Leo Koretz was a man who knew how to get the big score from the big players. Oh, the stories he would tell! Of course, he was swindling people in some of the most outrageous cons of all time. But that’s neither here nor there because, boy, were they good stories!

And stories of Leo Koretz are still scoring big — as in rave reviews from big-time players for Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swinder Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb. The New York Times Book Review said, “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.”

And from The Washington Post: “High-stakes hijinks give the story a rollicking feel, but Jobb manages great poignancy, too. . . This lively and sweeping account seems to have already given a master con artist his due, putting him in the ‘pantheon of pyramid-building swindlers.’”