Crafty Crooks & Conmen

From Clifford Irving and his Howard Hughes hoax to the great imposter Frank Catch Me if You Can Abagnale-a fascinating history of the art of the con. They're shrewd, cunning, devious-and charmingly trustworthy. While the criminal exploits of these tricksters, frauds, and swindlers can't be condoned, it's near-impossible not to be awed by their audacity and ingenuity. Take Victor Lustig, the Bouncing Czech who sold the Eiffel Tower-twice; John Stonehouse, a philandering politician who faked his own death to escape his sins; the impotence cure of the bizarre Dr. John Brinkley who transplanted goat testicles on gullible men; embarrassingly successful Goldman Sachs embezzler Joyti De-Laurey; or Robert Hendy-Freegard, a car salesman and serial seducer who convinced scores of women he was an MI5 agent. Here, too, are the exploits of a friend of the stars who infiltrated a royal castle; a fake Scots laird who operated from the heart of Scotland Yard; evangelists who fell from grace; and other pilferers, parasites, artful dodgers, charming bastards, femme fatales, big fat liars, and grand masters of dishonorable mention.