{"title":"Con Artists, Hoaxes \u0026 Deceptions","description":"\u003cp\u003eCon artists, hoaxes, and deceptions books spotlight the cunning personalities, infamous frauds, and elaborate schemes that have fascinated and bewildered audiences throughout history. This true crime category focuses on the exploits of swindlers and impostors, as well as the social and psychological mechanisms that enable large-scale deception, distinguishing it from violent or forensic criminal cases. Readers can expect detailed narratives about the masterminds who devote their lives to misleading systems, authorities, and individuals for personal gain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo narrow your search within con artists, hoaxes, and deceptions, consider whether you're most interested in financial chicanery, famous impersonators, or cases where wider societal beliefs were manipulated. Examining subtopics such as Ponzi schemes, art forgeries, or scientific fraud can help you concentrate on specific areas of intrigue. Use these distinctions to compare books that reveal the strategies and consequences behind both historical and modern acts of deception.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"anatomy-con-artist-14-red-flags-spot-scammers-grifters-thieves-9780593797167-new","title":"Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves","description":"\u003cb\u003eThese are the 14 red flags to identify the scammer in your life \u003ci\u003ebefore\u003c\/i\u003e they con you--from a victim-turned-vigilante and host of the hit podcast \u003ci\u003eQueen of the Con\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Johnathan Walton has written a master class on how to spot scammers, con artists, grifters, and thieves. And his storytelling reads like a crime novel. . . . A must-read.\"--Joe Navarro, FBI special agent (ret.) and author of the international bestseller \u003ci\u003eDangerous Personalities\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Some people play golf on the weekends,\" Johnathan Walton says. \"I hunt con artists.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCon artists are everywhere--your new boyfriend or girlfriend, your new neighbor or coworker, your new friend--and they don't out\u003ci\u003esmart\u003c\/i\u003e you; they out-\u003ci\u003efeel\u003c\/i\u003e you to get their hands on your money. In \u003ci\u003eAnatomy of a Con Artist\u003c\/i\u003e, Walton lays out \"the tells\" based on hundreds of real-life cases he's investigated, including: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRed Flag #1--A Stranger Offering Help: \u003c\/b\u003e Someone new and overly helpful insinuates themselves into your life. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRed Flag #3--Drama, Drama, Drama: \u003c\/b\u003e Constant dramatic \"emergencies\" to pull you in. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRed Flag #8--Beak Wetting: \u003c\/b\u003e Faux generosity--gifts, money, or favors to bring your guard down. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter being scammed out of nearly $100,000 by a devious con artist, Walton was turned away by police. Infuriated and armed with the investigative skills he'd gained from years as a TV reporter, Walton launched his own investigation and built a compelling criminal case authorities could not ignore. Walton got his con artist charged, prosecuted, and convicted, then devoted his life to helping other victims do the same. This book packs in all he has learned. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome con artists scheme for money, some for attention, some just for the thrill of lying. And if you think it can't happen to you, then you are exactly the kind of \"mark\" a professional con artist is looking for. With this insightful guide in your hands, you are far less likely to get conned and far more likely to spot these nefarious manipulators from a mile away--and cross the street when you see them coming.","brand":"RODALE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51578641940770,"sku":"9780593797167-new","price":22.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780593797167.jpg?v=1777410611"},{"product_id":"empire-orgasm-sex-power-downfall-wellness-cult-9780374604196-new","title":"Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This isn't just a tale of one cultish company--it's a mirror held up to tech's dark side, so full of greed and self-delusion.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Ashlee Vance, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eWhen the Heavens Went on Sale\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eElon Musk\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA cautionary tale of sex and salvation for the wellness generation: how orgasmic meditation turned into a cult. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eOneTaste hoped orgasm would change the world. Emerging in the midst of the late-aughts for-profit wellness boom, the company was unwavering in its faith in orgasmic meditation, or OM, a fifteen-minute practice involving a woman being clitorally stimulated by a clothed, usually male partner. Nicole Daedone, the group's magnetic and cunning founder, envisioned a world where OM was as widespread as yoga. But Daedone's vision came at a price: behind the militant loyalty she inspired and the millions of dollars in sales was what former members describe as a cult of manipulation, abuse, and coercion driven by a relentless quest for control. And by the time the FBI showed up at her door in 2023 with an indictment alleging that she had conspired to commit forced labor, even Daedone herself was no longer safe. