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A review by carolpk
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb
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.