In a world obsessed with true crime mysteries, being in the crowd of 75 listening to author Benjamin Wallace describe his multi-year quest for the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the inexorably unidentifiable billionaire inventor of Bitcoin, felt … refreshing. Here was a modern story with all the twists and tons of quirks, yet none of the violence, unfolding in the cozy Back Bar of the Fitler Club — and a mystery within a mystery to boot.

Wallace, who authored The Billionaire’s Vinegar, first wrote about the international search for Nakamoto for Wired magazine in 2011, he told the audience and moderator and Citizen writer Malcolm Burnley. Back then, the author, like so many of us still today, simply didn’t get cryptocurrency.

So, he went through the unconventional process of purchasing — and then spending, stressing about and losing — the then newfangled form of electronic money. From there, he immersed himself in a world of crypto mining, currency conferences, dark web secrecy, plenty of scam artists — and human brains stored in vats.

You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out if Wallace ever ends up unmasking the real Nakamoto, who still owns more than 1 million of the possible 21 million Bitcoin. But even if you’re not into the blockchain or its ilk, in the end, The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto is a the-truth-is-crazier-than-fiction must-read true tale that could unfold only in the 21st century, and recounted only through the dogged reporting and wry artistry of a master storyteller.

Check out photos from the event below:

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