The Master Con Man: The True Adventures of Slippery Syd Gottfried

By Robert Kyriakides

From 1937 Ireland to petty theft as a teenager in London, Sydney Gottfried grew into a high-life of internatial double-dealing. Owner of a casino and nightclub, his many scams involve fake scotch, violent Soho hookers, counterfeit money, mobsters, diamonds, Swiss banks and the American public. Gottfried is resolutely crooked and his scams - here explained in thorough detail - are at times darkly humourous. Yet the vicious gravitas of his lifestyle draws him tragically, inevitably, to bloody murder.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 190048627X
• ISBN13: 9781900486279
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Headpress
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Incredible

Incredible, incredible but there the cons are supported by evidence, or at least some of them are. Really enjoyed this book and once I started reading I could not put it down. Brings out the crook in me as it makes me want to try some of the cons out, but I don't think I will!

Excellent story - Even though he's a con man, it rings true

I know I know, anything a good con man says rings true. In this case, though, there's nothing for the con to gain from what he tells. He goes to jail a few times, so he doesn't present himself as infallible or demonically intelligent. He goes after greedy and corrupt people, but he also goes after honest folks, so he's not trying for a Robin Hood image. He even admits to corrupting his mother into petty larceny and other crimes. It's a rollicking good tale, better than The Grifters (and I loved The Grifters.) And his story, though I think it's true, follows an incredibly well-shaped arc. It reads like a great, awful, humorous, tragic novel, even though it really happened. I couldn't put it down.