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuilding on the viral \u003ci\u003eBloomberg\u003c\/i\u003e article that exposed the dark sides of OneTaste and of Daedone, Ellen Huet's \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Orgasm\u003c\/i\u003e tells how a boundary-pushing wellness program became a cult that, according to dozens of witnesses, ruthlessly exploited its members. Huet, the undeniable authority on the group, reveals how, in demanding absolute fealty to Daedone on the path to enlightenment and healing, OneTaste pushed its followers past their limits--sexually, emotionally, financially--and left the lives of many in shambles. The story culminates in Daedone's conviction in June 2025 after a five-week criminal trial. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA riveting saga and a nuanced exploration of the mechanics of manipulation, \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Orgasm\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinary account of wellness gone wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MCD","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51578730545442,"sku":"9780374604196-new","price":23.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780374604196.jpg?v=1777412419"},{"product_id":"catch-devil-true-story-murder-deception-injustice-gulf-coast-9780593230862-new","title":"Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER - The riveting, true story of an audacious con man who helped send another man to death row for a murder he did not commit \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Incendiary, emotionally devastating. [This] is a feat of dogged reporting, bravura storytelling, and clear-eyed moral conscience.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Patrick Radden Keefe, author of \u003ci\u003eSay Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e London Falling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Unfolding in cinematic detail, \u003ci\u003eCatch the Devil\u003c\/i\u003e offers a riveting and disturbing account of the potentially fatal consequences of a criminal legal system that is more concerned with securing convictions than determining the truth and delivering justice.\" --NPR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than three decades, Paul Skalnik roamed the Gulf Coast lying about who he was. He passed himself off as a fighter pilot, a high-rolling oilman, a criminal defense attorney, an undercover agent, and a terminal cancer patient. In these guises he married nine women--some at the same time. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Skalnik got caught, as he invariably did, he would run a different con. Locked up with other men awaiting trial, he claimed they confessed their crimes to him. Then he peddled those stories to prosecutors. In Pinellas County, Florida, he became a frequent witness for the state, thinking nothing of exaggerating men's wrongdoing or implicating the innocent to help prosecutors win convictions. In return, the state rewarded him with his freedom, fueling his growing sense of invincibility. Soon he was not just committing fraud; he was preying on girls in their teens or barely into adolescence. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1985, Jim Dailey, a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran, was implicated in the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl and landed in the Pinellas County Jail with Skalnik. No forensic evidence or motive linked Dailey to the killing, but Skalnik's account of his \"confession\" helped put Dailey on death row. Skalnik, meanwhile, walked free. More than three decades later, after another man took responsibility for the killing, Pamela Colloff, reporting for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and ProPublica, visited Skalnik and asked him if he would recant his testimony. He refused. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy then, Skalnik had caused untold damage: to the women and girls he exploited, to the dozens of men he helped imprison, and to Jim Dailey, who went on to receive an execution date. In this mesmerizing debut, Pamela Colloff spins a dark tale of a remorseless and brilliant liar made lethal by a system more concerned with winning convictions than finding the truth.","brand":"KNOPF","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":52567176085794,"sku":"9780593230862-new","price":25.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780593230862.jpg?v=1789590905"},{"product_id":"ego-trip-psychedelic-toads-trail-deaths-guru-who-peddled-transcendence-9780385550246-new","title":"The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence","description":"\u003cb\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORKER\u003c\/i\u003e - SHORTLISTED FOR THE TOM WOLFE PRIZE FOR REPORTAGE \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA lost tradition of \"toad medicine,\" a global psychedelic movement, and the charismatic doctor who left a trail of destruction in his wake \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Entirely mesmerizing. . . . Richly reported and written with humor and flair, \u003ci\u003eThe Ego Trip\u003c\/i\u003e is itself a trip--and Kimon de Greef is a major talent.\" --Patrick Radden Keefe, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLondon Falling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Toad-laced psychopathy is one hell of a drug. . . . An enthralling, galling journey into the deeply weird underbelly of the psychedelic renaissance.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2012, a Mexican doctor named Octavio Rettig declared that he had revived a forgotten indigenous ritual: smoking the secretions of the Sonoran Desert toad, which releases a potent psychedelic substance known as \"the God molecule.