Mr. Seal keeps quoting Hitler’s minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels: "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.” Gerhartsreiter is living proof of that saying.
The author does such a fantastic job in his research, that I lost track of how many people he interviewed, yet the pace is brisk and the narrative reminded me more of a novel of suspense than a recounting of recent history. The author weaves two storylines together: one of the con man--pre-Rockefeller era--who is linked to the disappearance and murder of a married couple; the other, the more famous one, involved the kidnapping of his own daughter Reigh.
After reading this book, Gerhartsreiter is as big a mystery as ever. We still have no idea why and how he managed to fool so many smart people (neither do the police). We are constantly told of his swagger, charm, and attractiveness, yet none of the pictures included force those claims (to his credit, Mr. Seal does attest that the subject didn’t like his picture taken and when it was, he made sure to make a face or hide).
Myself and the rest of my fellow ugly guys in the world still have a chance.
Hooray… I guess?
- 336 pages
- Publisher: Viking Adult
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0670022748
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