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About Shaun

Shaun Assael is an award-winning author, magazine writer, and producer. 

He’s also the author of four books: Wide Open, a chronicle of his life on the Nascar circuit; Sex Lies & Headlocks, the New York Times best-selling biography of Vince McMahon; Steroid Nation, which chronicles his decade-long reporting into America’s performance-enhancing drug underground; and The Murder of Sonny Liston, which re-examined the Las Vegas death of the heavyweight champion of the world.

In film, he co-executive produced Pariah, a feature documentary based on his Liston book, for Showtime. His most recent project is a three-part podcast about the life of Wilt Chamberlain, which he wrote and narrates. It will air on Amazon’s Wondery + platform beginning in Feb. 2024.

His latest book (scheduled for late 2024) is a true crime partnership with Dick Harpootlian, the South Carolina state senator and attorney for Alex Murdaugh. He continues to write for national magazines and consult on celebrity biographies.

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The Demagogue

The Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol set the stage for this story in GQ about alt.right's most surprising survivor.

Cranky Yankee Blogger
Coronation Day: Macy’s Meets Oasis

Coronation Day: Macy’s Meets Oasis

May 6 — I’m in London this rainy morning. And watching the coronation is a little like watching the Macy’s Day Parade, if it was hosted by the Church of England. No one is lip syncing Frozen. But it still feels over the top. William & Harry are the Liam and Noel Galligher of Buckingham Palace — with William as Noel doing both parts…

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Interviews

Listen: Ring Tones

Episode 2: Award-winning author, journalist and investigator Shaun Assael joins the pod to discuss “Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston,” a documentary developed from his book “The Murder of Sonny Liston: Las Vegas, Heroin and Heavyweights.” Immerse yourself in latter-day Las Vegas, learn how the infamous heavyweight champ shuttled between two worlds and delve into the craft of storytelling.

Ring Tones
News & Updates
“Sonny” is a Boston Globe‘s Best (Sports) Book of 2016

Assael’s account of Liston’s life in a city full of racial tensions, mob connections, and heroin is illuminating, though not conclusive, regarding the heavyweight champ’s last days and mysterious overdose death. Check out other books on the list at...

NY Journal of Books Review Sonny Liston

Author Shaun Assael wades into Liston’s world with a hawk’s eye and the nose of bloodhound. The Murder of Sonny Liston is many things: a biography, a story of sixties Las Vegas, and an investigation into a suspicious death that was never conducted. Despite being...

Hang Up and Listen to this podcast with Stefan Fatsis

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Mike Pesca discuss the first five games of the World Series. They also interview Shaun Assael about The Murder of Sonny Liston and talk about the Kabaddi World Cup with writer Jemayel Khawaja and Team USA’s Kevin Hustle. Episode air...