reviews & PRAISE
“Intoxicating and impressively researched, Jobb’s immorality tale provides a sobering post-Madoff reminder that those who think everything is theirs for the taking are destined to be taken.” – New York Times Book Review
“Comprehensively researched and enthralling … high-stakes drama of the first order … unmasking [a] master swindler and revealing the author as an equally masterful storyteller.” – Washington Post
“Reading Empire of Deception was like getting on the storied Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island … holding your breath throughout its peaks and valleys, then getting out of the car, flushed and shaken, only wanting to ride it all over again … [a] thrilling, too-wild-for-fiction tale.” – Globe and Mail
“Not since Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City has an author so eloquently captured the shadowy character of the city … masterful.” – BookPage
“The author keeps readers on edge following the scam’s collapse and the worldwide manhunt, as they wait to see if Koretz might just get away with it …. A highly readable, entertaining story offering a solid education for anyone lacking scruples and wanting to make money. Surely Bernie Madoff studied Koretz’s methods.” – Kirkus Reviews
“No one loved money more – or was better at persuading others to part with it – than Leo Koretz …. (A) lively tale of deceit.’ – The Wall Street Journal
“A laugh-out-loud page-turner, full of gullibility and twists and turns … a jaw-dropping, rollicking good read.” – Booklist
“In our own wealth-besotted times, this well-researched story of Leo Koretz is a cautionary tale.” – Washington Independent Review of Books
“Fast-paced narrative … an absorbing tale of astonishing duplicity.” – Maclean’s
“Fans of Erik Larson will love Jobb’s latest true crime masterpiece.” (starred review of audiobook edition) – Library Journal
“A fun read … a well-paced, well-detailed piece of historical nonfiction about a man who bilked millions from “investors,” a la Bernie Madoff … excellent pacing, and you’ll marvel at the sheer chutzpah (and skill) of Leo Koretz.” – An Amazon.com Best Business Book of 2015
★ “This lively, entertaining, and depressingly relevant history of a man and his con reads like a novel and will be enjoyed by fans of popular history as well as true crime.” – Library Journal
“Through his thorough research into the historical record, Jobb is able to bring the scandalous fraud, and subsequent escape, of Leo Koretz to life … .This book may read like a work of entertaining fiction, but it is entirely well-researched historical fact.” – True Crime Index
“Meet the ‘forgotten con,’ the man who out Ponzi-ed Ponzi and Madoff … a story that seems to be as American as it can get, and it’s told well.” – Christian Scientist Monitor
“Empire of Deception adds Leo Koretz to Chicago’s rogues’ gallery of the 1920s … great research … a masterpiece of narrative set-up and vivid language.” – Chicago Tribune
“Riveting … fascinating …. Long before Bernie Madoff, and even before Charles Ponzi, Leo Koretz perfected what came to be known as the Ponzi scheme.” – Columbus Dispatch
“Koretz is the forgotten forefather of investment fraud, and Jobb’s masterful account of his life (and sugary demise) makes for a compelling read.” – Atlantic Books Today
BUY THE BOOK
Order the U.S. edition (Algonquin Books) fromAmazon.com (click here for a “sneak peek” inside) andBarnes & NobleListen to an excerpt from the audiobook from HighBridge Audio
Order the Canadian (HarperCollins) edition (Empire of Deception: From Chicago to Nova Scotia – The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation) from sachvui.co and Chapters.Indigo.ca
Order the large print edition from Thorndike Press
Available now fromAlgonquin Books
HarperCollins Canada Paperbackebook
HighBridge Audiobooks
Recent interviews and media coverage of Empire of Deception
Read my feature articles based on Empire of Deception, published in the Toronto Star, National Post, The Walrus (web exclusive) and other major publications.
Advance praise for EmpireRead pre-publication reviews from bestselling authors Michael Korda, Karen Abbott, Jonathan Eig, Gary Krist, Douglas Perry, Neal Thompson, Michael Lesy and Marq de Villiers
