Devilry

Years before Women’s Wear Daily reporter Peter Braunstein became the so-called “Fire Fiend”—dressing up like a firefighter to attack a former coworker, then embarking on a multi-state crime spree—Aaron Gell knew him as a valued colleague.

Making use of unprecedented access to Braunstein’s never-before-published writings, including his “Fugitive Diary” and criminal manifesto, along with a series of in-depth interviews with the infamous madman he once considered a friendly acquaintance, Gell revisits a sensational crime that riveted the New York fashion world and captivated the city’s tabloids, looking behind the lurid headlines to follow Braunstein’s troubling trajectory—from successful fashion journalist to would-be killer and wanted fugitive.

“This brilliant little book asks the most fundamental question of all: what do you really know about the people you think you know? If you've ever wondered what goes on in the brain of another person, you will read Aaron Gell's book as I did--in one wild spree, as if drunk, as if dreaming while awake. It's riveting, creepy, wonderful and strange." --Rich Cohen, author Tough Jews, Sweet and Low, and Israel Is Real

"Aaron Gell has written a fascinating story on his friendship with one crazy person, and in so doing has given us a brilliant meditation on how well we can know anyone. This is sad and funny, smart and moving, lyrical and hard-headed--all the impossible combinations we get with the best writing. You won't be able to stop reading." --Darin Strauss, author Half a Life, More Than It Hurts You, and Chang and Eng

A portion of Aaron Gell’s proceeds from Speak of the Devil supports SafeHarbor.org, New York City’s leading service organization for victims of domestic violence.

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