mdrfromga's review
4.0
A history of the 1920's version of Bernie Madoff and the people from Chicago he swindled. Perhaps most remarkable was how so many of his victims begged Leo Koretz to take their money. Thinking they would become fabulously rich by investing with him, they instead, lost every cent they gave him. Also fascinating was how, after fleeing authorities, Koretz lived high on the hog. He chose to live it up, and his lavish lifestyle was what ultimately led to his capture.
amydavid's review against another edition
5.0
Jobb has taken an extremely well-researched and historically factual tale and pulled it into a tight narrative that reads like any good crime caper.
Admittedly, the time period and the setting are of special interest to me, so the background information on the city and the immigrant communities (main character is Jewish, main foil is Irish) is probably what took this from four stars to five.
Admittedly, the time period and the setting are of special interest to me, so the background information on the city and the immigrant communities (main character is Jewish, main foil is Irish) is probably what took this from four stars to five.
brianlokker's review against another edition
4.0
This is the intriguing story of a master swindler, Leo Koretz of Chicago. Although his exploits have been largely forgotten, Leo was the Bernie Madoff of the 1910s-1920s. The book is a meticulously researched work of nonfiction, but it's also a compelling and entertaining read from start to finish.
chelsea_not_chels's review
3.0
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
There's nothing better to kick off a weekend than a story about a swindler, amiright? Okay...maybe there are a few better ways, but this book is pretty much like a true financial-crime version of Law & Order, which we all know is one of the best shows ever, so I can't think of many better ways. In Empire, Jobb tells the story of Leo Koretz, who built a veritable financial empire (haha, I'm so funny) based on fake mortgages and stocks. The mortgages were supposedly based on property in Arkansas that was used to grow rice--and indeed, the property existed, it just wasn't really worth anything, let alone what Koretz was getting for it. The stocks, on the other hand, were a complete fabrication, based on a fictitious timber and oil company based in Panama. Between the two scams, Koretz made off with several million dollars, much of it taken from his friends and family, who had become desperate to invest in Koretz's fake company after he repeatedly told them "no." You know how it goes--the more someone tells you "no," the more you want what they're denying you. And so it went here, until Koretz absconded and the truth came out.
Koretz did most of his swindling in the 1910's and 1920's, which leads Jobb to include more than a few allusions to The Great Gatsby, which doesn't really seem fair because other than liking parties and spending money, Koretz was nothing like the fictitious Gatsby. However, the drama mostly takes place in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Nova Scotia, which are two areas that are seldom examined in histories of the era, so getting a peek at them was awesome. Koretz was busy swindling long before and long after Ponzi's fraud scheme began and ended, while Al Capone was clawing his way up the gang ladder, and while the entire nation was plunging head-first into the Jazz Age, which leads to a ton of colorful background for Jobb's tale. Also getting some page-time is Robert Crowe, an attorney who once worked with Koretz and takes up the task of finding and prosecuting him after he escapes. At times, the writing can get a bit dry, especially when Jobb dives off into using too many quotes. Don't get me wrong, quotes are good, and can lend a lot of flavor to a book, but too many of them can be distracting and can let the mind wander while the action isn't advancing. Overall, however, I found the writing engaging and the book a pretty easy read. It's also much shorter than it initially appears, because a good chunk of the pages are devoted to notes on sources, which is a solid use of page space for any history book worth its salt. But don't worry; footnotes and annotations don't weigh this one down, and the citations are tucked neatly away in the back where they won't distract you during your read. Though if you do want to find the citation for something, that might make it a bit difficult...
Overall, though, a fun read. Not one of my favorite history books and not one I'm likely to read again, but good nonetheless.
3.5 stars out of 5.
There's nothing better to kick off a weekend than a story about a swindler, amiright? Okay...maybe there are a few better ways, but this book is pretty much like a true financial-crime version of Law & Order, which we all know is one of the best shows ever, so I can't think of many better ways. In Empire, Jobb tells the story of Leo Koretz, who built a veritable financial empire (haha, I'm so funny) based on fake mortgages and stocks. The mortgages were supposedly based on property in Arkansas that was used to grow rice--and indeed, the property existed, it just wasn't really worth anything, let alone what Koretz was getting for it. The stocks, on the other hand, were a complete fabrication, based on a fictitious timber and oil company based in Panama. Between the two scams, Koretz made off with several million dollars, much of it taken from his friends and family, who had become desperate to invest in Koretz's fake company after he repeatedly told them "no." You know how it goes--the more someone tells you "no," the more you want what they're denying you. And so it went here, until Koretz absconded and the truth came out.
