great book but those accents! Demeaned the whole thing particularly when the women themselves are given a cartoon version of their voices. Very bad idea

The accents!

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