A rollicking tale that is one part "The Sting, "one part "The Great Gatsby, " and one part "The Devil in the White City." Karen Abbott, author of "Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy" In a time of unregulated madness, nowhere was it madder than in Chicago at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. It was the perfect place for a slick, smooth-talking, charismatic lawyer named Leo Koretz to entice hundreds of people to invest as much as $30 million--upwards of $400 million today--in phantom timberland and nonexistent oil wells in Panama. It was an ingenious deceit, one that out-Ponzied Charles Ponzi himself. In this rip-roaring tale of greed, financial corruption, dirty politics, over-the-top and under-the-radar deceit, illicit sex, and a brilliant and wildly charming con man on the town and then on the lam, "Empire of Deception "proves that the American dream of easy wealth is truly a timeless commodity. Captivating . Dean Jobb tells the story of Leo Koretz, a legendary con artist of Madoffian audacity, with terrific energy and narrative brio. Gary Krist, author of "Empire of Sin" A brilliantly researched tale of greed, ambition, and our desperate need to believe in magic, it s history that captures America as it really was--and always will be.

A great read. Douglas Perry, author of "Eliot Ness" Reads like a Gatsby-Ponzi mashup . Kudos to Jobb for unearthing this overlooked story and bringing to life a charming, witty, naughty, iconic American crook. Neal Thompson, author of "A Curious Man" The granddaddy of all con men, Leo Koretz gives Jobb the opportunity to exhibit his impressive research and storytelling skills . A highly readable, entertaining story. "Kirkus Reviews" ".