This work investigates the psychological and social mechanisms employed by history's most notorious confidence men and impostors to manipulate their victims. Gerald Sparrow, a legal scholar and former judge, utilizes his background in criminal law to analyze the patterns of deceit that allow individuals to exploit public trust for personal gain.

Experts in the true crime genre often cite this text for its clear, analytical approach to the mechanics of historical swindles. Readers frequently note the accessible prose style, which balances legal observation with engaging narrative accounts of criminal activity.