Keefe reveals his 'Write Around Reporting' method: building rich, truthful portraits by interviewing peripheral figures—ex-spouses, colleagues, neighbors—when subjects like the Sacklers shut the door. He treats real-life investigations like mystery novels, letting open questions and escalating stakes drive the narrative forward. Place is never backdrop but evidence: a living room’s decor, a Vespa ride through Hanoi, or London’s streets all carry psychological weight. Structure is planned early—not tacked on later—and serves as a research compass, guiding which characters to pursue and which details to amplify. He avoids exposition in favor of textured scenes, analogies, and deliberate juxtapositions (like Bourdain’s immersive Vietnam tour versus Obama’s armored detachment). Crucially, he embraces ambiguity over tidy answers, trusting readers to sit with complexity—whether tracing Arthur Sackler’s ad legacy or rendering characters through authentic speech rhythms and verbal tics.