Catch Me If You Can

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Summary: Fascinating settings, outrageous outcomes
Review: As a light, trip-through-the-tulips novel, Catch Me could hardly be more entertaining. Settings are great, the chases engaging, and the outcomes outrageous. As a truly informative document, though, this novel leaves a little to be desired. Heavy concentration is on forgeries, a blatantly, overtly illegal act. Much of the other activities described also fall into that category: the airline pilot, the lawyer, the college prof., etc.What America must face is the fact of modern day cons becoming more and more "legal." Yes, this trend is proceeding at an alarming pace, making it necessary for everyone among us to be better informed of these developments. For pure education on the subject of schemes, scams, and frauds, as practiced, present-day, Les Henderson's Crimes of Persuasion is second to none.Highly recommended for all "fine print" detectives, who want to nail down the specifics of how so many cons are carried out.

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Summary: Catch Me If You Can
Review: Frank Abagnale jr. is a criminal master mind. He finds quick scams to make fast large amounts of money. For him to scam, he must study and plan out how to do so with out getting caught. Like a tiger studing a deers moves before he attacks. Abagnale started his scamming at a young age. His first victum was his own father. He faked many important jobs. It was his way of survival on this earth.

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Summary: Crime tales from a most adventurous angle
Review: I don't know how much poetic license came into play. But regardless, it's a terrific tale. I'm just glad he's now on the right side of the law...we hope.

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Summary: ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS
Review: At least 12 years ago after hearing Mr. Abagnale's exploits discussed on the radio, I read this book. I've repeatedly encouraged others to read this audacious autobiography. Suffice it to say, the long-awaited movie with DiCaprio and Hanks didn't begin to depict Mr. Abagnale's insanely uninhabited early life. It's unlikely the most illustrious writer of fiction could create such hilarious hijinks and unnerving escapades. Mr. Abagnale's many off-the-cuff impersonations and miraculous escapes were astounding, especially for someone too young to vote!
Read the book. You won't be disappointed.

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Summary: Great read!
Review: Frank Abagnale can teach us a lot about human nature.

this book is quite interesting.

but one never really understands what made abagnale tick.

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Summary: OH..MY..GOD! + read the anecdote
Review: You've seen the movie? Now then, read the book and discover the real thing was far more exciting! Like many I envy this man for his cleverness. The book is an easy read for non-english readers.

Anecdote: I'm from Belgium. The funny things is I've read this book during a 3 week trip to the US. Half way I noticed he had stayed in the exact same motel where I had been a week before I actually read that part.

Anyway, you HAVE to read this to understand what a great conman he was.

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Summary: "I Was a Teenage Con Man"
Review: I love a good (...)scam, ever since I saw The Sting when it first came out. So I can't believe it took me this long to get around to reading Catch Me If You Can. I saw the movie first, and it was great. But the book is better.

Abagnale goes into great detail about how he pulled off his frauds and this really made it click for me. In spite of all the intracacies of bank ins-and-outs, for instance, the story moves fast. You just can't wait to find out how Abagnale will get away with his current scam or if he will finally get caught. He actually does spend some time in prison and even that is fascinating, if a more than a little gritty.

Even if you've seen the movie, you will want to read this book, because the stories Abagnale tells are a notch better than the ones in the film, if only because things get condensed in a movie. The story of how he recruited a phony batch of stewardesses for a European tour, which was a good scene in the movie, was much better in the book



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Summary: A fun read
Review: I picked this book up on a Monday and finished it the following afternoon, reading at work and on breaks. The story was really interesting. It was simply amazing how much Frank Abagnale was able to get away with. Its kind of like the old US Army commercial...Frank Abagnale did more in four and a half years of his life then most people do with all of their's! I could not believe how lucky he got; how easily he was able to slip in and out of identities. A great novel. One of the amazing things is the fact that it took over twenty years for the film to be made. An interesting story and a fast read. You won't want to put it down.

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Summary: Unabashed. Brazen. Ballsy.
Review: This book was like a wild ride. Frank Abagnale leaves home as a teenager and embarks on the life of a con-man, but he does it with such style and finesse it's hard to believe this is a factual account of events. He impersonates a co-pilot, a lawyer, a doctor and a college professor amongst other things just to enhance his check scams. And even though he is a felon, you just can't help rooting for him. The action in this book moves very fast, so it is a light and entertaining read.

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Summary: Interesting
Review: I read Catch Me if You Can in one, day, and found myself not able to put it down. I was mesmerized by the compleling story that is so well put forth. The writing style is very easy and laidback, more like talking to the person then reading the chronicle of their life story. As I read the book I found myself wishing I could get the gory details. Overall however, while it still left many holes, which may never be completely answered, I liked reading the book to almost compliment the movie. I throughly enjoyed it, and while it may be bland at times, you learn about the slyest of the sly and the trickyest of the tricksters.