Koretz did most of his swindling in the 1910's and 1920's, which leads Jobb to include more than a few allusions to The Great Gatsby, which doesn't really seem fair because other than liking parties and spending money, Koretz was nothing like the fictitious Gatsby. However, the drama mostly takes place in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Nova Scotia, which are two areas that are seldom examined in histories of the era, so getting a peek at them was awesome. Koretz was busy swindling long before and long after Ponzi's fraud scheme began and ended, while Al Capone was clawing his way up the gang ladder, and while the entire nation was plunging head-first into the Jazz Age, which leads to a ton of colorful background for Jobb's tale. Also getting some page-time is Robert Crowe, an attorney who once worked with Koretz and takes up the task of finding and prosecuting him after he escapes. At times, the writing can get a bit dry, especially when Jobb dives off into using too many quotes. Don't get me wrong, quotes are good, and can lend a lot of flavor to a book, but too many of them can be distracting and can let the mind wander while the action isn't advancing. Overall, however, I found the writing engaging and the book a pretty easy read. It's also much shorter than it initially appears, because a good chunk of the pages are devoted to notes on sources, which is a solid use of page space for any history book worth its salt. But don't worry; footnotes and annotations don't weigh this one down, and the citations are tucked neatly away in the back where they won't distract you during your read. Though if you do want to find the citation for something, that might make it a bit difficult...
Overall, though, a fun read. Not one of my favorite history books and not one I'm likely to read again, but good nonetheless.
3.5 stars out of 5.
britterization's review against another edition
3.0
Leo Koretz was a con man operating in Chicago in the 1920s - he was basically like a 1920s version of Bernie Madoff. His crimes have faded into obscurity, so Jobb has decided to tell his story. Leo's story is juxtaposed with that of Robert Crowe, the would-be political climber who was sort of responsible for chasing Leo down and prosecuting him.
I listened to this book, and while it starts off pretty slow (I swear, the first CD is basically just a description of 1920s Chicago and the Drake hotel, and...booooooooooring), it picks up when Leo starts his swindling, and stays somewhat fast paced and consistently interesting until the very end, when the author reveals the fates of all of the "players", and I didn't really care. I read somewhere that this book reads like a "fiction" book, and I wouldn't really agree with that statement - while it was interesting and paced considerably more quickly than many non-fiction books, if a fiction book spent several minutes/pages outlining the costs of jewelry that a con man gave to his wife (boooooooring), I'd throw that book across the room. Basically, this book was meticulously researched, but at something of a cost - there were a lot of details that felt pretty superfluous, and the details often interrupted the otherwise somewhat narrative flow of the book. I also could've done without the Robert Crowe parts...while Leo was a "real piece of work", Crowe just seemed like a massive asshole. All that aside though, it was a fun, fascinating listen. I liked it - 3 stars.
I listened to this book, and while it starts off pretty slow (I swear, the first CD is basically just a description of 1920s Chicago and the Drake hotel, and...booooooooooring), it picks up when Leo starts his swindling, and stays somewhat fast paced and consistently interesting until the very end, when the author reveals the fates of all of the "players", and I didn't really care. I read somewhere that this book reads like a "fiction" book, and I wouldn't really agree with that statement - while it was interesting and paced considerably more quickly than many non-fiction books, if a fiction book spent several minutes/pages outlining the costs of jewelry that a con man gave to his wife (boooooooring), I'd throw that book across the room. Basically, this book was meticulously researched, but at something of a cost - there were a lot of details that felt pretty superfluous, and the details often interrupted the otherwise somewhat narrative flow of the book. I also could've done without the Robert Crowe parts...while Leo was a "real piece of work", Crowe just seemed like a massive asshole. All that aside though, it was a fun, fascinating listen. I liked it - 3 stars.
marillenbaum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
A great history of a scammer, the people who trusted him, and the equally corrupt system that helped take him down.
sireno8's review
5.0
True Crime is one of my favorite genres-particularly historical true crime because it gives you a snap shot of what the world was like at that time. The crime is the flashpoint and the world in which was committed rises around it in reaction and you get a clear and more human picture of it rather than a list of facts. EMPIRE OF DECEPTION is a perfect example of this. It is expertly crafted to not only give the reader the necessary facts of the people involved but spins them into a highly entertaining story--which neatly avoids corniness or hyperbole. It's a great read. I'm surprised it hasn't been made into a movie. I particularly liked how the author put a more famous case (Leopold and Loeb) into historical context and showed its palpable effects on everyone involved. Factual but fascinating and (sadly) utterly believable. Recommended.
melania_010200's review
4.0
4|5 ⭐️
• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge - 19. A book of nonviolent true crime •
• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge - 19. A book of nonviolent true crime •