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pickpoppies's review against another edition
3.0
Ended up being on of those, “Well it was a book” to me, not standing out being bad and not good enough to pull me me. So neutral.
carolpk's review against another edition
5.0
My sincere thanks to Netgalley for providing the e-galley of Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation due to be published May 19, 2015 by Algonquin Books/
“Something for Nothing.” “Nothing for Something.” There is something seductive about that quote which fits Empire of Deception to a tee. Con, sting, fraud, double-cross, swindle, scheme, cheat, deception, no matter the word you use to describe the crime, Leo Koretz is a master of the game. I admit my attraction, the lure of this man, even cheering for Koretz to escape the arm of the law only to realize what this truly means. The magnetic pull of a Leo Koretz is captivating and disastrous all in one.
I’m a fan of true crime, particularly narratives of those who are able to cunningly bilk the public out of their hard earned money. I’m familiar with the financial swindles of Bernie Madoff, Charles Ponzi, and Allen Stanford. Leo Koretz, not at all. Who was this charismatic man, a man of style and affluence, a man well liked and respected, in the backdrop of Twenties Chicago? This was remedied in Dean Jobb’s meticulously researched Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation. Looking back on history many a great empire has fallen and so this one will but not before an intriguing story has been told.
”He was the kind of smooth talker who could sell refrigerators in Alaska.”
The interesting thing about Koretz’s ”dip into dishonesty” was that he rarely needed to convince you to buy. People were begging to purchase shares in his Panama Bayano Oil Syndicate. Koretz’s attitude with a prospective client was one of limited availability making you all the more anxious to invest your cash.
How does a man who start out as a law abiding citizen practicing law become one of the most notorious swindlers this country ever saw?
”I was a very poor, struggling young lawyer, hungry, for anything in the way of a client,” he would recall.”I needed money badly.”
So it began.
There are some very interesting thoughts about money and greed explored in this book. Leo Koretz justifies his deed with the quote I used in my opening comment.
”They wanted something for nothing,” he explained. ”I gave them nothing for something.”
Before it ends you will know how Koretz’s scam worked. You may not believe the gullibility of his victims but then I wonder how many of us would not have put down our own money for the promises of riches. A mesmerizing read to say the least, a cautionary tale for something that sounds too good to be true.
“Something for Nothing.” “Nothing for Something.” There is something seductive about that quote which fits Empire of Deception to a tee. Con, sting, fraud, double-cross, swindle, scheme, cheat, deception, no matter the word you use to describe the crime, Leo Koretz is a master of the game. I admit my attraction, the lure of this man, even cheering for Koretz to escape the arm of the law only to realize what this truly means. The magnetic pull of a Leo Koretz is captivating and disastrous all in one.
I’m a fan of true crime, particularly narratives of those who are able to cunningly bilk the public out of their hard earned money. I’m familiar with the financial swindles of Bernie Madoff, Charles Ponzi, and Allen Stanford. Leo Koretz, not at all. Who was this charismatic man, a man of style and affluence, a man well liked and respected, in the backdrop of Twenties Chicago? This was remedied in Dean Jobb’s meticulously researched Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation. Looking back on history many a great empire has fallen and so this one will but not before an intriguing story has been told.
”He was the kind of smooth talker who could sell refrigerators in Alaska.”
The interesting thing about Koretz’s ”dip into dishonesty” was that he rarely needed to convince you to buy. People were begging to purchase shares in his Panama Bayano Oil Syndicate. Koretz’s attitude with a prospective client was one of limited availability making you all the more anxious to invest your cash.
How does a man who start out as a law abiding citizen practicing law become one of the most notorious swindlers this country ever saw?
”I was a very poor, struggling young lawyer, hungry, for anything in the way of a client,” he would recall.”I needed money badly.”
So it began.
There are some very interesting thoughts about money and greed explored in this book. Leo Koretz justifies his deed with the quote I used in my opening comment.
”They wanted something for nothing,” he explained. ”I gave them nothing for something.”
Before it ends you will know how Koretz’s scam worked. You may not believe the gullibility of his victims but then I wonder how many of us would not have put down our own money for the promises of riches. A mesmerizing read to say the least, a cautionary tale for something that sounds too good to be true.
jo5heffe's review against another edition
4.0
Fast non fiction about a notorious con man from 1920s Chicago.
Leo Koretz was a successful businessman who was well respected, charitable, and revered by his community. The head of the successful Bayano Syndicate company, oil had just been discovered in Panama and it was about to make both Leo and his investors a load of money. Unfortunately it was all fake.
This book was really fun as it explored Leo's history, con, and the ensuing man hunt and trial. The author also investigated the history of the confidence scheme in America and how it still prevails today. Though not my favorite, this might be the easiest to read non-fiction I've picked up in a while.
If looking for more exciting semi-political non-fiction check out "Red Notice" by Bill Browder
Leo Koretz was a successful businessman who was well respected, charitable, and revered by his community. The head of the successful Bayano Syndicate company, oil had just been discovered in Panama and it was about to make both Leo and his investors a load of money. Unfortunately it was all fake.
This book was really fun as it explored Leo's history, con, and the ensuing man hunt and trial. The author also investigated the history of the confidence scheme in America and how it still prevails today. Though not my favorite, this might be the easiest to read non-fiction I've picked up in a while.
If looking for more exciting semi-political non-fiction check out "Red Notice" by Bill Browder
cdbarker's review against another edition
4.0
It is not easy to write a non-fiction novel because you cannot bend reality to your whim when you need it to serve a narrative purpose. But this book is a great example of how reality can be exceedingly entertaining.
Taking the man whose name should be more famous than Ponzi, throwing in 1920s Chicago, and an excursion to Nova Scotia, this is a fun romp that reminds us, there is no such thing as getting rich quick.
Taking the man whose name should be more famous than Ponzi, throwing in 1920s Chicago, and an excursion to Nova Scotia, this is a fun romp that reminds us, there is no such thing as getting rich quick.
cpalisa's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for this one. Very interesting story of a guy who pulled off (for a while) an amazing Ponzi scheme in Chicago in the 1920's. True story and it reminded me of a scaled down Erik Larson book. The story was very good and well researched. I would have liked maybe more "color" about the times...there was some, for sure, but it is such a fascinating period that there could have been more. Overall, a great read though.
codeanders's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
A book that felt like it should have been more interesting than it was. About a 1920's swindler, who conned Chicago's elite out of millions, it's a pretty quick read, if a little dry at times. I ended up feeling like I didn't actually know Leo any better than I did at the start, just the timeline and number of dollars he stole.