The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Below, our favorite stories of the week. Kindle users, you can also get them as a Readlist.
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1. To Catch a Rapist

Kathy Dobie | The New York Times | Jan. 5, 2016 | 34 minutes (8,593 words)

Behind-the-scenes at a special-victims unit in New Haven, Connecticut, where a small crew of detectives face countless obstacles while trying to close sexual-assault and child-abuse cases.

2. Shadow Boxer

William D’Urso | SB Nation | Jan. 6, 2016 | 22 minutes (5,570 words)

Alex Ramos was once a contender in boxing’s formidable middleweight division. But his toughest fight was for his own name.

3. The Mogul of the Middle

Tad Friend | The New Yorker | Jan. 4, 2016 | 44 minutes (11,000 words)

Friend goes inside the offices of STX Entertainment in Burbank, California, providing a revealing look at how movies are green lit, made and marketed in a foundering industry.

4. Trivers’ Pursuit

Matthew Hutson | Psychology Today | Jan. 6, 2016 | 17 minutes (4,344 words)

A lively profile of Robert Trivers, a renegade scientist lauded as one of our greatest thinkers—despite a career peppered with mental breakdowns, public feuds, and near-death experiences.