\" This enormously powerful drug can induce states of ego death and the sensation of being directly connected with the divine. In some cases, it offers profound relief for numerous conditions and illnesses. Drawn in by Octavio's visionary message of healing, many psychonauts, spiritual seekers, and patients without other options flocked to Sonora and sparked a psychedelic movement that would eventually circle the globe. But as Octavio's fame grew, stories emerged of extreme dosing, abusive behavior, and even dramatic deaths. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this gripping and deeply reported book, Kimon de Greef uncovers the truth behind this cultish figure and the wider world of toad medicine. While Octavio touted the cultural authenticity of his toad ceremonies, verifiable evidence of ancestral practice appeared questionable. Fractious turf wars broke out among toad collectors, who sent impoverished locals into drug cartel territory to chase after the animals and risk their lives in the process. And pharmaceutical companies raced against one another to profit from the commercial potential of the God molecule and develop a transformative mental health treatment that could rival Prozac in its impact on psychopharmacology. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart true crime, part cult story, part cultural history, \u003ci\u003eThe Ego Trip \u003c\/i\u003eis a chronicle of the rise and fall of a messianic figure and an investigation into larger truths about our age of spiritual desolation. As de Greef makes clear in this hypnotic story, no matter the lengths we go to in attaining a more cosmic understanding, we will always remain firmly in the real world, bound by our limitations and inescapably human.","brand":"DOUBLEDAY \u0026 CO","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":52568076681506,"sku":"9780385550246-new","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780385550246.jpg?v=1789610201"},{"product_id":"man-who-stole-gods-true-story-war-obsession-global-art-conspiracy-9780593716007-new","title":"The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy","description":"\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE SABEW 2026 BEST IN BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe shocking true story of the prolific art smuggler who looted the cultural treasures of a war-torn nation--and the global network that connects criminals like him to billionaire collectors, glittering auction houses, and world-famous museums \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An epic tale of art, war, and crime.\"--Stuart A. Reid, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lumumba Plot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An archaeological adventure to rival David Grann's \u003ci\u003eThe Lost City of Z, \u003c\/i\u003e and a riveting expos\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"PORTFOLIO","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":52573320544546,"sku":"9780593716007-new","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780593716007.jpg?v=1789670323"},{"product_id":"catch-devil-true-story-murder-deception-injustice-gulf-coast-9798217346998-new","title":"Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe gripping true story of a serial con man and the innocent man he sent to death row by award-winning \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine \u003c\/i\u003ewriter Pamela Colloff\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than three decades, Paul Skalnik roamed the Gulf Coast lying about who he was. He passed himself off as a fighter pilot, a high-rolling oilman, a criminal defense attorney, an undercover agent, and a terminal cancer patient. In these guises he married nine women--some at the same time. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Skalnik got caught, as he invariably did, he would run a different con. Locked up with other men awaiting trial, he claimed they confessed their crimes to him. Then he peddled those stories to prosecutors. In Pinellas County, Florida, he became a frequent witness for the state, thinking nothing of exaggerating men's wrongdoing or implicating the innocent to help prosecutors win convictions. In return, the state rewarded him with his freedom, fueling his growing sense of invincibility. Soon he was not just committing fraud; he was preying on girls in their teens or barely into adolescence. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1985, Jim Dailey, a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran, was implicated in the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl and landed in the Pinellas County Jail with Skalnik. No forensic evidence or motive linked Dailey to the killing, but Skalnik's account of his \"confession\" helped put Dailey on death row. Skalnik, meanwhile, walked free. More than three decades later, after another man took responsibility for the killing, Pamela Colloff, reporting for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and ProPublica, visited Skalnik and asked him if he would recant his testimony. He refused. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy then, Skalnik had caused untold damage: to the women and girls he exploited, to the dozens of men he helped imprison, and to Jim Dailey, who went on to receive an execution date. In this mesmerizing debut, Pamela Colloff spins a dark tale of a remorseless and brilliant liar made lethal by a system more concerned with winning convictions than finding the truth.","brand":"RANDOM HOUSE LARGE PRINT","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":52597536882978,"sku":"9798217346998-new","price":26.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9798217346998.jpg?v=1789953876"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.albakireads.com\/collections\/true-crime-con-artists-hoaxes-deceptions.oembed","provider":"AlbakiReads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}